Laser Inklings
1988 ~ 2008
VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 2 / SPRING – SUMMER • 2008
Save $20 per hour on printer
service rate through July
Keep your laser printers,
multifunction units and small copiers
in tiptop operating condition with a
complete checkup during our Summer
Service Special and save $20 or more.
For our 20th anniversary, we’re
cutting our hourly service rates $20
through July 31st. So on-site service
costs only $65 per hour, not $85 (parts
not included). Save even more if you
drop off your printer and pick it up.
In-shop service is $45 through July.
Our Summer Service Special offers
you a low-cost opportunity to eliminate
THE END IS NEAR version of this newsletter )
(Of the printed and mailed
The printed-and-mailed version of
this newsletter is ending soon, and a
colorful new e-mail version is taking
its place.
For 13 years, we’ve “snail mailed”
a newsletter filled with helpful tips,
product specials and funny lists to our
customers. You’ll still
get our newsletter,
but it will arrive in
your e-mail inbox
instead.
That’s assuming
you go to Sign up online at www.laserinktx.com overload your
PROVIDING SUPPLIES AND REPAIRS FOR HOUSTON’S LASER AND INKJET PRINTER USERS SINCE 1988 • 713-522-4546
Published by Laser Ink, Your Laser and Inkjet
Printer Supply and Repair Company
irritating squeaks, smudgy prints and
paper jams. Now is the perfect time to
“check the tires and change the oil” in
your laser printers and
multifunction
fax/printer/copiers. Act
now and you’ll avoid a
minor increase in our
service rates effective
Aug. 1 (see page 2).
Regular printer
maintenance helps to
prevent more expensive
repairs later. Call 713-522-
www.laserinktx.com and opt-in to our
list using the form shown below .
You can opt-out of Laser Ink’s e-
mail list at any time. And you’re just
joining our list to get our info. We
don’t sell lists; we don’t nag you with
offers from other companies.
Heck, we’ll
only e-mail you the
newsletter or a
special offer once
a month — if that
often. We won’t
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS
Thanks to You —
Our Customers
4546 now to schedule a checkup for
your printers, small copiers and more.
Our Summer Service Special is
another in a series of 20th
anniversary specials
offered to thank our
customers. Since
1988, you have
trusted us to supply
your toner and inkjet
cartridges — and to
repair the machines
they’re used in. We
appreciate your business.
inbox with offers.
With e-mail, we can communicate
faster and more efficiently. If a special
deal on toner or inkjet cartridges
comes along, you’ll know about it right
away and can take advantage of it.
Switching to e-mail delivery
eliminates printing and mailing costs,
which helps to keep your toner prices
low. It also reduces paper usage; that’s
a good thing.
Check out the color version of this
newsletter at our web site when you
join our email list. www.laserinktx.com
Fuel hikes, surcharges prompt service rate increase
To cover the skyrocketing time if Laser Ink — like most
cost of fuel and delivery New Service Rates Effective Aug. 1, 2008 of our competitors — should
surcharges, our hourly service In-Shop (All) On-Site (B&W) On-Site (Color) charge a higher rate for
rates will increase $4 an hour working on color laser
$69 $89 $109
Aug. 1 — our first rate hike printers than monochrome
in 20 years.
A $4 per hour increase to cover fuel & delivery costs. (black and white).
The separate, higher rate for color laser printer repair is new.
After the increase, on-site With four printing
service will cost $89 an hour engines (CMYK), a color laser
for monochrome printers. In-shop honest approach to handling fuel hikes printer is a significantly more complex
service for any equipment will cost $69 and other cost increases. and difficult piece of equipment to
an hour. On-site service for color laser Those “other cost increases” repair and service. We concluded that
printers will cost $109 an hour. include fuel surcharges and delivery the color laser printer expertise and
When we set our hourly service fees charged by the wholesalers who experience accumulated by our service
rates nearly 20 years ago, gasoline cost sell us the parts needed to repair your technicians justified the higher rate
slightly more than $1 a gallon. Our printers. The parts themselves may cost for color laser printers.
rates haven’t gone up, but gasoline has the same, but getting them delivered As far as we know, our new hourly
more than tripled in price since 1988. now costs much more. rate for repairing color laser printers
Laser Ink never adds a “transit fee” It is interesting to note that the $4 is still lower than any other laser printer
or “fuel surcharge” on top of our increase will literally pay for the one repair company in Houston that
service fee. And we don’t want to start gallon of gasoline needed on many charges a higher rate for color laser
now because we believe adding a “fuel service calls to drive to and from your printer repairs.
surcharge” gives the false impression office. In effect, you’re not really paying We appreciate your business and
that it’s a temporary increase. Laser Ink; you’re paying ExxonMobil, do our best to earn it. We held off
Does anyone expect gasoline to Shell, etc. raising our repair rates for 20 years.
drop below $3 a gallon? And that “fuel Our new $109 hourly rate for The $4 hike is an adjustment to cover
surcharges” will simply disappear? We servicing color laser printers is a cost increases beyond our control.
believe a modest rate hike is a more different matter. We debated for a long

