We respond to the toner terror from this past weekend.

Toner cartridges seem harmless enough.

Then there was that time when I mowed over a pile of used toner in my back yard.  The spontaneous combustion shot a flame out from under the mower.  I jumped backward.  No harm done to the mower, or to me.

But this is different.  Terrorists put explosives inside a toner cartridge in an HP printer and packed it for shipping.  You've probably heard about it on the news.

It was interesting since SE Laser is in the business of selling and recycling toner cartridges.

First of all, the picture that was shown on many news stories was not a toner cartridge.  It was this printed circuit board (PCB), pictured above.  This PCB is said to be a mobile phone card.  It was actually inside the printer that looks like an HP LaserJet P2055.  It appeared to be grounded to the frame along with the standard PCBs, like the formatter and engine control board.

This is a picture of the toner cartridge which contained the explosives.  The toner hopper had been filled with white  material, said to be PETN.  Clearly, it appears to be wired for ignition.

Remember the "Shoe Bomber"?  Now, in airports, we are required to remove our shoes for inspection by TSA officials.  Will there be similar safety actions taken for printer cartridges?

I doubt any of our customers would have any worries about our cartridges exploding inside their printers.  But, just in case you were wondering, our cartridges are remanufactured in N. America.

Instant Savings.  Lasting Quality.

Is customer service dead ?

I recently had the experience of dealing with our department of motor vehicles at the Knox County Clerk's office.  The cumulative result is that I left feeling irritated and found myself being treated not as a customer, but rather a target.  This experience has got me thinking ..... 


Is customer service dead ?  


Caveat emptor is Latin for buyer beware, and many companies and organizations would be wise to take note of how many customers they are driving away.  Anytime, but particularly in these penny-pinching times, good customer service can make a difference.    


Establishing a reputation for excellent customer service is important to keeping the customers you have, and assuring that those people will help bring you others. Stellar customer service focuses on individual customer needs, solves problems and refuses to become wrapped up in red tape.  


So this got me to thinking about how we can improve our own customer service skills here at Southeastern Laser.


1.  Be Empowered: Allow your people to be extraordinary. 
Employees often may feel they lack the authority to make the decisions necessary to achieve extraordinary customer service.  The frustration of having a problem remain unsolved, or of being transferred from person to person, in search of someone who can fix it, only worsens a customer's impression of your business.


2.  Cater to Individuals:  Recognize that every person to walk through your door has different needs--and do what it takes to meet those needs.  What's appropriate for one customer may not work with another. Employees must be able to respond to different customer needs. 


3. Don't Take It Personally:  Listen to customer problems and make sure that they walk away with something, even if it is an assurance that you will follow up on the problem.


4. Be Positive:  Many businesses start off by telling customers what they can't do.  This projects an attitude where the customer is an enemy who must conform to the company's rules. Keep rules simple and flexible, recognizing that individual situations may require bending the rules or throwing them out entirely in order to meet a particular customer's needs.


We have all been guilty of taking the easy way out.  We all have room to improve.  At Southeastern Laser, we will do just that.  We work for you !!   Coach John Wooden once was heard to say "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over ?"


At Southeastern Laser we are as close as your e-mail or your telephone.  We want to make your experience a good one because this is YOUR company Knoxville.  We are just temporary stewards and if we can leave it better than we found it, we all win !!!


Contributed by Jim Seal, Co-Founder, Southeastern Laser.

Do new printer models lock customers in to Xerox brand supplies?

Today Xerox announced two new printer models:

• ColorQube 8570
• ColorQube 8870

These printers will replace the Phaser 8560 and 8860 models.  Along with the typical improvement in print speeds, there is a new feature that deserves our attention.

Non Xerox ink sticks will not be accepted by the printers.

This is an interesting move by Xerox.  Our experience has proven that genuine Xerox ink sticks work best in the solid ink printers.  But can they justify limiting the customer's right to choose?  Anti trust law suits will probably come as no surprise to Xerox, but they can afford it.  

Then what will that do to the toner and ink cartridge markets?  Will other manufacturers follow?  

Fans of Xerox solid ink printers, who know the cost of genuine Xerox ink, will be ok with these new printers. Otherwise, you might want to consider other printers.

Need help choosing a printer?  Contact us today.

Southeastern Laser

865-675-5900

What happened in 1989.

The Year:  1989

Southeastern Laser Products is created.


