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February 4, 2017

Epson's New Wide Format Printer ET-16500 'Changing Lives'

Hi Folks,


   I've got some really exciting information today that can totally help anyone or any business. The folks that I have foremost in mind here are the multitude of clients who are graphic designers, architects, builders, and appraisers. But there are more of you that can find the help you need from this latest offering from Epson.




 
   Looking back over the past few reviews I've done, I picked up on a common thread amongst a segment of the population of my readership. That thread is simply the need to go beyond the standard 8.5" x 11" printing format. You have blueprints, plans, layouts, contracts, but printing out and jigsaw-puzzling them together has not been right for you. I do take the time to read my mails and your personal private comments. It just took a little time to zone in on what I could review for you that would make you super-happy. I think we're there now.


   I have had the pleasure of testing out and reviewing the latest offering from Epson: The EPSON WorkForce ET-16500 EcoTank Wide-Format All-in-One SuperTank Printer. There are a few buzz-words here that are relevant to many readers, but for those I singled out as a group needing to print larger documents, please note the words, "Wide-Format". This printer can print up to 13"-by-19" ("supertabloid"), and can scan/copy multiple pages of 11"-by-17" paper, as well as 2-sided documents. Rejoice, my good friends in the "Wide Format" world.


   Without further delay, let's go through this in an orderly process, starting with Filling the Ink Tanks, then Connecting to WiFi, Enabling Wi-Fi Direct Mode, Mobile Printing, Printing via Mac/OS X, Wide Format Printing, Scanning, Use of the Automatic Document Feeder, and I'll leave you with the Technical Specs at the end.


   A quick word of caution: This printer is one big fella, so a word to the wise: Bend your knees when un-boxing this...use your legs and not your back. Once you have the box open, it's easy to locate the ink as well as the gloves. I totally suggest using the gloves, as you can avoid staining. The gloves are a nice "ergonomic nicety" that Epson provides, showing that they have a grip on the human side of technology. Filling the tanks was a snap, and there is no mess left behind. Once filled to their capacity with the provided ink, these tanks can generate about 10,500 black and 11,000 color pages, and you have about 2 years of ink with the unit. WOW. Think of all of the hassles of buying, stocking, and inserting new cartridges, then performing nozzle checks and cleaning the print head. Then the extra waste from all of the used ink cartridges. Oh, yes, and the astronomical cost per cartridge. Let's not forget that. SuperTank and EcoTank are very appropriate names, you realize, as you run down the cost savings, savings on labor/waiting, and the lessened footprint on the environment by generating less waste!


   After a short period (10 minutes) of the printer internally adjusting itself for the first time to it's topped off 4 bays of ink (red, cyan, yellow and black), we were off to testing. First order of business was connecting to the Wi-Fi, which was intuitive and quite instant. The screen on the printer is a very comfortable 4.3" Color Touchscreen that is sleek-looking and is visible with sharp characters and good contrast for folks who use contact lenses and glasses, like I do.


   The ET-16500 has two trays that take 8.5" x 11" paper as well as 11" x 14" paper. After loading up some paper into one of these main bays, I enabled the Wifi-direct mode and created a new password, which was a snap. I set my Android phone (Android Print  to connect to the printer, and within moments, I was printing from my phone. Super-convenient process! Easy stuff, folks. It seems with each release, Epson seems to be reading our minds and getting the jump on speeding up the process and m

   A quick disclaimer that I am not Mac or OS X Savvy, however, in following the directions, I was able to pull down the driver software I needed on my MacBook and within minutes, I was able to connect and print with relative ease and quite seamlessly. Good news for the Apple folks out there!


   Now, the moment you have been waiting for!. Testing the process, speed, and quality of Wide-Format Printing. In preparation for this, I stopped by the office of one of my clients to pick up the exact Wide Format paper they use for their corporate documents, which turned out to be 13" x 19". This size paper is referred to as "super tabloid paper", which is quite critical in the architectural field (as my client is an architect), and also in many other fields such as graphic design, builders, etc. The rear specialty-paper feed is easily used here for the large-format paper we are using. Did I mention that during this phase of testing my wide-format printing client, James, came back here to look over my shoulder (as he reads my review, I sincerely hope he is still smiling!). With him loading up the file to be printed and to be the judge for quality and speed, we sent the job to print. It's not a decibel shattering noise, but you certainly know when the printing starts and finishes.


   What were the results? Well, as James states it, the results were "outstanding" and exceeded his "stark expectations" based on what is available in the market today. With an office back in his native London, England, as well as in California and New York, each office has had to contract out to have their Wide-Format printing needs met. The only part of the process they maintain control over is providing the paper to the printing house that runs the Wide-Format print jobs for them to at least reduce some of the costs. Thus the reason for my journey to his office for that specific paper size. Anyway, James tells me that he bears costs in each city with 3 different Mom and Pop printing shops, and it's a disaster. He has not been able to find a Wide-Format printer meeting his needs, therefore, he has had to maintain the clunky process in place and the extreme costs, as well.


   Basically, James told me to trust him on this evaluation of the printer, as has tested many other top name units that produced "utterly deplorable" results, as he calls them. He said I could walk through endless streets and I will not be able to find a wide-format printer like this that showed him such "lucid colors" and "sharp text" that exceeds output of even a laser-printer. Printing was refreshingly quick to him, and taking into account waiting for the delivery of printed output to his doorstep will be a thing of the past with this unit. I was impressed, and seeing the light bulb of "WOW" go on in my client made me thankful to Epson for allowing me to test this and lighten the path of an important client.


   My client does not have a flair for the dramatic, mind you, but he said this changes his entire lifestyle with the impact this will have on him and his 250 employees. When James took the printed output with him to discuss scrapping the print shops with his junior business partner, I decided to open the stop-watch app on my phone and test the regular black and also color speeds of 8.5" x 11" output, and I actually exceeded the ppm figure provided by Epson, which were 18 ISO ppm (Black) and 10 ISO ppm (Color). That is quite fast!


   Now, let's discuss the Scanner side of the ET-16500. In testing out the Scanner, I was able to produce some high quality output, with the potential to get up to 2400dpi. If you know your photo resolution numbers, that is a huge amount of dots per inch. I successfully tested the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), a seamless feature that makes life so much easier for everyone! I tested 2-Sided Copying and 2-Sided Scanning, and both work like a charm. I was able to produce nothing less than high-quality output on paper sizes up to 11" x 17", which I tested, along with 8.5" x 11". The output on Glossy Photo Paper will bowl you over, but seriously, not far behind is the output on Plain Paper, which is equally as vibrant and precise.


   Overall, this printer was a joy to test, evaluate, and review. After your initial outlay for the printer, if you do the math, it is not long until this printer starts paying you back in ink savings, time/hassle savings, and perhaps even in other areas of your business that I didn't even realize, as with James and his breakthrough moment with the ET-16500. I have at least 20 other clients in similar businesses and situations as James, and this will be a huge Home Run for them, as well. Do you want to say goodbye to the ink cartridge process, the hassles, the costs, etc? Whether you sell homes or baseball cards or have a lemonade stand, there will always be a need for Wide-Format output at some point. This printer puts you in an exclusive club, with fellow professionals that have had it with the contemporary "closed box of thought" about what to expect from their Network Printers, and are seizing the opportunity to raise the bar for themselves and their business. Where do you see the ET-16500 taking you and your business in 2017?


