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FREE Shipping Friday!
To our loyal customers and social media followers we would like to thank you for your continued support. To show our appreciation we are introducing FREE Shipping Fridays!
Yes, this means any order placed on a Friday mentioning the code
SHIPFREEFRIDAY
receives FREE shipping on in-stock orders. No minimum order required and there’s no catch. Orders must be emailed (sales@gtprinting.ca) between 9am – 4pm on Friday’s using our code SHIPFREEFRIDAY.
Orders throughout most of the Quinte and Quinte West area are delivered by the owners of the business. To our customers outside the Quinte area your orders will be delivered by a national courier service.
TELL YOUR CO-WORKERS, TELL YOUR FAMILY, TELL EVERYONE! FREE Shipping Fridays at GT Printing and Electronics.
*This is a social media exclusive offer. To qualify for free shipping you must include the code provided above in your e-mail order. Most in-stock orders are delivered next business day. This offer is only valid to residences and business located in Ontario Canada.*
**Monday to Thursday we charge $5.00 plus HST for all orders under $150 before tax.
Lenovo ThinkPad X240: A NO-nonsense business laptop
Visit our Webstore to view our complete inventory of Laptops, Tablets, Desktops and Workstations.
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If Lenovo’s spendy ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the laptop every corporate drone craves, Lenovo’s thrifty ThinkPad X240 is the laptop their employer is more apt to spring for (assuming, of course, that the company’s IT department has standardized on Lenovo and not Dell, HP, Toshiba, or some other commercial laptop builder).
You might think the ThinkPad X240 is too thick and too heavy to qualify for Ultrabook designation, but it’s only 0.79 inches thick and it weighs just 3 pounds. And there’s a very good reason why the X240 doesn’t taper to a knife edge like the X1 Carbon does: The X240 is outfitted with two batteries and a battery bridge that enables you to swap a depleted battery for one that’s fully charged without turning the machine off. That’s slick.
PCWorld’s Worldbench suite rewards laptops equipped with SSDs—the configuration reviewed here includes a 256GB model—but the X240’s score of 282 leaves it slightly behind Dell’s XPS 12 Ultrabook Convertible (which has the same dual-core CPU) and Samsung’s Ativ Book 7 (which is powered by a third-generation Core i5-3337U, another dual core). This is a little surprising considering that the ThinkPad had twice as much DDR3/1600 memory: 8GB versus 4GB in the Dell and the Samsung.
The x240 packs a fourth-generation Intel Core processor, so you can expect strong battery life. Our eval unit came with a Core i5-4200U, but you can make other choices when you place your order. The three-cell battery in this one ran for 6 hours and 26 minutes, which is typical of Haswell-powered notebooks, but Lenovo also offers an optional six-cell battery that should run much longer than the average workday. That large battery will add weight and about a half-inch of thickness to the X240—it will protrude from the bottom rear of the laptop.
The X240 has a number of I/O ports you won’t find on the 2013 X1 Carbon, including a gigabit ethernet port, a smart card reader, 34mm Express card socket, a VGA port, an always-on USB 2.0 port, and a docking port on its bottom. Like the X1 Carbon, it also has two USB 3.0 ports, a mini DisplayPort, an SD card reader, and a fingerprint reader (an included option our eval unit).
You can also order your machine with several different 12.5-inch displays, but I recommend staying away from the 1366-by-768 touchscreen I evaluated. It’s a bright IPS panel that’s very responsive to touch, but it looked fuzzy and grainy to my eyes. Place it next to a laptop with a 1920-by-1080 display and you’ll experience severe pixel envy.
I was also a little disappointed in the X240’s backlit, island-style keyboard. I’ve used a number of Lenovo keyboards, and this one just doesn’t feel as nice (for lack of a better term). The spacebar has an oddly stiff feel that made me miss-tap it frequently, and the key spacing didn’t feel as comfortable. It’s not a terrible keyboard, but it’s not as outstanding as I’ve come to expect from a ThinkPad.