In September 1989, HP introduced the first "personal" version of the HP LaserJet printer series, the LaserJet IIP. Priced at US$1,495 by HP, and half the size and price of its predecessor, the LaserJet II, it offered 300-dpi output and 4 ppm printing  Retailers predicted a street price of $1000 or less, making it the world’s first sub-$1,000 laser printer.  

Jim Seal turns 26
Andy Brasfield turns 21 old and legal
Jennifer Perkins turns 21 years old and legal
Zack is 13 years old.

First release of Microsoft Office.
The 486 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel. 
Average Price for new car $15,3500.00 
1 gallon of gas 97 cents 
US Postage Stamp 25 cents 

George Bush Snr becomes president of the United States

Yugo Cars go bankrupt

The US Government provides a $150 billion bail out for hundreds of saving and loan associations 

Nintendo begin selling the Game Boy in Japan 

• The first episodes of the Simpsons are shown

Popular Films

• Batman
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Lethal Weapon 2 
• Back to the Future Part II
• Ghostbusters II 
• Driving Ms Daisy 
• Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
• When Harry Met Sally.

Many things have changed, but some have stayed the same.  After 21 years, Southeastern Laser is still helping businesses save money with high quality toner and ink cartridges.

Remember to check out our Birthday Special, Half Priced Toner.  Hurry!  It's almost over.

Tips for solving HP printer error 49.xxxx.

It's the dreaded 49.xxxx error.  I cringe every time someone calls with it.  It can be one of the most difficult errors to solve.

Experience has taught me that changing the printer driver is often a very common and easy solution to Error 49 in an HP LaserJet printer.

Our friends over at Market Point have written an excellent post on this error.  No need to redo it here.  So go over there and check it out.
Market Point's Weblog

If you need help with your printer or MFP, contact SE Laser today.

-- 
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 x 103
Mobile 865-235-1DAD (1323)

PS.  If you know anyone who is looking for a better printer cartridge, please give them my name.  Thanks.

Matthew 10:40

Xerox Education Discount - Additional 10% Discount Ends July 31st

The discount
The Xerox Education Discount Program offers eligible educational institutions exclusive discounts. These discounts are in addition to existing U.S. customer rebates to make purchasing Xerox award-winning printers and multifunction printers more affordable for schools than ever.

Effective April 1 – July 31, 2010, the Xerox Education Discount will increase to give you:
1. Up to an additional 5% off Xerox printers and MFPs.
2. Up to an additional 10% off top selling products to educators.

Eligible products
The Education Program applies to current, predefined printer and MFP models only. Service, supplies, remanufactured or used printers and MFPs accessories are not eligible.

Eligible customers
Non-profit, tax-exempt, public or private, full-time, college or university that awards diplomas or degrees. Eligible institutions include 4–year colleges and universities, 2–year colleges, vocation and technical schools and K–12 schools.

For more information or to take advantage of this offer, click here or contact us today.

SE Laser
865-675-5900
www.southeasternlaser.com

When it comes to laser printers, how old is too old?

 

 

 

“For most enterprises, more than half of their printer fleet is over five years old.”

 

Like any piece of equipment, a printer is more likely to break down more often if it is an older model. Consequently, service costs go up due to the number of breakdowns that occur, and productivity goes down every time a printer is out of commission. 

 

In addition, older printers tend to be inefficient; it is not unusual to find printers tucked away in the enterprise somewhere that print no more than eight pages a minute. 

 

Finally, the cost of supplies for older devices tends to be higher; ink cartridges for older models, for example, often have lower yields and therefore need to be replaced more frequently, adding to the cost per page for printing. 

 

For all these reasons, eliminating older printers helps to reduce hardcopy costs. The older devices may be phased out altogether if the ratio of

printers to users is unnecessarily high. Or, they may be replaced by reliable, efficient new printers or by MFPs, which consolidate print, copy, fax and even scan functions into a single device.

 

To find out just how old you printer fleet is, contact SE Laser today.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 x 103
Mobile 865-235-1DAD (1323)

PS.  If you know anyone who is looking for a better printer cartridge, please give them my name.  Thanks.

Matthew 10:40

desktop vs. departmental printers

As individual desktop printers have dropped in price, many employees have begun to use them instead of using departmental or workgroup printers. 

