Each report includes information on how products and prices changed from January through December, current market trends, a review of the competitive landscape, and selected articles from The Hard Copy Observer. Written by the Observer's editors, these reports were designed to help product and marketing executives develop and hone plans for 2005 and beyond. More information on The Hard Copy Observer Spotlight report series can be found at www.lyra.com.About Lyra ResearchFounded in 1991, Lyra Research is recognized worldwide as the leading provider of market, product, and technology information and analysis focused on the imaging industry. Lyra Research provides targeted information on printers and copiers, digital photography, and imaging supplies to more than 2,000 clients in more than 40 countries. Lyra's portfolio of services includes leading industry newsletters, special market reports, webcasts, advisory services, conferences, and custom consulting.Contact:Andre RebeloMarketing ManagerLyra Research, Inc.617-454-2658e-mail protected from spam bots.

So, before you go and spend your money, here are some tips on what you must keep in mind while deciding on a digital photo printer. Firstly, digital photo printers are available in two basic types. There are 4-color printers and 6-color printers. Nowadays, there are even 8-color printers available. So, the higher the number of colors the better will be the photo quality once you have hit the print file button.

Using good quality photo paper and one of the 8 color printers will give you results that rival your photo lab.Secondly, the printing method used by the printer is also very important. There are 2 main printing methods: inkjet and thermal. Inkjet is commonly used for taking photo prints but the quality of the printout is not excellent. You need to have at least a 6-color printer to get decent print quality. Also, the ink cartridges are quite expensive and the biggest disadvantage is that inkjet printing does not provide a waterproof coating to the images.

Hence, the color fades after some time. Thermal printing, on the other hand, is much better since it not only applies a waterproof coating but is also better quality-wise. It is also more cost effective as the paper and ink cartridges used are cheaper. Most of these printers can be purchased under $500. However, there are few key characteristics that are different in all these printers which determine their price.These are : ?The printing width differs amongst printers.

Normally the width is either 8.5" or 13". The highest quality printers will allow you to go larger but at a much higher per print cost.?If you want to print really great looking black-and-white images, then the printer needs to have grey inks as well. So, an 8-color printer would be best suited for this purpose. ?Whether your printer has separate ink tanks for each color or does it have multiple inks in each cartridge. If you have multiple inks, then you have to replace the entire cartridge even if one color finishes.

Hence, it is more expensive to replace such cartridges and you waste a lot of ink as well. ?The ability of the printer to print directly from your camera or a memory card through a link. ?The printing speed per minute. This can go up to 10 minutes for a colored snap, so you must properly check this out depending upon our usage. Multi use printers are great for a busy office or household but if you want to make fine prints out of your digital images you should invest in a dedicated digital camera printer or digital photo printer.

Look for models that will take the most popular memory cards straight into the printer without having to load the images into your computer..

Lyra will also deliver a free Webcast on the rapidly growing color laser market on April 27, 2005, at 2 p.m. EDT. There are two other reports in The Hard Copy Observer Spotlight report series, one on the consumer ink jet market and the other on the desktop monochrome laser printer market. More information on the Webcast and The Hard Copy Observer Spotlight report series can be found at www.lyra.com.About Lyra ResearchFounded in 1991, Lyra Research is recognized worldwide as the leading provider of market, product, and technology information and analysis focused on the imaging industry. Lyra Research provides targeted information on printers and copiers, digital photography, and imaging supplies to more than 2,000 clients in more than 40 countries.

Lyra's portfolio of services includes leading industry newsletters, special market reports, advisory services, conferences, and custom consulting.CONTACT:Andre RebeloMarketing ManagerLyra Research, Inc.617-454-2658.

It's kind of like the relationship between a gasoline company and car manufacturer, except in this situation the printer company is supplying both the automobile and the fuel. Gas companies wouldn't make any money if no one owned an automobile. In the case of printer manufacturers, things are a little different. They don't make any money on selling printers ? they make their money by selling you the replacement ink cartridges. It makes a lot of business sense when you think about it.