OUR RETURN AND REFUND POLICY

Cuts costs with compatible toner for
There is a 20% restocking fee on all returned items. NO RETURNS HP Color LaserJet 2700, 3000 & 3700
after 90 days from date of purchase. Compatible toner cartridges for:
MACFEST 2008 SEPT. 6 AT U OF H HP Color LaserJet 2700 / 3000
Mark your calendars! MacFest 2008 is coming Saturday, Sept. 6, (Black, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta): $99 each
to the University of Houston. MacFest features nationally-known Mac HP Color LaserJet 3700 Series
experts, special presentations and more. MacFest is sponsored by Black Cartridge: $95
the Houston Area Apple Users Group. For more, visit www.haaug.org. Cyan, Yellow, Magenta
Cartridges $129 each
2008 CALENDAR STRIPS AVAILABLE
Need a handy, adhesive 2008 calendar strip for the top of your Free delivery.
Lifetime Warranty.
monitor, keyboard or elsewhere? Call 713-522-4546 or e-mail
george@laserinktx.com to request one (or more) for free by mail. Call 713-522-4546 to save.

➤ HOURS OF OPERATION: 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Monday–Friday; Closed Weekends/Holidays.

THE BASICS

➤ PHONE: 713-522-4546 ➤ FAX: 713-529-9554 ➤ WEB: www.laserinktx.com ➤ EMAIL: toner@laserinktx.com

➤ ADDRESS: 1311 Willard, Houston TX 77006 West of Montrose Blvd. between Westheimer & West Gray
➤ METHODS OF PAYMENT: Cash, checks and major credit cards.
➤ RETURN POLICY: There is a 20% restocking fee on all returned items. No returns after 90 days from date of purchase.
 SPECIFICATIONS:
P3005dn (Q7815A)
• Print speed of up to
35 pages per
minute
• 80 MB RAM,
expandable to 320
MB
• Hi-speed USB 2.0
port
• One open EIO slot
• 400 MHz processor
Don’t miss out • 100-sheet
$449 on a terrific deal on a fast,
brand-new HP LaserJet P3005dn.
multipurpose tray
• 500-sheet input tray
Normal price $899 Connect it to your network via Ethernet or plug it into your
Delivery, installation • Built-in automatic
computer via speedy USB 2.0. Print on both sides of the two-sided printing
extra. Call for details. sheet automatically using the built-in duplex feature.
• HP JetDirect Fast
Ethernet embedded
Call 713-522-4546 printer server