As Promised, your Full Technical Specs below:

Eco Features
ENERGY STAR® qualified
RoHS compliant
Recyclable product

What's In The Box:
WorkForce ET-16500 Wide-format EcoTank all-in-one
Manual
CD-ROM for product setup
Power cord
Included ink in the box:
Initial bottles: 1 bottle 774 Black (140 mL) and 1 bottle each 664 Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (70 mL)
Extra bottles: 1 bottle 774 Black (140 mL) and 1 bottle each 664 Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (70 mL)

Print:
Printing Technology:
Powered by PrecisionCore™ 4-color (CMYK) drop-on-demand inkjet technology
Minimum Ink Droplet Size:
3 droplet sizes, as small as 2.8 picoliters
Maximum Print Resolution:
4800 x 1200 optimized dpi
ISO Print Speed:
Black: 18 ISO ppm
Color: 10 ISO ppm
2-Sided ISO Print Speed:
Black: 8.7 ISO ppm
Color: 6.0 ISO ppm

Ink:
Ink Type:
EcoTank Ink Bottles
Ink Palette:
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Ink Cartridge Configuration:
4 individual ink bottles
Replacement Ink Cartridges:
774 Black Ink Bottle
664 Color: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Ink Yield Information:
ISO Yield, Epson Methodology - Black: 6,000, Color: 6,500

Copy:
ISO Copy Speed:
Black: 16 ISO cpm
Color: 8.8 ISO cpm
Copy Quality:
Color/Black-and-White: Standard/Best
Copy Quantity:
1 – 99 (PC-free)
Maximum Copy Size:
8.5" x 14"
Copy Features:
Automatic 1-sided to 2-sided
2-sided to 1-sided
2-sided to 2-sided
Fit to Page
Automatic Reduction and Enlargement (25 – 400%)
ID Copy
Adjustable Copy Density
Collate
Preview
Resize
Remove Punched Holes
Remove Shadows

Specifications Scanner:
Scanner Type:
Color flatbed / ADF
Photoelectric Device:
11.7" x 17" max
Optical Resolution:
2400 dpi
Hardware Resolution:
1200 x 2400 dpi
Maximum Resolution:
9600 dpi interpolated
Color Bit Depth:
48-bit color input / 24-bit color output
Scan Features:
Other:
Scan to PC, Cloud, Corporate Email or Email (via Epson Connect), Memory device, Network Folder

Fax:
Fax Settings:
Black & White and Color
Fax Speed:
Up to 33.6 Kbps – as fast as 3 sec per page
Memory:
Up to 550 pages
Speed Dials:
200 (max.)
PC Fax:

Supported Connectivity:
Standard Connectivity:
Hi-Speed USB
Wireless (802.11 b/g/n)
Wi-Fi Direct
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)

Mobile Printing:
Epson Connect:
Epson® Email Print, Epson Remote Print, Epson Scan to Cloud8, Epson iPrint™ App (iOS®, Android), Epson Print and Scan App (Windows®)
Other:
Google Cloud Print™, Android printing, Fire™ OS printing, Mopria® Print Service

Paper Handling:
PC-Free Paper Support:
Plain (letter, 8.5" x 14", A4)
Photo (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", letter, A4)
Paper Sizes:
3.5" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", 11" x 17", 13" x 19", A4, A6, A3, A3+, half letter, executive, user definable (3.5" x 5" – 13" x 47")
Maximum Paper Size:
13" x 47"
Paper Types:
Plain paper
Epson Bright White Paper
Epson Presentation Paper Matte
Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte
Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided
Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy
Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy
Envelope Types:
No. 10
Input Paper Capacity:
500 sheets plain paper
Cassette 1: 250 sheets plain paper
Cassette 2: 250 sheets plain paper
Rear feed: 1 sheet

General:
Operating Systems:
Windows 10
Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows Vista® (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows XP SP3 (32-bit)
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Mac OS® X 10.6.8 – 10.11.x10
Server Systems:
Windows Server® 2012 R29
Windows Server 20129
Windows Server 2008 R29
Windows Server 20089
Windows Server 2003 R29
Windows Server 20039
Temperature:
Operating: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Storage: -4° to 104° F (-20° to 40° C)
Humidity:
Operating: 20 – 80% RH
Storage: 5 – 85% RH (no condensation)
Sound Level:
Power: 6.4 B(A)
Pressure: 48 dB(A)

Dimensions:
Printing: 26.2" x 32.2" x 16.5" (W x D x H)
Storage: 26.2" x 19.1" x 16.5" (W x D x H)
Weight:
50.7 lb
Safety Approvals:
Safety standards UL60950, CSA C22.2 No. 60950, EMI FCC Part 15 subpart B class B, CAN/CSA-CEI/IEC CISPR 22 class B
Country of Origin:
Indonesia

Printer Details:
Display:
4.3" color touchscreen
Printer Language:
Epson ESC/P®-R
Software Included:
Epson printer driver, Epson Scan
Monthly Duty Cycle:
Up to 20,000 pages (Recommended monthly page volume up to 1,300 pages)
Telecom Regulations:
FCC Part 68 (USA), IC/CS03 (Canada)

Power:
Rated Voltage:
AC 100 – 240V Universal (Automatic)
Rated Frequency:
50 – 60 Hz
Power Consumption:
Approx. 20 W ISO 24712 (Standalone copy printing)
Approx. 8.9 W (Standby)
Approx. 1.9 W (Sleep)
Approx. 0.4 W (Power off) ENERGY STAR® qualified
Rated Current:
0.5A – 0.3A


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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #epson #printer #Scanner #Copier #wideformat #et16500

December 6, 2016

Reclaim Hours, Raise Productivity; Epson DS-530 Color Scanner

Hi Folks,
   I hope your Holiday Season is really shaping up for you both professionally and on the home front, as well! It's an exciting time of the year, but it seems like the busiest time of year all-around, doesn't it?

   Well, let me start out by stating the obvious; we all live complex lives, between work, family, and other additional business ventures that we may pursue in life. The end result of this, regardless of the digital age that we live in, is paper. Lots and lots of Paper. I often feel I could take 2 days per month from start of day to end of day, just for the purpose of filing and keeping myself organized.

   The fantastic opportunity to test out the new Epson DS-530 Color Duplex Document Scanner came at an ideal time, which is when I am at the point of literally using a shovel to move paperwork into neat piles.

   The Task: To make some genuine progress in organizing a seemingly never-ending pile of receipts (some of which are fragile strips of paper), contracts, voluminous project management documentation, business cards from new business prospects, tax documents, and many other such types of physical copies that I've accumulated over just the past few months alone.

   The Focus: Testing out the Epson DS-530 Color Document Scanner, and reporting to you on the level of ease or difficulty of Set-up, the speed and quality of various types of required output (those of which I identified above), and then, examining and sharing with you some of the additional bells and whistles that come along with this newest offering from the folks at Epson.

Scanner Set-Up:

   Just as I figured from previous experience testing Epson products, Un-boxing and connecting your new DS-530 is a snap. A few blinking lights and a few beeps and immediately you are ready to get to work.

Scanner Speed and Quality:

   I figured I'd start with the "easy" part, which were a couple a hundred pages of documentation I have across 6 different contractor agreements. I loaded up the Automatic Document Feeder with its capacity of 50 sheets, set it to scan, and in not even 2 minutes, perhaps it was about 90 seconds, the job completed! I was amazed at the speed, and when I took a glance at the documentation, I noticed why: the unit will scan 35 pages per minute (ppm) in grayscale, black, and color modes.

   Further, I noticed some of the remaining 150+ pages I had were dual-sided, with information on both sides. With the DS-530, this is not a problem, as I watched the scanner scan both sides in one pass! I know it is a high-powered duplex scanner, but high powered might seriously be a slight understatement!

   Some additional items I needed to scan were partially laminated, such as high-end business cards and some small placards, which had bulky sections. I was a little uneasy, thinking it might get stuck. Sure enough, these units are engineered in a way to avoid or prevent any jams! Before I knew it, I had these scanned in, as well.

   The item I left for last, since I desperately did not want them getting chewed up or ripped, were my business expense receipts, some of which were pretty mangled from wear, and a few, I am ashamed to admit, went to the dry cleaners and were in a box there for me to pick up when I picked up my dry cleaning. These took a beating, but were still legible, so I took a chance. I was not aware until reading the documentation that there was a slow speed as a mode when you had fragile documents or papers. It treated the receipts with excellent care and the scanned copies are now ready for tax time.