It is easy to attempt to justify this by citing the low cost of personal printers. Some may even argue that individual printers increase productivity because users do not waste time walking to a shared printer. These are fallacies. The purchase price of individual desktop printers can easily be outweighed over time by the cost of consumables; toner cartridges or ink cartridges for personal printers tend to cost more per page than those used for work-group printers.  And shared printers can be strategically located to eliminate the potential for any detrimental effect on productivity.

While personal printers have their place – for bank tellers working at individual customer windows, for example – shared printers more often lead to lower costs at minimal inconvenience to users.

To learn more about how to choose the best printer for your business, contact SE Laser today.

SE Laser Twitter hack resolved.

You may have noticed, over the past few days, some unusual tweets and blog posts from SE Laser.

It took a couple days to locate the compromise.  We want to share it with you so you might avoid the same troubles.  The hacker entered via the post-by-email feature on our blog here at selaser.blogspot.com.  This feature allows users to blog by simply sending an email to a secret email address.  When the email is received by Blogger, it is posted according to the settings previously selected by the user.

There is no password required when posting by this method.  That's why the email address is secret.  The address itself is the password for that feature.  In our case, the address was easy to guess.  We've disabled the feature on our blog for now.  The strange messages are blocked.

We recommend to our fellow bloggers to be aware of this feature on Blogger and set the secret email to something more secure.

Ratio of printers to people in workplace, 1 to 4.

According to HP's studies, large enterprises tend to have far more printers than they need, with an average ratio of printers to users of one printer for every 4.4 people.

This may be to some extent because the purchase price of personal desktop printers has become extremely attractive, which could be causing

more printers to find their way to more individual desktops. Or it may be because, "One of the major problems enterprises encounter in trying to dispose of older printers is that employees sometimes reinstall them in their own offices."  The problem in either case is that the more printers an enterprise operates, the greater its costs for supplies, maintenance, support and management of them.

SE Laser helps companies and organizations reduce their printing expenses by an average of 30 percent.  Want to see if we can help your business save money?  Contact us today.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 x 103
Mobile 865-235-1DAD (1323)

PS.  If you know anyone who is looking for a better printer cartridge, please give them my name.  Thanks.

Matthew 10:40

Reminder: One Day Left to Enter your Admin Pro to win @ SE Laser.

Greetings! , You have one day left to enter your Admin Pro (or yourself) on our drawing. The deadline is Tuesday at 10:00 am Eastern.   Administrative Professionals Day 2010 is April 21.    SE Laser is buying lunch for the whole office for one lucky Admin Pro.  Five more Admin Pros will receive a beautiful flower delivery.   Here's how it works:  Go to our online entry form. Tell us who your Admin Pro is.  We will randomly draw the winners from all the names submitted. How's that for easy?   Don't worry about us prank calling anybody, or giving information to scammers.  We're not like that anymore.  Actually, we never were like that.   By our definition, an Admin Pro is anybody who has a boss and a computer who works with other people in an office.   The random drawing will take place on Tuesday, April 20 at 10:00 am Eastern Time.  So don't delay. Click here to enter.  Good Luck! Andy Brasfield Southeastern Laser   Phone: 865-675-5900. Email: abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com  PS.  It's ok to enter your own name in the drawing, in case your boss forgets.

Forward email This email was sent to dadofmykids1.selaser@blogger.com by abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Southeastern Laser | 1738 Louisville Drive | Knoxville | TN | 37921

Admin Pro Day is Apr 21. Enter your Admin Pro to win @ SE Laser.

Greetings!, Administrative Professionals Day 2010 is April 21.    SE Laser is buying lunch for the whole office for one lucky Admin Pro.  Five more Admin Pros will receive a beautiful flower delivery.   Here's how it works:  Go to our online entry form. Tell us who your Admin Pro is.  We will randomly draw the winners from all the names submitted. How's that for easy?   Don't worry about us prank calling anybody, or giving information to scammers.  We're not like that anymore.  Actually, we never were like that.   By our definition, an Admin Pro is anybody who has a boss and a computer who works with other people in an office.   The random drawing will take place on Tuesday, April 20 at 10:00 am Eastern Time.  So don't delay. Click here to enter.  Good Luck! Andy Brasfield Southeastern Laser   Phone: 865-675-5900. Email: abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com  PS.  It's ok to enter your own name in the drawing, in case your boss forgets.