A consumer buys a printer every few years, but may buy ink as much as once every three months. Printer manufacturers would much rather have this steady stream of income. Consumers don't factor ink cartridge costs into the equation when they buy a printer. They look at the features and price tag. Sure you're getting a great printer and not paying a lot.

But if you use your printer on a fairly regular basis, the cost of ownership over a year or two (thanks to high priced ink cartridges) may exceed $500. Before you buy your next printer, remember to do some research on printers, paying particular attention to the cost and longevity of the ink cartridge replacements. A little research ahead of time can save you hundreds of dollars. We don't recommend Lexmark printers because Lexmark ink cartridges are generally mc more expensive than those of other brands, like Canon or Hewlett Packard. Because Lexmark embeds a special chip right into the cartridge, the cost of buying replacement Lexmark ink is astronomical..

The skin color variation will depend greatly on the process used during the hair removal as there is more than one process available. What is the laser hair removal process?The laser hair removal process works by sending a beam of laser light to a group of hair follicles with enough power to disable or destroy the root, but not enough power to harm the surrounding skin. The laser beam finds the hair follicles by targeting melanin (the substance that gives skin and hair dark color). People that have dark hair and light skin are the ideal candidate for laser hair removal. However, it is important to note that the laser process will not work on those people that have red, grey or real blonde hair.Is the hair removal process painful?The answer to this question varies greatly by patient as everyone feels pain differently and no two people are the same.

Some patients have said it feels like a pinch while other patients noted it feels like a rubber band snapping your skin. For the most part most patients have noted mild discomfort and in those cases the doctor will usually provide the patient with a mild anesthetic during the hair removal process.How long is the hair removal process? And how many treatments will I need?Both of these questions don't have a single definitive answer. The length of time for removal will depend on the area being treated. How many treatments needed also have many different variables to consider making the answer different per case - skin tone, hair coloring and the coarseness of hair are all variable that help determine how many hair removal treatments will be needed.While these are our opinions on the laser hair removal process, it is best to do your research and find out the specifics for your removal process. It's always best to get more then one opinion and be thorough before making your decision..

Our inkjet cartridges will work for all name brand printers such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Canon, Epson, Brother, Lexmark, Xerox and more.To order your inkjet cartridges online please visit us at http://www.buyinkjetrefills.com.

Although it immensely reduces the time you spend in line waiting for your license at the DMV, one might start questioning the validity of such documents. How would the research resolve this? With on going research, I am still impressed to know that every printing technology has the capacity to give identification. Although it may not be obvious, as was said, laser printers leave specific markings on each document they print. This is what they call the bonding process. The article also states that Purdue's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has pioneered a tracking system that uses banding to trace a document back to the printer from which it originated.I look forward to this development and acclaim the people behind the research who will make this possible.

I am also dreaming of having a faster acquisition of my documents but still I would not want to compromise my safety in exchange of it..

The first uses true cartridges. Companies such as Hewlett Packard and Lexmark use this system. Cartridges consist of a tank of ink, a head (The copper coloured metal strip) and sometimes a chip that gives back data on the levels of ink. The cartridges for this system, as owners know only too well, are expensive.The other system as employed by companies such as Epson, Canon and Brother, uses headless cartridges. This means that when you buy a cartridge for these types you actually get a tank of ink and sometimes a chip but the printer head stays within the printer.

Replacements are marginally less expensive for these types of printer. Neither system has any significant print quality advantages. Another point worth remembering is that print quality is measured by Dpi, (Dots per inch), and the printing media and not simply by the ink used.Laser printers work on an entirely different system utilizing a large cartridge containing toner and not ink. Toner is a powder containing heat sensitive pigment. Most, though not all, laser printers are used to print text and therefore use only black.

Replacements are expensive but some are capable of printing up to 20,000 pages of text from one cartridge.What Can I Do?For owners of Epson, Canon and Brother Printers one answer is to use compatible cartridges. These are cheap and carry superb guarantees as to their quality. Most will last at least as long as the originals. For Hewlett Packard and Lexmark owners there are remanufactured cartridges. Owing to the patents on these cartridges it is illegal to manufacture compatibles.You could always try refilling the originals but this can be messy and sometimes leaks can occur resulting in permanent printer damage.In Conclusion.Before you purchase a new printer find out the cost of replacement cartridges.