Additional features:

   One of the best features is that you can create searchable PDF files or you can make editable files for Word and Excel. This was a handy feature, as I like to mark the copies with what expense designation each item falls under, and it made it super easy for me to do. Another great feature is the ability to scan to cloud file hosting providers, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Evernote. I am a Dropbox person, and being able to organize our business files in our Dropbox for Business account is priceless!

   The Epson DS-530 Color Duplex Document Scanner seems to handle anything you can throw at it. No job is too large, too small, or too delicate to be processed by this scanner. I was very impressed with this scanner, and found it to be a great assistant in terms of helping me be more productive. It has saved me an unimaginable amount of time, and when you are running a business, if technology saves you enough time to get back to business, wouldn't you place a value on that technology? What about if the time that the technology gave back to you would come close to being of equal or more value vs. the price value of that technology, just within a few short weeks or a couple of months? That is the kind of productivity I am talking about here, and you should seriously consider one of these scanners for your business. I know that my 2017 will start out strong, with the confidence that I have a tool to handle in minutes what it would take me hours to do. How much time is your Scanner saving you?

Technical Specifications:
Main Features
Document scanner
Duplex
Legal
600 dpi x 600 dpi
up to 35 ppm (mono) / up to 35 ppm (color)
ADF ( 50 sheets )
up to 4000 scans per day
USB 3.0
The fast, efficient DS-530 color duplex document scanner is the intelligent choice for business document management, offering world-class performance at a significant value. Advanced paper feed technologies offer added reliability, while auto document feeder saves time.

The Document Scanner That’s the Intelligent Choice for Document Management
The fast, efficient DS-530 color duplex document scanner is the intelligent choice for business document management, offering world-class performance at a significant value. Featuring speeds up to 35 ppm/70 ipm1, this powerful, compact performer includes TWAIN and ISIS® drivers for seamless integration with existing document management systems. Quickly scan stacks of pages to a PC, Mac® or online storage account2 like Dropbox® or SharePoint®. Advanced paper feed technologies such as Dynamic Skew Correction and Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection offer added reliability, while a 50-page Auto Document Feeder saves time. Additional features include Double Feed Detection Skip, Slow Speed Mode and programmable jobs.

Fast scan speeds, from a leader in image capturing technology — up to 35 ppm/70 ipm1; one-pass duplex scanning
Seamless compatibility with document management systems — includes TWAIN and ISIS drivers for easy integration with existing software
Scan directly to online storage accounts2 — intuitively scan to Dropbox, Evernote®, FileBound and Google Drive™ with Epson Document Capture software
World-class performance and reliability — three sets of rollers for Dynamic Skew Correction, plus Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection to prevent missing pages
Easily scan stacks of documents — robust design with 50-page Auto Document Feeder (ADF)
Designed for dependability — enhanced features include Slow Speed Mode, programmable jobs and a daily duty cycle of up to 4,000 sheets3
Generate searchable and editable files — scan to editable Word and Excel® files or searchable PDF files; OCR software included
Intelligent color and image adjustments — auto crop, blank page and background removal with Epson Image Processing Technology
Versatile paper handling — scan stacks of business and ID cards, single sheets and extra-long pages up to 240"
Send scans to any computer on your network — optional Network Interface Unit available for workgroup sharing

Scan and organize important documents with the included software
Scan documents to email, an FTP server, online storage account2 or any folder on your PC. The scanner also includes TWAIN and ISIS drivers for seamless compatibility with popular document management systems. And, it includes OCR software for creating searchable PDFs or scanning into editable formats like Word and Excel files.

Scan directly to online storage accounts including Dropbox, SharePoint, FileBound and more
Scan directly to your designated hard drive or easily upload documents to Dropbox, SharePoint, FileBound, Google Drive, Evernote and more. Just install the included software on a PC or Mac and users can scan, save and organize data.

Advanced scanning features
Auto Document Size Detection — up to 8.5" x 14"
Scan extra-long documents up to 8.5" x 215" (8.5" x 240" at 200 dpi)
Text enhancement for Color, Black-and-White and Grayscale — for improved OCR accuracy
Auto Image Type Detection
Dynamic Skew Correction
Remove punch holes and blank pages from scanned images

Epson advanced sensor and paper feed technology
Custom-designed to handle important documents — from business cards and plastic IDs to extra-long documents, the scanner incorporates DSC (Dynamic Skew Correction) and a sophisticated multi-roller paper feed design. It automatically corrects the angle at which the paper enters the scanner to prevent jams. The Ultrasonic sensor allows Double Feed Detection to help avoid misfeeds. And, Auto Document Size Detection makes it easy to scan multiple sizes in a single stack. Additional features include:

Automatic Feeding Mode: Scan originals of different sizes, in any order, into one PDF
Double Feed Detection Skip (DFDS) button: Easily resume scanning jobs after a feeding error occurs
Slow Speed Mode button: Scan crumpled or fragile documents at a slower speed to reduce misfeeds or prevent tears

Accommodates oversized and fragile documents
Optional carrier (sold separately) sheets allow you to scan oversized (A3), folded, irregular, wrinkled or fragile documents and receipts, as well as magazine clippings. Carrier sheets can be scanned successively or mixed in with regular paper documents — the scanner will automatically detect the carrier sheet.

Certified by leading solution providers
Select Epson scanners are certified to be compatible with over 70 top-tier Independent Software Vendors (ISV) for easy integration with document management systems. The included TWAIN and ISIS drivers also allow for compatibility with your document management software of choice.
1 Based on letter-sized scans at 300 dpi in Black-and-White, Grayscale or Color Mode.
2 With Epson Document Capture software installed on the connected Windows PC or Mac.
3 Daily duty cycle is the highest recommended number of scanned sheets per day. For best results, run at or below the recommended usage. Calculations based on a scanning speed of 35 ppm and an assumed daily use time.
4 For convenient and reasonable recycling options, visit www.epson.com/recycle
5 SmartWay is an innovative partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that reduces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants and improves fuel efficiency

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Happy Holidays!
Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com



November 23, 2016

The Worst Advice About Real Estate I've Ever Received

Hi Friends and Fellow Investors,

   They say it's good to dwell on the positive things in life, but sometimes, it's healthy to hop over to the dark-side for a bit and reflect on some of the wacky (but with good intentions) advice I've received over the years regarding Real Estate, from buying to selling to investing. I'll share some of these events chronologically so you can appreciate the time and setting in which I was the recipient of these tidbits of advice.

   Well, a little over 20 years ago, my aunt and uncle used to come over to my apartment at the time a couple of times per week, and they always found me going over the Real Estate section looking for properties. They said I probably spend too much time rsearching and seeing properties. At one point, my Aunt suggested that I should focus on work and just slow down and enjoy life. Why was that bad advice? "Slow down" is the opposite of what a 22-year old should be doing, and "enjoyment" of life is different in every person's own eyes. I worked hard through college and graduated with the equivelant of a 90-degree average to earn my Bachelors Degree. I studied ridiculous hours (ADHD - you have to really cram the information in there!), but wow, did I party, as well! I managed to work during school and sock away some good money, and just had my first home under a Rent to Own Contract, and it was addictive. So, the breaking news on that advice they gave me is that I was very proud of my achievements in school and my initial step into Real Estate Investing. Now, fast forward, and they are now aware that my days of reading the Real Estate section of the newspaper (Pre-Internet "Stone Age" Days) have led me on the path I am on. That little "hobby" of mine has been working out pretty darn good. I make sure to bring up the Real Estate market whenever I see them, as it puts a happy smile on my face. You see that? Real Estate does bring smiles!