Forward email This email was sent to dadofmykids1.selaser@blogger.com by abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Southeastern Laser | 1738 Louisville Drive | Knoxville | TN | 37921

Media Sciences International, Inc. Receives NASDAQ Notice Regarding Minimum Bid Price - Subject to Delisting

The article below caught my eye because we routinely advise owners of Xerox Phaser Solid Ink printers to use only Genuine Xerox Brand Solid Ink. We've seen too many of these printers require repairs associated with the use of non-Xerox solid ink products, including products from Media Sciences.

Our stance on solid ink almost seems hypocritical since our business is built on reman and compatible toner and ink products. Our customers, on average, save from 25-50% on printer supplies compared to name brand.

But, there is a difference in the various technologies of the printers we service and supply: Laser, Inkjet and Solid Ink. Laser (or toner based) printers, and inkjet (or liquid ink based) printer respond very well to the high quality toner and ink products we supply. However, the technology engineered in the Xerox solid ink line of Phaser printers is unique. All compatible products we've tested and seen in the field produce lower quality color, can clog the print-head, and often get stuck in the ink loader.

And now, the article, from CNN:

Media Sciences International, Inc. Receives NASDAQ Notice Regarding Minimum Bid Price - Subject to Delisting

OAKLAND, N.J., March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Media Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSII) today announced that it received a NASDAQ Staff Determination on March 16, 2010 indicating that the Company has not regained compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing set forth in NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2), and that the Company's securities are, therefore, subject to delisting from The NASDAQ Capital Market. The Company has requested a hearing before a Hearings Panel to review the Staff Determination. The request for a hearing will stay the delisting pending the Panel's decision. There can be no assurance that the Panel will grant the Company's request for continued listing.

Media Sciences International, Inc. is the leading independent manufacturer of new build solid ink and color toner cartridges for office color printers. As the premium quality color toner and solid ink alternative to the printer manufacturer's brand, Media Sciences' 100% newly manufactured color toner and solid ink products for use in Dell®, Konica Minolta®, OKI®, Ricoh®, Samsung®, and Xerox® and many other color printers deliver significant savings when compared to the printer manufacturers brand.

New Product: Reman toner cartridge for Xerox Phaser 3635mfp

Why pay more for toner cartridges?

Introducing Reman Xerox Phaser 3635mfp high yield toner cartridges.

Save 35% compared to name brand.

Price, $114.

Compares to $173.99.

Replaces # 108R00795.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Call, click or email today!

Instant Savings. Lasting Quality.
--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 ext 103.

PS. Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses? Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323)
Office 865-675-5900

PS. Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses? Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

Blue and Yellow make Green at SE Laser.

Green is the color of St. Patrick's Day.  Let's celebrate by saving some GREEN.   Save 30% when you buy a BLUE cartridge and a YELLOW cartridge together, on St. Patrick's Day.    Includes reman and compatible cartridges for the following brands of printers and mfp's: Hewlett Packard Brother Canon Dell Lexmark Okidata Xerox Epson Samsung Panasonic Ricoh And more. This offer is good on all SE Laser reman and compatible toner and ink cartridges when blue and yellow are ordered together on St. Patrick's Day 2010.  Both cartridges must fit the same printer model to qualify.  Must mention this special to receive the 30% discount.  Limit one discount per customer.

Have a Happy Day! Andy Brasfield Southeastern Laser   Phone: 865-675-5900. Email: abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com  PS.  Be sure to call on St. Patrick's Day to save 30%.

-- Andy Brasfield Southeastern Laser Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323) Office 865-675-5900 PS.  Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses?  Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions. southeasternlaser.com Matthew 10:40

Do you have our correct phone number?

A few weeks ago, we had to switch phone providers because our provider suddenly went down.  Although we have recovered, one of our original, long-term phone numbers has not been moved over yet.

Please double check the phone number you have for calling SE Laser.  Our current number has been effective for over six years.  

 

865-675-5900.  

 

That's the main phone line here at SE Laser.

When our phones unexpectedly went down and we learned our provider was going out of business, we scrambled to locate a new provider.  Through a friend, we found a company that has been so helpful that I want to share it with you.  

Scott Dossey of Business Communication Solutions (BCS) was quick to respond.  His knowledge and experience were obvious as he guided us through a solution that was easy to understand and to implement.  Two days later, we had a fully functioning phone system in place, even better than before.