ROBERT CARDINTrackPoint fans will still find the nubby red dot in the center of the keyboard, but the dedicated buttons are gone. You’ll need to depress the whole glass trackpad and hope your finger is in the right zone (there are five) to get the type of click you want. I found middle clicks especially hard to hit accurately. Speaking of the one-giant-button trackpad, it depresses easily and quietly. Its generous size enables you to make the most of Windows 8’s multitouch gestures, but I ran into a few frustrating moments when it registered two-finger scrolling when I only had one finger down. Apart from that, I found it to be smooth and responsive for navigation.
If you’re looking for a workhorse laptop with incredible battery life, Lenovo’s X240 is a solid choice. Its graphite-black chassis won’t turn heads, but it will help you travel light and get a lot of work done. Just think hard before you order one with the 1366 by 768 touchscreen. This machine deserves better, and so do you.
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Have you ever wondered how a laserjet printer cartridge works?
This video by Lexmark offers an excellent explanation of the Laserjet Printing process.
Learn how Lexmark laser printer technology works in this video from n-tara interactive. The complexities of laser printing are simplified using highly informative 3D animation.
GT Printing and Electronics carry’s a large selection of Lexmark Mono and Colour Laserjet Toners, Printers and Printer Accessories.
Visit our Webstore to view our great brand name selection of Printers, Printer Consumables, Printer Accessories and Consumer Electronics and more!
Printer buying guide: How to find the best model for your home or office
Printer buying guide: How to find the best model for your home or office
Printers haven’t changed much, but the tech world around them sure has. People print less frequently, and they’re just as likely to send a job from a smartphone or a tablet as they are from a traditional computer. Today’s printers are keeping up as best they can, with mobile printing options and wireless connectivity, and a few models offer new technologies such as NFC (near-field communication).
Before you shop for a printer, sort out who will be using it and for what purposes—and of course, how much you can spend—so you can find the best model for your needs.
Who needs what kind of printer?
Printer users generally fall into one of three categories.
Home users can be individuals, families, or students. They may not print much, but what they do print could be anything from a homework assignment to photos to an art project. Typically they’re looking for the versatility and lower purchase price of a color inkjet printer.
Home-office and small-office users may print a little or a lot, but they’re always seeking professional-quality output. Some of these people may think they need a laser printer, but in many cases a similarly priced color inkjet will be more capable and will likely have cheaper ink.
Small workgroups in a business environment will require a workhorse printer that can juggle tasks and handle heavier demand. There’s one supercharged inkjet from HP, the HP Officejet Pro 576dw, that can satisfy this crowd. Aside from that model, however, laser remains the best printer technology for this group.
The most important printer features
No matter what shape or size of printer you choose, these are the most important specs.
Inkjet versus laser: While laser printers have tremendous cachet among office users, inkjets have a legacy of mediocrity to overcome. But today’s inkjet printers are much, much better than their predecessors were, and good models are available for both home and office users. I especially encourage small-office and home-office users to consider an office inkjet over a cheap laser. For the same price, the inkjet will be better—faster, with more features and a lower cost per page.
Multifunction models: It’s hard to find a printer that just prints anymore—but why would you want one? A multifunction printer that includes a scanner makes it easy for you to create copies or digitize documents. Unless you’re super-duper-sure that all you want to do is print, get a multifunction printer for the versatility.
Connectivity: All printers can connect to a computer via USB, and office-oriented models have an ethernet port for wired networking. Wi-Fi is a must on almost any class of printer these days, for ease in a home setting but also for working with mobile devices in an office setting. Even if the printer is going to serve just one person in a home with no sharing, think twice before skipping Wi-Fi as a feature.
Paper handling: The number of sheets your printer can take should exceed the number of pages you print per day—ideally by a lot, to minimize paper loading. A personal printer typically holds 100 to 150 sheets of paper in a single tray. Some models have a dedicated photo tray, which cuts down on paper swapping. A business printer can hold 250 sheets of paper at a minimum, but higher-end models typically accommodate 500 to 1000 pages in their standard or upgraded configurations. A busier office will want a printer that can support multiple paper trays.