   During the early 90's, I had been evaluating some developments in Central Florida. I had conflicting advice from some fellow investors. I was warned by some as if I was to avoid the bubonic plague to not throw a single penny into these developments. Of course, I did not heed that advice. Good thing, because a simple investment of $2050 became an equity stake of $35,000 by the mid 90's, and I cashed out. Listen to your little voice inside.

   During that same time, I did take bad advice two times, and paid the price for it. The first time, I was advised by two investors who followed the New England market very closely via publications that they ordered in those pre-Internet times. They told me to put everything behind a property in Connecticut, so I invested. As it turns out, somebody missed out that there was a toxic waste/Sewage treatment plan not far away, and the smell kept people from buying in. The place folded and the wrecking ball came in, and I kissed my investment goodbye. Needless to say, I phased out those two woodpecker investors from my circle!

   The second time, I had my eyes on a promising piece of land in Maine, in a sectio I was not at all familiar with, but the property adjacent and surrounding tripled in value over 4 years. I needed to get in touch with some local investors, and I made contact with a friend of a friend, and this fella was like a book of everything in that section of Maine. My funds were ready to invest and I was excited. He was so dead-set against this property, saying it was rocky and hard to develop, and showed me a letter from the County actually asking him to invest in it, along with his polite letter of proposal rejection he sent to them in reply. He seemed reasonable in his arguments against the property. Fast forward all of these years, and I am still quite upset with myself for that bad advice, because I missed out on a hotel and a strip-mall, and a price appreciation of more than 25x my would-be invesment! Oddly, I lost "Mr. Maine's" phone number. It's still a mystery today as to how I could have lost it.

   So, as you can see, I dodged some bullets, but got caught between the eyes with some others. I remember a friend in the industry warning me not long ago about investing in too many different states. He failed to realize that to ignore hot properties that you have people on the ground you trust to manage it for you is akin to business suicide. Locking yourself into just one market is like putting all of your money on a winning horse. Once he breaks a leg, then what?!

   Overall, as I said in the beginning, all of this advice was done with good intentions, but still, that was just some of the worst advice I've ever received about Real Estate.

   FYI, more Epson hardware is on it's way for me to review and share with the many of you who have been quite consistent in your requests. Thanks for your patience.

Would You Like Our Blog Posts Sent Directly to your E-mail? Here's How:
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #realestate #maine #florida #investment #advice #newengland #developments #centralflorida #realestateinvesting

October 4, 2016

Epson WF-M5694 Reinvents Efficiency and Revitalizes Your Budget

Hi Friends,
   I welcome you back to another of these (fortunately) well-received Blog Posts on Technology, as I am always on the hunt-down for new technology and new gadgets that will make your business run more efficiently, and make you happy, if you like that sort of stuff. I have been asked (not badgered, really...just asked) by a number of clients that make up my readership to continue focusing on technology, as it is helping them immensely. I have also exchanged E-mails with many of you requesting more on-topic items such as the Rent to Own Market, so everyone will be glad to know they are all being granted their wish, and we have some cool Real Estate posts forthcoming.

   With that being said, today we are going to take a journey from the past into the present, with a very sophisticated twist on how we to use a printing feature that most overlook, and wind up paying more for that ambivalence in the long run.

   If I told you I was reviewing a Monochrome (Black and White Printer), you might think I was crazy. However, if you told me you print everything from your to-do list and your own personal notes in color, every day, I might turn around and say that you, my friend, might be the crazy one.

   Well, the cat is out of the bag, and the printer I present to you today is like no other one you have seen before. Sure, in your past, you might remember those old workhorse Black and White Printers that were scattered among offices, which could produce large output. But looking back, do you remember the smudging? The low-quality look of the characters that usually came out in Arial or Times New Roman, and you knew there had to be better than this. Then came Color Printers, and everyone got hooked on them, since they could also print black and white, as well as color. But color was shiny and new, and you got hooked.

   Back to the present day, and I present to you the Epson WF-M5694, a sleek new offering from Epson that captures the spirit of the work-horse printers of the past, while putting an edge and a spin on this printer that you never would have imagined possible. From a person with a technical background spanning a little over 20 years, I, personally, was quite impressed! Let's examine the Set-up, Speed, Quality, features, and how this printer can save you money from multiple angles. Then we'll wrap it all up with the full Technical Specifications at the end.

   Setting this baby up was easy as can be, and I had a non-technical friend run through the set up to keep things honest here by verifying that I didn't just geek my way through it. Instantly connected it to my Wi-Fi and loaded up the paper, checked out the ink to get a good look at it and installed it. Locked and loaded and ready to print.

   That was an understatement. I half-expected the print job to come out section by section and quite slow, as that as what I was conditioned for from years back. Was I ever wrong! The pages came out blazing fast, and apparently, the speed of pages of text can approach 20 pages per minute, which comes out to about 3 seconds per page. I had a stopwatch and I was close to if not eclipsing that speed. Nice! That will let you knock down some hefty print jobs while making some big savings (I will explain shortly).

   Printing using the Auto Document Feeder (ADF) makes life so much easier than doing page by page copying, and it does a step further, as it also Auto-duplexes, saving you from having to flip the pages over for the other side to get it's share of the print job. What I also found very cool with the printer was how they are paying attention to the ability to print from specific devices, for example, Amazon Kindle Printing, Google Cloud, Apple, and Android Printing. These are also is a snap to get working.

   How about the quality? I tried all of the functions, and wound up with high-quality printed output of scanned items and general printing items and copies. I was happy to find everything had crisp lettering, that, I might add, will not smudge even when shaking the paper back and forth violently like a lunatic! As another test, I sprinkled a few drops of H20 on it, and sure enough, it is water resistant as well!

   Now, the ink that is used is DURABrite (Ultra Pigment ink), and they say you can get about 10,000 printed copies before ever having to change the cartridge. Please read that line again. I'm not kidding. Additionally, the efficiency of this printer is guided by the leap-years ahead PrecisionCore Printing Technology. The Printer is so efficient that it uses up to 70% less power than laser printers. Did you just hear a big "BOOM!" in the Accounting department? The Controller just fell of their chair after hearing that. This is some serious technology here, folks. Did I mention it can handle 45,000 pages per month?

   The real benefit I see here is from my own personal experience visiting with clients, where they print absolutely everything in colored ink, and in actuality, at least 50% of their jobs could be done in Monochrome.

   However, one could argue, with validity, that it does not make sense to overburden those current color printers with massive Monochrome and Color Print Jobs. The current alternative points to their in-place hardware; but the Monochrome printers that plenty of offices do have in many of their locations are dated often by 10 years or more. This brings us into a whole new category of costs currently being incurred, as these decade-old printers are terribly inefficient in terms of Power Usage (if this printer can approach a 70% more efficient level than a Laser Printer, than compared to the 1990's Monochrome printers, the level would probably approach triple digits in terms of increased efficiency/less power usage, from what I am calculating here). Just as important is the replacement cost of old hard-to-find probably refurbished/refilled ink cartridges vs. brand new easy-install cartridges for the WF-M5694. Then there is the obvious remaining factor; the smudgy dated output vs. the crisp and clean, sharp output that you upgrade to with this printer.

   So, in closing, I end with a question; If you could potentially lower power usage/costs by replacing the older monochrome printer(s) with the WF-M5694, taking a load off your current central hub color printer(s), and start producing the monochrome copies you really need with super-efficient ink usage, along with one more benefit (that nobody needs to wear the ink that rubbed off onto their hands and clothes from Mr. Jones' inter-office Memo), then would it all be worth the change?

Technical Specs:
The lowest cost multifunction monochrome printer in its class.
The WorkForce Pro WF-M5694 multifunction monochrome printer provides the lowest-cost monochrome printing in its class. Designed for small workgroups, it requires little intervention, with a 10,000-page cartridge yield, 580-sheet maximum paper capacity and 45,000 page monthly duty cycle. Professional-quality documents can be printed at fast speeds — 20 ISO ppm (black). The device supports auto 2-sided printing, copying, scanning and faxing. Network setup and security features provide seamless integration and administration into wired and wireless environments, via Universal drivers, PCL5 and PostScript. Powered by PrecisionCore printing technology, the WF-M5694 delivers Performance Beyond Laser.