If your business relies on phones and internet like ours, then you should save Scott's contact information in case your system goes down.  Or, if your system becomes obsolete or needs to be updated, then call Scott.  His phone number is 865-523-4444.  I am very happy that my friend introduced me to Scott.  It saved us out of a bad situation.  That's why I am sharing this with you.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323)
Office 865-675-5900 x 103

PS.  Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses?  Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

New Product: Compatible ink cartridges for Brother LC61 series.

Why pay more for ink cartridges?

Introducing Brother LC-61 series compatible ink cartridges.

Save 40% compared to name brand.

Black ink cartridge, $14.85

Cyan ink cartridge, $6.85

Magenta ink cartridge, $6.85

Yellow ink cartridge, $6.85

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Call or click today!

Instant Savings.  Lasting Quality.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323)
Office 865-675-5900

PS.  Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses?  Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

New Product: Reman Xerox Phaser 4510 Hi-Cap Toner

Save $71.99*

Reman Xerox Phaser 4510 High Capacity Toner.

Price: $165.00

19,000 page yield.

Free Delivery.

Satisfaction Guaranteed.

*Compared to OEM # 113R712 and 113R00712, $236.99.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323)
Office 865-675-5900

PS.  Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses?  Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

Like Xerox, Dell is selling other brands reman but not Dell remans.

Dell has joined the ink cartridge remanufacturing industry by offering it's own line of HP, Lexmark, Epson and Canon printer cartridges.  

I'd like to point out that Dell is not selling remans for its own brand of printers.  Xerox has been doing this with HP cartridges for years.  

This is good news for SE Laser and the reman/compatible cartridge market.  It's another validation of the quality and savings that are to be enjoyed by our customers.

Our customers enjoy, on average, a savings of 25-50% compared to name brand toner and ink cartridges.

See what Dell is doing here.

Learn how to save even more here.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-235-1DAD (1323)
Office 865-675-5900

PS.  Do you know anyone who would like to save 25-50% on their office printing expenses?  Visit www.southeasternlaser.com/printercartridges to learn more about compatible printer cartridges and managed print solutions.

southeasternlaser.com
Matthew 10:40

Printers don't have a mouse!

Printer Repair Call Center

Caller : Hi, our printer is not working.
Customer Service: What is wrong with it?
Caller : Mouse is jammed.
Customer Service: Mouse? Printers don't have a mouse!
Caller: Oh really?...

"We Love Laser Printers" Valentine's Special from SE Laser.

We love what we do here at Southeastern Laser.    To celebrate our love of laser printers, we have a special offer for you:   One FREE Preventive Maintenance Service.   Here's how it works.  Contact me and say: "Andy, just how much do you love laser printers?"  That's how I'll know you want the free service.    Then I'll send one of our love-sick technicians to your office where he will perform a detailed maintenance service on your desktop laser printer or mfp for FREE.  He will clean and inspect the imaging, scanning, paper feeding, heating and cooling systems to help keep your beloved printer in great shape.   Since this offer is so crazy, we have limit it to the first 25 people.    So contact me ASAP.  Reply to this email, or call me at 865-675-5900.  Be sure to ask for me by name and then say:   "Andy, just how much do you love laser printers?"

Wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day, Andy Brasfield Southeastern Laser   Phone: Office 865-675-5900 x 103 or direct 865-235-1323. Email: abrasfield@southeasternlaser.com  PS.  This offer is good for a limited time and only on HP, Xerox, Canon, Lexmark, Brother, Dell and Okidata desktop laser printers and mfp's.  Service to be performed within 25 miles of 1738 Louisville Drive, Knoxville TN 37921.  Limit one free cleaning per machine per customer.

Xerox Phaser 6280 Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6

One of our clients upgraded his Mac computer to OS X version 10.6. As a result, his Xerox Phaser 6280 printer stopped printing color. It would print in black and white, with one exception. The exception was that it would still print pdf documents in color.

He asked us to help him fix this.

There was nothing wrong with the printer itself. The problem was the existing printer driver was not compatible with Apple's new Snow Leopard operating system (v10.61). After checking with Xerox, we found that he could fix the problem by deleting the printer, followed by rebooting the computer to make sure the printer files were gone, and then installing the latest driver from Xerox's website.

If you're having similar problems, try the above steps. If you still need help, click here to email us.
--

Southeastern Laser

Main Phone, 865-675-5900