Duplexing: Two-sided printing, or duplexing, can cut your paper costs in half and spare some trees. Some printers offer manual duplexing, a mode that produces prompts telling you how to rotate and reload the paper to print the second side. This approach is better than nothing, but it’s a hassle if you want to duplex all the time.
Other useful features
Displays: Many personal printers and some business printers have small displays on their front control panels to aid you in selecting menu options or to communicate printer status. While the typical display may consist of one or two lines of character-based messages, higher-end and photo-oriented printers might have a full-color LCD, possibly with touch capability. In general, it’s preferable to have any kind of display, rather than inscrutable, blinking lights.
Media-card slots and USB/PictBridge ports: If you want to print photos on your inkjet, a model with integrated media slots or a PictBridge port provides convenience. But if you already have such ports on your computer, of course, you needn’t bother duplicating them on your printer. A USB port (sometimes combined with a PictBidge port) lets you print documents directly from a key drive, but that can be a security risk. (An IT friend of mine glues USB ports shut in her office—secure, but difficult to undo!)
How to shop smart for your next printer
You know how much you have in your printer budget. Make sure it’s enough—or find out whether you can spend less—with this rundown on what to expect in different price ranges.
$40 to $80: Curb your expectations. You can buy a single-function inkjet printer in this price range, but it will most likely be a very slow model with bare-bones features (no control panel, skimpy paper handling). The inks will probably be expensive, to compensate for the rock-bottom hardware price. Watch out for tricolor cartridges, which unite the cyan, magenta, and yellow inks into one package—forcing you to replace all three inks when any single one runs out.
$80 to $100: Basic functionality. You can buy either a single-function inkjet printer or a low-end inkjet multifunction with basic features, or you can nab an extremely basic monochrome laser printer. Designed for single users, models in this segment offer modest speed and paper handling, but might sport a halfway decent control panel. The ink or toner will most likely be pricey. A few models might have separate ink cartridges for each color, or high-yield ink options, but you’ll still have to watch out for printers that use tricolor cartridges.
$150: Adequate or better. You’ll start to see more models with automatic duplexing and high-yield ink options at this tier. Monochrome laser printers at this price remain basic, but they’re a little better than the lowest-end versions. Printers in this price range might have adequate speed. Most should have Wi-Fi.
$250: Midrange inkjets and monochrome lasers. At this point you’ll find much better speed and paper handling, as well as more networking features and better control panels. Cool features could include touchscreens, color displays, and wide-format capability. A monochrome laser in this price range should have a 250-page input tray, making it useful in a group setting—though it will probably be slow.
$400: The best inkjets and bare-bones color lasers. You’ll enjoy a premium level of features and capabilities, including networking, a big color LCD, and innovations such as Web connectivity. Speed and print quality will be consistently good, and ink costs should be among the cheapest, with high-yield inks offering impressive savings in some cases. As for laser models, you can get a reasonably fast, networkable monochrome printer or a bare-bones color printer, but the toner costs are likely to be high.
$500: Basic color lasers and better monochrome lasers. Graduate to the $500 range, and the lasers improve a lot. Speed and photo quality will still be limited, but you will at least get 250-sheet input trays, networkability, and good speed. Toner costs might still be on the pricey side.
$700 to $800: The sweet spot for lasers. Models in this price range are designed for workgroups, with speed and paper handling to match. You’re looking at specs such as installed and maximum RAM (to see how many jobs a printer can juggle), standard and optional paper trays (to determine how much the printer can grow to fit your needs), and monthly duty cycle (to get an idea of durability). Toner costs should be reasonable to cheap, possibly with high-yield options.
$1000 or more: First class all the way. If you can afford to spend this much money on a printer, you expect—and deserve—the best, including fast performance, fine print quality, and a wide array of standard and optional features. Toner costs can be amazingly low, thanks to higher-capacity cartridges. Unless you’re running a business with high-volume printing needs, you won’t need to consider a model at this level.