Model: C11CE37201
MFP with WiFi & Ethernet: Print | Copy | Scan | Fax | PCL/PS
Ink: DURABrite Ultra pigment ink
Print Speed: Up to 20 ppm
View Specifications

Product Guides & Additional Information:

WorkForce Pro WF-M5694 Monochrome Multifunction Printer Brochure (PDF)
User Reviews
Key Features
ISO Print Speeds
ISO Print Speeds
Prints at speeds of 20 ISO ppm (black)
Wireless and Ethernet Network Ready
Wireless and Ethernet Network Ready
Share one printer with multiple computers in your home or office, using a wireless or wired network.
High-capacity Cartridges Available
High-capacity Cartridges Available
Extra large, easy to install ink cartridges with high print yields.
Automatic Two-Sided Printing
Automatic Two-Sided Printing
Save up to 50% on paper with automatic two-sided printing .
Epson Connect - Print and Share from Anywhere
Epson Connect; - Print and Share from Anywhere
Easily print from iPad, iPhone, tablets, smartphones and more.
Automatic Document Feeder
Automatic Document Feeder
Easily copy, scan and fax stacks of documents with the built-in automatic document feeder.
Cost savings — the lowest-cost monochrome printing in its class
Low intervention — print up to 10,000 black pages without changing the cartridge; up to 580 sheets maximum paper capacity with optional second paper tray
Do more — 35-page duplex Auto Document Feeder; auto 2-sided print, copy, scan and fax; Document Capture Pro scanning software included
Fast output — prints at speeds of 20 ISO ppm (black)
Heavy-duty networked workgroup printing — 45,000-page monthly duty cycle; up to 2500 pages recommended monthly for high-volume printing
Security features — secure PIN printing, user access control, Web Config and more
Professional-quality results — laser-sharp text on a wide variety of media with DURABrite Ultra Ink
Built-in networking — wired and wireless connectivity plus Wi-Fi Direct; also print from smartphones, tablets and the cloud
Included drivers and utilities — Universal driver, PCL5 and Adobe® PostScript® 3™
Get Performance Beyond Laser — the WorkForce Pro WF-M5694, powered by PrecisionCore
Designed for use exclusively with Epson cartridges.
Eco Features
Uses up to 70% less power than laser printers
Save up to 50% of your paper supply with automatic 2-sided printing/copying
ENERGY STAR qualified
RoHS compliant
Recyclable product
Epson America, Inc. is a SmartWay Transport Partner

Better Products for a Better Future
For more information on Epson's environmental programs, go to www.epson.com/environment

What's in the Box
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-M5694 printer
Manual
Power cord
DURABrite Ultra Ink cartridge – One 792 ink cartridge: Black
Warranty
One-year limited warranty in the U.S. and Canada

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


April 4, 2016

The Epson EX9200 Projector Redefines Classy


Hi Folks,
    Over the past weekend, I've had the pleasure of testing out one of Epson's top-of-the-line Projection units, the EX9200 Pro Wireless WUXGA 3LCD Projector. I can hear a whole segment of you saying, "finally". I know who you are, and the functionality you desire, along with that of many other folks out there, was the focus of this very review. We're going to take baby steps, as there is a lot to cover here, but I thank many of you for your E-mails, telling me you prefer how I did the last review, by adding in the relevant specs as we go, so we'll stick with that. Our journey will take us through Compatibility and Set-Up, Ease of Use, Quality, Portability, and then we'll go over some additional cool factors and wrap it all together for you.

  With these times the way they are, everything starts with the mobile phone, so after unboxing the projector, I got my mobile connected to the projector. All I needed to do was scan one of those little  QR codes and I was connected. The setup was pretty straightforward I got it up and running fast, with a fast coffee break in-between. Seriously, within a few minutes, everything was connected up. Now, all of the connectors are on the back panel of the projector, which keeps up with the need to manipulate the device during the presentation. A very important and quite handy feature is that it does support HDMI ports, which should be standard for most Projection units now, but a quick scan online does not show not all Manufacturers are at that point yet. Odd. Additionally, it will connect to your laptop, PC, or if you have a Mac to connect directly. If you have a standard USB port in your system, it will connect to them. Cables such as the USB cable is included in the box. It's basically USB plug and play compatible with your PC or your Mac (as long as it has the interfaces on it, as mine did, for testing),Overall, there's plenty of compatibility built into the EX9200,and it shows Epson really did their homework on this one. This unit also has a VGA port, RCA and Composite video ports, some of these name you may be familiar with from having an older television or an older VCR unit, however, they still come in quite handy for folks that may have equipment not 100% up to today's standards, and this can prevent an "Oops" moment when a visiting client wants to attach a vintage laptop to the projector! Additionally, the system has built-in Wi-Fi for wireless connections to your tablet, etc. As far as from the Compatibility and Set-up, this gets an A-Plus...Straight Out of the Box,  no mess no fuss, simple as pie. Here are some related setup and compatibility specs:

Compatibility:
USB Plug 'n Play:

Projects audio and video
PC and Mac® compatible

Display Performance:
NTSC: 480 lines
PAL: 576 line
(Depends on observation of the multi-burst pattern)
Input Signal: NTSC / NTSC4.43 / PAL / M-PAL / N-PAL / PAL60 / SECAM

Interfaces:
HDMI x 2 (1 supports MHL connectivity)
Computer/component video: D-sub 15 pin x 1
Composite video: RCA (Yellow) x 1
Audio in: RCA x 1 (White/Red)
USB connector Type A x 1: PC-free USB and other
USB connector Type B x 1: USB Plug 'n Play

Speaker: 2 W (mono)
Operating Temperature: 41° to 95° F (5° to 35° C)
Power Supply Voltage: 100 – 240 V ±10%, 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption:
ECO mode: 214 W
Normal mode: 291 W

Fan Noise:
ECO mode: 29 dB
Normal mode: 37 dB

Security:
Kensington®-style lock provision
Password protect function

   As for ease-of-use, anything that gets you up and about it doesn't keep you strapped down is a good thing nowadays. This particular projector is no exception to that. The ability of the EX9200 to utilize Wireless Technology allows you the ease and freedom to move around anywhere within your conference room, for example. Additionally, another great feature that makes your day that much easier is the fact that you can take videos and share them directly from your phone or tablet or laptop, because the EX9200 supports MHL enabled devices (including Chromecast, which is very useful, since a lot of folks use that in today's world. There is also a Remote Control, to further enhance your experience,  and which allows you to move freely about your conference room. The control is intuitive, and is in-line with Epson's Straight-forward End-User facing dialogue/language. Here are some specs related to usage/ease of usage:

Remote Control
Features: Source search selection, power, volume, e-zoom, A/V Mute, freeze, menu, page up and down, help, auto, mouse functions
Operating Angle:
Right / Left: ±30 degrees
Upper / Lower: ±15 degrees
Operating Distance: 19.7 ft (6 m)

   Now, before I jump into the quality, I'm almost positive that many of you do not have friends with light meters. But I'm the head geek here, so I do, and I contacted my friend who has one and we were able to verify the amount of lumens, or the brightness of the projector, as we came within a 3% range of the quantity of lumens stated in the documentation. Very impressive! So, basically the quality of any projector is really based around the brightness and the balance between the light, white light and the color light. This unique balance is what helps bring high resolution images. Interesting story; I'm an avid collector of coins and baseball cards, as many of you know my CardboardandCoins.com website. So basically, I spent quite some time using the different connections and settings while looking over coins. One coin I had up was really a mess (you cannot clean them...it's taboo in coin collecting). That particular coin was always impossible to read, even at 60x power, however, once projected as an image I took of the coin, I was able to make out all features of the coin that I never saw before. Albeit a small image I used, the projector really went to work on it, because the writing on the coin was equivalent at that point to 3 or 4 point printing. Not normally visible across a room, but this shows a tight system with incredible eye for detail.