You'll be amazed at how much they vary. Look for a printer that uses tanks of ink and best of all one that uses separate tanks for black and the colours. In so doing when you need to replace a cartridge, say yellow, you need only replace this one colour and not the whole colour cartridge.A cheap printer laden with incentives such as rebates does not always pay in the long run. Discount ink cartridges or compatibles will always save you money with no loss of print quality.Keep that printer doing what it does best, Printing!For more information on this subject visit http://www.compatcartridges.com and click on: The Facts. You can also email us at: info@compatcartridges.com for advice..

If you go to a local car lot and look at the sticker price of a car, you'd see some of the following items: the base price of the car, the cost for each additional feature or package, the number of miles per gallon for both city and road, and the cost of gasoline for one year under normal driving conditions.What if you got this same type of information for your printer? Would you still buy the same inkjet printer? How would you feel if you knew you would pay more for gas and oil, in the first year you owned your car, than you paid for the car?Well the fact is, unless you do very little printing, you will pay more for your paper and inkjet cartridges in the first year than you will pay for your inkjet printer. This is especially true for the low cost inkjet printers. In some cases, the cost of one inkjet cartridge is more than the entire purchase price of an inkjet printer.If you look at an inkjet printer advertisement, you'd learn about some of the following items: the number of pages printed per minute in text and color, the time to print a certain size photo in black and white or color, the number of inkjet cartridges or tanks the printer holds, the near perfect quality of the photo reproduction, the outstanding resolution you'll get from (so many) inkjet nozzles and a packaging list of items that come in the box when you purchase it. However, in most inkjet printer advertisements, you will not see the cost of the premium paper needed to achieve that outstanding photo reproduction. The replacement cost for a black or color inkjet cartridge is nowhere to be found.

About the only thing you will see with a dollar sign is the low purchase price of the printer and possibly the rebate. (They also don't tell you all the steps you have to follow to get your rebate and how it may prevent you from returning the printer to the store if something unexpected happened? but that's another story.)Now, if you look at some of the most popular inkjet printers, here's what you will find about their inkjet cartridges. On the average, a black inkjet cartridge costs between $22 and $30 to replace. A color printer cartridge normally runs between $35 and $60, depending on size.To get your inkjet printer to print out those outstanding photos that will last for years, you will need to purchase some premium quality paper. Depending on the size, weight and quantity of the premium paper, you can expect to pay from 60 cents to a dollar per page.As a consumer, you need to know that the major printer manufacturers are selling their inkjet printers at or below cost.

They have adopted the marketing practice used in other industries, like the cell phone or razor blade. That is, they sell their initial product at cost or below and expect to make their real profits on the high mark up of their consumable supplies or services.Now, don't get me wrong. The quality of the inkjet printer photo reproductions is approaching that of traditional photo processing. The speed of the inkjet printer is constantly rising. The crisp and clear text from the inkjet printer is nearly equal to the quality of laser print.

All these are wonderful and welcomed features. The main point I want to make is this: The real cost of printing is not the purchase price of the inkjet printer. You, the consumer, should be informed of the on-going or real cost of printing. Then, you can decide how much you really want to pay for your printing needs.If major printer manufacturers were to charge a reasonable price (with profit) for their inkjet printer and reduce the cost of their inkjet cartridges and premium paper, you would realize a substantial savings.A well-informed consumer is a wiser consumer. If you had a way to estimate the one year cost of printing, depending upon your needs, you'd be able to make a much better informed decision on what inkjet printer would best meet your needs.Until the major manufacturers change their marketing practices, you can do something about the high cost of printing.

There are many reputable online merchants that provide compatible inkjet cartridges and inkjet refill kits that can save you up to 85% on the cost of printing. Five minutes of your time reviewing some of these companies could save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars. That would definitely help you reduce your one-year cost of printing. I thought you needed to know..

Macro Solutions LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Scio, Oregon and can be found on the Web at http://www.toner-ink.com.