Ink and toner costs: Getting a handle on the numbers
The money you pay for any printer doesn’t stop with the hardware purchase; you also have to consider the ongoing costs for replacing the ink or toner supplies. For many inkjet printers, in particular, the cost of replacement cartridges can quickly outstrip the initial cost of the printer. Here’s how we calculate the cost for our printer reviews.
A little shopping: We get the current price of each cartridge from the printer vendor’s own website. If the vendor doesn’t sell the cartridges directly, we average the prices collected from three or more major online retailers.
A little research: All inkjet printer vendors publish yield data for their ink cartridges—how many pages a cartridge can print before it runs dry. Most vendors’ yields are based on an industry-standard measuring tool, a specific suite of documents printed at specific settings so that the results are comparable among different models. Finding the yields can sometimes require a bit of digging; feel free to explore, and don’t hesitate to bug the vendor if you can’t find the information.
A little math: For each color, we divide the price of the cartridge by the page yield to get the cost per color per page. If a printer offers high-yield cartridges as well as standard-size versions, we gather the prices for both kinds of cartridges.
The resulting costs per color per page give you an idea of how much the printer will cost you in ink or toner. It’s important to note that your mileage may vary depending on what you actually print on a day-to-day basis, and how much you print.
One more tip: Check the printer’s “what’s in the box” information to see whether you’re getting full-size ink or toner cartridges, or lower-capacity, starter-size supplies. Many lower-end laser and LED printers start with lowball supplies, meaning they’ll run out sooner.
And a surprising counterpoint: If you don’t print much, you could get away with a low-end printer with pricier inks, simply because you won’t use it enough to make a big dent in your budget. But you’d better be sure that you’re really not going to print much. We did the math to show who could go this route.
There are few bad printers, only bad fits
I used to review some pretty bad printers. Now most of the printers I review are pretty good or even great, regardless of whether they’re an inkjet or a laser. But it’s still important to buy the right model for the user and the need, and it’s especially important to determine whether the ink or toner costs are affordable. Shop smart, and you’ll print smarter.
View our complete Printer inventory. Use the “search” tool to view our printers by category, brand, stock level, price and more!
Contact Us for more information sales@gtprinting.ca.
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Looking for your FEEDBACK!
We are looking for your feedback!
As a growing business we are doing our best to offer you the highest of quality products and an enjoyable on-line shopping experience.
To our valued customers and anyone who has a chance to visit our WebStore or Blog or Social Media profiles, we would like to hear about your feedback about your recent experience.
We are asking for any recommendations that you believe we can make to make your on-line shopping experience more enjoyable.
You can leave a comment on the bottom of this post or contact us directly at sales@gtprinting.ca.
Thank you,
The GT Printing and Electronics Team
Fellows Powershred P-48C Paper Shredder – $81.99
- Shreds 8 sheets per pass into 5/32” x 2” cross-cut particles (Security Level 3)
- Patented Safety Lock disables shredder for added safety protection
- 4.75-gallon bin with easy lift-off head
- For individual use
Local vs Big Box Pricing – Hewlett Packard Laserjet
After doing a few pricing comparisons on Hewlett Packard laserjet toners we found that our price was better 70% of the time. See for yourself …..
Our Price Their Price
HP C4092A $88.99 $96.99
HP C4096A $144.99 $178.99
HP Q2610D $312.99 $326.99
HP C4281X $270.00 $289.99
HP Q3964A $224.99 $249.99
HP Q5952A $321.99 $362.99
In addition to offering great pricing we also offer a larger selection of Printers, Printer Cartridges, Printer Toners and Printer Accessories compared to most big box stores in the area.
Remember our excellent service is also included in our price and “Think OUTSIDE the big box!”
*We will to our best to match or beat any competitors regular sales price
**Buy ANY 2 or more cartridges and save an additional 5%
Our new PowerPoint Presentation – “Think OUTSIDE the big box!”
Take the time to view our new presentation. It offers great insight to who we are as a company, what we have to offer and the benefits on doing business with us.
We encourage you to share with your network or download a copy to present to the buyer at your office.
GT Printing and Electronics – Think outside the big box – (Download file)
Anything Printing Blog 