   As for video quality, Aces all-around. The best part was streaming and not seeing the quality compromised by any means, as I switched Mode -to -Mode. I also experienced the joy of new eye-sight once again in being able to read small print on the projection at small sizes.  Once again, I'm still pretty shocked as I was able to see such small detail with just black and white in earlier testing with whitish background. Basically, the winning Factor here for Epson is D3 LCD3 technology that they used in their projection system that makes it so robust and so incredible and brings everything to life right in front of your very eyes. Now, some pretty detailed specs for you regarding the quality of this protector:
HD 1080p content; plus enhanced connectivity
Projection System: 3LCD, 3-chip technology
Projection Method: Front / rear / ceiling mount
Driving Method: Epson Poly-silicon TFT Active Matrix
Pixel Number: 2,304,000 dots (1920 x 1200) x 3
Color Brightness (Color Light Output): 3200 lumens1
White Brightness (White Light Output): 3200 lumens1
Aspect Ratio: 16:10 native, supports 4:3 and 16:9
Native Resolution: 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA)
Resize: 800 x 600 (SVGA), 1024 x 768 (XGA), 1152 x 864 (SXGA), 1280 x 800 (WXGA), 1280 x 960 (SXGA2), 1280 x 1024 (SXGA3), 1440 x 900 (WXGA+), 1400 x 1050 (SXGA+), 1600 x 900 (WXGA++), 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA+)
Lamp Type: 200 W UHE
Lamp Life:ECO mode: Up to 10000 hours2
Normal mode: Up to 5000 hours2
Throw Ratio Range: 1.38 (Zoom:Wide), 1.68 (Zoom:Tele)
Size (projected distance): 30" – 300" (0.9 – 9.0 m)
Keystone Correction:
Automatic: Vertical: ±30 degrees
Manual: Horizontal: ±30 degrees (Easy-Slide Horizontal Image Correction)
Contrast Ratio: Up to 15,000:1
Color Reproduction: Up to 1.07 billion colors
Projection Lens
Type: Optical zoom Manual zoom / Manual focus
F-number: 1.50 – 1.71
Focal Length: 20.42 – 24.50 mm
Zoom Ratio: Optical zoom 1.0 – 1.2

   Some folks need to travel to client sites for their work, and quite often, then need to give a presentation when on site. If the client does not have a projector, your presentation could turn into something evil, but when you have a projector that weighs under 6 lbs, and also comes with its own carrying case, all options are on the table for a successful presentation. Should you decide to mount the unit in your office, the unit is not going to bend brackets and require special braces or hinges, as it just does not weigh that much. Also, in terms of the Unit's exterior, it's a space-saver and a very sleek-looking unit.
Some related Specs:
Including feet: 11.7" x 9.6" x 3.2" (W x D x H)
Excluding feet: 11.7" x 9.6" x 3.0" (W x D x H)
Weight: 5.7 lb (2.4 kg)

   I wanted to share with you something very cool that I noticed about the projector, which was the ability to create a split screen, allowing you to see images from two different sources, and you can jump back and forth between the images with one button. It's pretty cool if you're trying to demonstrate two different perspectives or two different items at the same time to a room. I think that just the fact that it's so lightweight and versatile, and the resolution is so high, and it's extremely bright are all wonderful factors, and I won't mention to you again how impressed I was seeing the detail on that coin, but I have to say that was really the selling point for me! Now, if you run a Sports Card Shop, for example, and let's say you were looking to have a protection unit going and images or video streaming in high resolution, this should certainly be a projector for you. If you are a Realtor, for example, if you are the host in the targeted client seminar, you may want to jump back and forth between a couple of properties to have a high-resolution image cast for them.

   In summary, I'd just like to say that it was a pleasure testing with all of you. I, personally, was not aware of the true high-resolution, high level of brightness, the easy compatibility, and all the wonderful features that would be available. The EX9200 projector is certainly a unit that you would be proud of in an office to own and use in front of clients and it shows that you are Cutting Edge and ahead of the Curve and it is also efficient, in that it does not require too much in the form of user intervention, aside from the person operating the projector. With the benefits you derive from using the EX9200, I can only hope that it brings you scores of new business and clients.

Would You Like Our Blog Posts Sent Directly to your E-mail? Here's How:
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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #epson #projector






March 28, 2016

The Epson Workforce DS-510 Scanner; A Space-Saving Powerhouse

Hi Folks,

   Today, I'd like to share with you my review of the new Epson WorkForce DS-510 Color Document Scanner. I've tested a wide range of Scanners, so I have a pretty good base of what to look for and what not to look for when running an evaluation. The main things we're going to look at today are the size of the scanner, the setup process, output speeds, output quality, and finally, some additional features and benefits where we'll break it all down for you. I'll add in the relevant specs to each section as we go forward.


   The first thing we'll look at here today is going to be the size of this baby, and let me tell you something; do not let the size fool you! This is one tough machine and it is quite sturdy. The only way to really capture what I'm describing is to say that it's small and powerful and the best part is where I have my electronic devices is a very limited space and the Epson DS-510 fit perfectly in that area and left me additional room, as well. Just leave ample height above it so when you expand it out when using it you will have plenty of clearance. This gets an A-Plus for space-saving.


   As far as Set-up, I found it very easy to accomplish. Now, I am a technician by heart, so I had an associate here who's a little less technically geeked-out than I am, and I had them take a quick run through the setup as a test and they made it through with flying colors. It was very easy connecting it to my laptop and my desktop and the instructions were easy and very straightforward for all levels of technical ability. A+ on the Set-up process!

SPECS:
Software:
Epson® Scan
EMC Captiva ISIS (Windows only, via web download)
ABBYY® FineReader® OCR
Document Capture Pro
NewSoft™ Presto!® BizCard OCR (Windows on CD, Mac via web download)
TWAIN and ISIS drivers
Connectivity
Scanner Interface:
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Optional Network Interface Unit (RJ-45, 10BaseT/100Base TX)
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista ® (32/64-bit), Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition
Mac OS® 10.8.x, 10.7.x, 10.6.x, 10.5.x
USB 2.0


   Now when it comes to speed, this is quite a fast little machine. Along with its automatic document feeder that holds 50 sheets of paper, this machine blazes along at 26 PPM for black and white, color, and gray. This is a pretty impressive speed, and you'll notice the speed difference between this and a lot of other models that claim to have such a high speed there's a difference because it appears Epson is actually living up to the specs that it's including with its documentation. I tested this with a stack of documents and scanning was incredibly quick and I was very impressed and it really saved me a lot of time because the other device that I was using is really slow and this sped things along quickly. Definitely an A+ on the speed of this scanner.

SPECS:
Scanning Speed:
26 ppm/52 ipm: 200 dpi Black-and-White, Color, Gray
26 ppm/52 ipm: 300 dpi Black-and-White, Color, Gray
18 ppm/36 ipm: 400 dpi Black-and-White, Gray
5 ppm/10 ipm: 400 dpi Color
18 ppm/36 ipm: 600 dpi Black-and-White, Gray
5 ppm/10 ipm: 600 dpi Color
Automatic Document Feeder
Capacity: 50 sheets


   Next let's look at the quality of the scanned output. What is produced by this scanner are quality, clear, picture-perfect scan results. Whether you're scanning a single-page document, using the duplex function of the scanner, or any of the other great features, the experience is incredible with fantastic text recognition and great document management all across the board. There is nothing but quality output to be had by all. Once again it may sound repetitive, but it's an A+ for quality.

SPECS:
Scanner Type: Sheet-fed, one-pass duplex color scanner
Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
Effective Pixels: 5,100 x 21,600 pixels
Color Bit Depth: 48-bits per pixel internal / 24-bit external
Grayscale Bit Depth: 16-bits per pixel internal / 8-bit external
Monochrome Bit Depth: 1-bit
Light Source: Three Color RGB LED


   Let's take a look at a few more notes about the DS-510 that will prove helpful in your daily routine. The Epson works extremely well for both two-sided document and multiple page documents, and one of the key factors that I found very helpful here was that you can create PDF files and you have an option where to save the files to once the document is scanned. The PDF feature helps you decide where you can save documents in PDF format. and is excellent for document storage and retrieval at later times and especially if you have a document library in your network. This provides you an excellent value for your money and can pay you back a thousand times over when you need to find that critical document, for example, the signed Real Estate contract, and you just don't know where that piece of paper is or where you saved that critical  file.

SPECS:
Document Sizes:
Paper size Minimum: 2.1" x 2.9"
Paper size Maximum: 8.5" x 36"
Paper Weight: 50 to 209 g/m
Daily Duty Cycle: 3000 sheets
Consumables: Roller assembly kit — 100,000 cycles

Features
Security Lock: Kensington® type

General
Operating Temperature: 41° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Operating Humidity: 10 – 80% (no condensation)
Rated Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC
Frequency: 50 – 60 Hz

Power Consumption:
Normal mode: 18 W
Ready mode: 7 W
Sleep mode: 1.6 W
Off: 0.4 W
Dimensions: 11.7" x 6" x 6.1" (W x D x H)
Weight: 5.5 lb


   In summary, the Epson DS-510 has exceeded all of my preconceived expectations for the scanner, not only due to it's easy setup, the compact size, the speed, the quality, and all the extra little features like the PDF and document storage feature, but also the price being so competitive for such a diverse product that can bring you such a dramatic change in the efficiency of your office that can translate into the bottom line. When you take all of these features into account, you begin to wonder how you were able to get along without it for so long. Overall kudos to Epson for another quality product. The quick quality output coupled with the price that is a bargain for this type of device, you're looking at a home run. Whether it's for your home office or small to medium-sized office, it's a great device that will help you scan all your files and documents and get them all  centralized.

Would You Like Our Blog Posts Sent Directly to your E-mail? Here's How:
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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #epson #scanner #documentscanner #scan #ds510

December 1, 2015

Epson Supertank Printer is the Wave of the Future

Hi Folks,

  Welcome back!

   As you might already know from my previous Blog Posts, I have tested a wide variety of Epson WorkForce printers, so I believe that my vast experience in reviewing these has now granted me the honor of reviewing the most advanced printer Epson has produced, in my opinion, the Epson ET-4550.

   The full title of the printer is the Epson WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank, which is a 4-in-1 Supertank with Wireless & Ethernet, serving as a Color Printer, Scanner, Copier, and Fax. It is affectionately referred to as "Supertank", and you'll soon see why. I'll have to warn you in advance to watch out for any goofy references to Thanksgiving, as this review is being done the later portion of the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

   So, in order to give you an idea what angle Epson is coming from with this printer, I ask you to think back and remember what a hassle it is/was buying new ink cartridges, right? Remembering the model #, pricing it out, and ultimately, paying a fortune. Then we thought we found a shortcut with those refill kits, which were great, saved us money, and the ink was perfect. Sshhh! Epson was on to us the whole time, because the Supertank comes equipped with what's akin to fill-able cartridges in it. It starts with a large bay on the right side of the printer, where you load each bottle of ink into the corresponding "sub" bay. The ink is then automatically fed through tubes as needed. Very cool concept and very cutting edge. OK, let's get dirty. It's time for the ink!

   I opened the multiple bottles of ink provided, and I realized that this thing will be ready for battle with this amount of ink straight out of the box! I then put on the rubber gloves that were provided and began filling the tanks. This gave me sort of a "mad scientist" gleam. I felt evil for a while, but that feeling subsided fast when I realized I spilled some ink and got some on my arm. Note: No white shirts when refilling, and nothing near the carpet. So, with the tanks loaded up, I now felt confident and excited about testing out such a unique piece of technology.

   When this baby was locked and loaded with ink and paper, that's when the fun began. Faster than you can say, "Turkey leftovers" (don't say I didn't warn you!), this machine was humming along.
They claim 13 ppm for black ink, but when the clock hit 60 seconds, I had a 14th page out and a 15th page mid-stream. These were full, black single-spaced text pages (letter-sized paper) with no images, so I took this printer to task.

   Printing in Color was a snap and vibrant. I printed a Team Photo of my favorite baseball team and there was no smudging or running. It was truly at or above laser-printer quality.

Now, this Supertank comes with enough ink to print 11,000 Black ink pages or about 8500 color pages. You may wind up waiting 1-2 years to buy new ink, based on your printing capacity/requirements. That is a lot of ink capacity, thus the "Super-tank" name.

In my mad scientist mode, I skipped some important facts you should know about the setup
  * Setting up Wi-Fi direct was quite easy and was as simple as the set up on the other WorkForce printers I have tested.

  * I set up the print quality settings, which was a snap, and very easy using the screen on the printer.

  Now, we begin testing some of the most important features that are required by folks nowadays:
  *  Email Printing: Printing 101, very simple and easy to do, and very important to many folks, including myself. Intuitive and straightforward.

  * Remote Printing: From out and about I sent a Print job, and when arriving back, the print job was waiting right there for me!

  * Scan to the Cloud: Very easy to follow the instructions and scan documents to save in your online storage (Dropbox, etc). Very handy, as well.

  * Android Printing: Used my Android on Wifi and Remotely to properly and easily print a document.

  * Apple AirPrint: I'm not too Apple savvy, however, I did get this to work, with a few steps in between.

FULL SPECS:
Print
Printing Technology: Powered by PrecisionCore™ 4-color (CMYK) drop-on-demand inkjet technology
Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 3 droplet sizes, as small as 3.3 picoliters
Maximum Print Resolution: 4800 x 1200 dpi

ISO Print Speed:
Black: 13 ISO ppm†
Color: 7.3 ISO ppm†
2-Sided ISO Print Speed:
Black: 6.5 ISO ppm†
Color: 4.5 ISO ppm†

Copy
ISO Copy Speed:
Black: 11 ISO cpm‡
Color: 5.5 ISO cpm‡
Copy Quality: Color/Black-and-White: Standard/Best
Copy Quantity: 1 – 99 (PC-free)
Maximum Copy Size: 8.5" x 14"
Copy Features:
Auto 1-sided to 2-sided
Fit to page
Automatic reduction and enlargement (25 - 400%)
ID Copy
Collate
Adjustable Copy Density

Scan
Scanner Type: Color flatbed / ADF
Photoelectric Device: Color CIS line sensor
Optical Resolution: 2400 dpi
Hardware Resolution: 1200 x 2400 dpi
Maximum Resolution: 9600 dpi interpolated
Scanner Bit Depth: 48-bit color input / 24-bit color output
Features: Scan to: PC, Cloud including Email1

Fax
Fax Settings: Black & White and Color
Fax Speed: Up to 33.6 Kbps – as fast as 3 sec per page
Memory: Up to 100 pages
Speed Dials: 60 (max.)
PC Fax: Supported

Paper Handling
PC-Free Paper Support:
Plain (letter, 8.5" x 14", A4)
Photo (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", letter, A4)
Paper Sizes: 3.5" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", letter, A4, A6, half letter, executive, user definable (3.5" #8211; 47.2" in length)

Maximum Paper Size: 8.5 x 47.2 inch
Paper Types:
Plain paper
Epson Bright White Paper
Epson Presentation Paper Matte
Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte
Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided
Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy
Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy
Envelope Types:
No. 10
Plain paper
Bond paper
Air mail
Input Paper Capacity:

150 sheets plain paper
10 envelopes
20 sheets photo paper
Output Paper Tray Capacity: 30 sheets

Ink
Ink Type: EcoTank Ink Bottles
Ink Palette: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Ink Configuration: 4 individual ink bottles
Replacement Ink: 774 Black, 664 Color: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
(ISO Yield, Epson Methodology - Black: 6,000, Color: 6,500)

Connectivity
Standard Connectivity:
Hi-Speed USB (compatible with USB 2.0 specification)
Wireless LAN (802.11 b/g/n)2
Wired Ethernet (10/100/100 Mbps)
Wi-Fi Direct2
Mobile Printing

Epson Connect™: Epson® Email Print, Epson iPrint™ Mobile App, Epson Remote Print3
Other: Apple® AirPrint™, Google Cloud Print™, Kindle Fire™, Mopria

General
Operating Systems:
Windows® 10
Windows® 8, 8.1 (32 bits, 64 bits)
Windows 7 (32 bits, 64 bits)
Windows Vista® (32 bits, 64 bits)
Windows XP® SP3 (32 bits)
Windows XP Professional x64
Mac OS® X 10.6 – 10.10.x4
Server Systems:
Windows Server 20125
Windows Server 2008 R25
Windows Server 20085
Windows Server 2003 R25
Windows Server 20035

Display: 2.2" Mono graphics display

Printer Language: ESC/P-R

Temperature:
Operating
50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Storage
-4° to 104° F (-20° to 40° C)
Humidity:
Operating
20 – 80% RH
Storage
5 – 85% RH (no condensation)

Sound Level:
Power: 6.4 B(A)
Pressure: 50 dB(A)

Rated Voltage: AC 100 – 240V Universal (Automatic)
Rated Frequency: 50 – 60 Hz
Rated Current: 0.5A – 0.3A

Power Consumption:
Approx. 11 W ISO 24712 (Standalone copy printing)
Approx. 4.4 W (Ready)
Approx. 1.5 W (Sleep)
Approx. 0.3 W (Power off) ENERGY STAR® qualified

Monthly Duty Cycle: Up to 3,000 pages (Recommended monthly page volume: up to 800 pages6)

Safety Approvals: Safety standards UL60950, CSA C22.2 No. 60950 EMI FCC Part 15 subpart B class B, CAN/CSA-CEI/IEC CISPR 22 class B

Telecom Regulations: FCC Part 68 (USA), IC/CS03 (Canada)

Dimensions:
Printing: 20.3" x 22.0" x 9.5" (W x D x H)
Storage: 20.3" x 14.2" x 9.5" (W x D x H)
Weight: 16.3 lb

Software Included: EPSON printer driver, EPSON Scan, PC-Fax : Internet access is required to install OS X drivers and software.

Country of Origin: Indonesia


   All of the key factors that you want or are promised to you are right at you fingertips. I was very impressed by this printer, and still in awe over the foresight of Epson to ride the wave of the refillable ink world. Now that is smart technology folks. That's what you want standing in your corner if you run a business or it's what you want in your home. Something to be proud of and save money with at the same time. Kudos, Epson, nice work !!
   I'd love to hear your comments and questions!

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #epson #scanner #documentscanner #scan #supertank



June 18, 2015

Epson's DS-520 Document Scanner is Intuitive and Versatile!

Hi Folks,
   I consider myself a geek among geeks, as I absolutely love testing out new technology, and I enjoy it thoroughly. Add to this the factor that this technology might be the solution my readers and clients are looking for, and that enjoyment turns to bliss.

   So, on that note, I am feeling blissful today, as I've just tested a great new document scanner by Epson, their model DS-520. In last weeks Blog Post, we discussed the DS-560 model, so I will reference that review if necessary here.

   In a linear fashion, we'll look at the Set Up and Basic Usage, some Cool Features, and then I'll give you the Technical Specifications.

Set Up and Basic Usage:

   The DS-520 was just as easy to set up as the DS-560. Very straightforward. Easy to connect to the network, boom, done in an instant. I call that true Plug N Play!

   To help out in the speed and ease-of-usage department, there's a 50 sheet automatic document feeder that's built in which helps you just blow through scanning jobs. It's literally constructed perfectly for this device, and I am drawing upon my past experiences and tests on non-Epson products.

   OK, this scanner is fast, with speeds of 30 pages per minute (ppm) or 60 images per minute (ipm). It's one of those situations where you turn around and the job is already done scanning, which is a great feature to have in a busy office. I am a very big fan of speedy technology! I even ran a few scans in duplex (passing both sides simultaneously in just one pass), and the speed and quality were perfect. I've seen bleed-through before on Duplex copies from other machines (not Epson machines), so this was a relief.

Cool Features:

   One of the coolest features about the DS-520 is that you can scan in documents which you can then save as searchable. It is very cool and a big time saver when you're looking for just the right documents and you just don't know where to find it!

   Another super-helpful feature that I found with this device was the advanced image adjustments that you are able to do, including color enhancement and color dropout. I was scanning in some documents with images and playing around with a couple of different colors and changing them out. Intuitive and Versatile!

   Sharing is caring, and with the DS-520, it's very easy to share your documents. Just as easily, you can send your document to the cloud, all with the push of a button.

   Finally, I love that you have the option of scanning  ID Cards and Hard Plastic cards, just as easily as any other ddocuments!

   In summary, I got knee-deep in this, and in all honesty, I'm a huge fan of this scanner. It seems to be an extremely reliable device and one that would withstand the forces of a busy office, and will get the job done in a relatively quick time! If you choose this scanner, I'd say you'd be making a sound investment in the current and future productivity of your office.

   As promised, here are the full specs for the DS-520 we've just tested together:

Scan Specifications

Scanner Type: Sheet-fed, one-pass duplex color scanner
Photoelectric Device: 1 line CMOS Contact Image Sensor (CIS)
Optical Resolution: 600 dpi
Output Resolution: 75 to 1200 dpi
Effective Pixels: 5,100 x 21,600 pixels
Color Bit Depth: 48-bits per pixel internal / 24-bit external
Grayscale Bit Depth: 16-bits per pixel internal / 8-bit external
Monochrome Bit Depth: 1-bit
Light Source: Three-color RGB LED
Automatic Document Feeder

Capacity: 50 sheets
Document Sizes:
Paper size Minimum: 2.1" x 2.9"
Paper size Maximum: 8.5" x 36"1
Paper Weight: 50 to 209 g/m
Daily Duty Cycle: 3000 sheets
Consumables: Roller assembly kit — 100,000 cycles
Features

Buttons: 3 push buttons: Power, Start and Stop
Security Lock: Kensington® type
Software:
Epson® Scan
EMC Captiva ISIS (Windows only, via web download)
Document Capture Pro with OCR
NewSoft™ Presto!® BizCard OCR (Windows on CD, Mac via web download)
TWAIN and ISIS drivers

Other:
Rigid plastic ID card scanning (including embossed cards)
Business card scanning
Oversized folded document scanning without carrier sheet 30 user-definable scan job settings
Optional Network Interface
Connectivity

Scanner Interface:
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Optional Network Interface Unit (RJ-45, 10BaseT/100Base TX)
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista ® (32/64-bit), Windows XP Professional x64, Windows XP Home Edition
Mac OS® 10.6.x-10.10.x
USB 2.0

General
Operating Temperature: 41° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Operating Humidity: 10 – 80% (no condensation)
Rated Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC
Frequency: 50 – 60 Hz
Power Consumption:
Operation mode: 18 W
Standby mode: 7 W
Sleep mode: 1.6 W
Off: 0.4 W
Dimensions: 11.7" x 6" x 6.1" (W x D x H)
Weight: 5.7 lb

I'd love to hear your comments and questions!

Would You Like Our Blog Posts Sent Directly to your E-mail? Here's How:
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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #epson #scanner #documentscanner #scan