Two Sisters
Floral Workshop
Donna Matthews, Floral Designer
Call 713-870-8507
to brighten your office, lobby or home with
beautiful, affordable floral arrangements
Why use Laser Ink and not …
<insert office superstore of your choice >
potential
customer
recently posed a
thought-provoking
question on the phone:
Why should I use you
rather than <insert office
superstore of your choice>?
The reasons are obvious to
me; I co-own the place,
after all. So at first, it felt
like explaining why I like
ice cream (It’s tasty. Duh.)
But it got me thinking.
Why indeed?
Let’s start with the
obvious: high quality, low
cost, free delivery, lifetime
warranty. We offer all that
and more, and have for
more than 20 years.
That sounds too much
like “ad speak,” though, so
it doesn’t cross the doubt
threshold for many people.
Too much slick advertising
has made a lot of us
skeptical about general
claims — even when
they’re true.
I could be more
specific and point out that
the failure rate on our
compatible toner
cartridges is less than 2%.
Or add that our compatible
toner cartridges carry a
lifetime warranty, so we
replace those rare failed
cartridges at no cost to you.
I suspect your eyes
would start to glaze over.
“Two percent you say. My,
my... I think I’ll go watch
the grass grow and the
paint dry now.”
Tooting our own horn
by telling you Laser Ink
sells 500-plus toner
cartridges a month to
hundreds of satisfied
customers doesn’t really
answer the question either.
Heck, it doesn’t even
include the other products
we sell and the printer
repairs we do.
I would like to tell you
a couple things, though.
Our compatible toner
cartridges are made in West
Virginia and Washington,
PA. Coincidentally, that
small city in southwestern
Pennsylvania is the
hometown of one of Laser
Ink’s co-owners.
Offering products
“made in America” means
something to us. Yes, we
now live in a “global
economy,” but we’re still
proud to sell high-quality,
reasonably priced products
that also provide jobs in
America.
Selling products that
use recycled materials is
another part of the “why”
of Laser Ink. Our motto is
“recycling to help preserve
our planet.” It’s on your
free Laser Ink mouse pad.
We believe in recycling,
and take that aspect of our
business very seriously.
Still, “made in
America” and recycling
might seem too “touchy-
feely” for some. Sure, it’s
good stuff, but ....
So here are the key
reasons why I think you
choose Laser Ink and not
the other guys.
When you call us, you
talk to informed people
who treat you with respect
and take the time to answer
your questions. You’re not
automatically shunted into
“voicemail” hell; you get a
real live person who cares
that you get the help and
products you need.
We listen to you and
freely offer our advice for
solving your printing
problems. Often, that
doesn’t result in us selling
you anything. For us, it isn’t
all about making a quick
sale and getting you off the
phone.
Don’t get me wrong. If
we didn’t make a profit, we
wouldn’t be here and none
of the other factors would
matter. But for us, making
a profit is simply the
consequence of doing a
good job and selling a
reliable product. It isn’t the
“be all and end all” of our
existence.
Finally — and this is
the hardest one of all to
put into words — we like
our customers and many
of you tell us you like us.
Thank you.
George Sroka,
President, Laser Ink

Get this newsletter via e-mail. Sign up online at:

www.laserinktx.com
Look for our sign-up form (shown at right). You’ll receive this
newsletter and occasional special offers from us via email.
You can opt out of our e-mail list at any time.
Don’t miss a time-limited sale on toner! Get email alerts.

LASER INK • TONER AND INKJET CARTRIDGES: NEW AND COMPATIBLE SINCE 1988 • 713-522-4546 SPRING - SUMMER 2008 • PAGE 3
 “
TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR USERS OF MICROSOFT WORD ®

Expand or Compress Text
Word provides a way to
adjust the horizontal size of
characters. This scaling
function enables you to
expand or compress
selected text. To format
characters in this way:
1. Select the
characters you want to scale.
2. Display the Font
dialog box by choosing
Format | Font. (In Word
2007, you press Ctrl+D.)
3. Make sure the
Character Spacing tab is
selected.
4. Use the Scale drop-
down list to select a
percentage from the pre-
defined list or enter a value,
then Click OK.
If you need to scale
several selections in your
documents, you can add a
scaling tool to a toolbar by
following these steps:
1. On the Tools menu,
REFURBISHED
Copyright © 2008 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc. All
rights reserved. WordTips is a free e-mail publication.
To find out more, visit http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/
choose Customize.
2. Make sure the
Commands tab is selected.
3. In the Categories
list, select Format.
4. In the Commands
list, select Character Scaling.
5. Use the mouse to
drag the selected command
to a toolbar, then close the
dialog box.
Fast Spelling Corrections
Want to quickly correct a
word that Word thinks is
improperly spelled? Right-
click the misspelled word to
bring up a Context menu
containing spelling
suggestions. Word then
replaces the word on which
you right-clicked (the
incorrect word) with the
proper spelling.
Make Buttons Bigger!
Having trouble seeing the
icons used on the various
Word toolbars? You’re not
alone. For those of us
getting to the bifocal age,
toolbar buttons seem to be
getting smaller — or at least
harder to see. In fact, it’s
downright impossible
sometimes to tell what the
icon is! This problem is
particularly acute when
working with a monitor set
to a high resolution, making
the icons even smaller.
Fortunately, you can make
those tool icons larger.
1. Choose the
Customize option from the
Tools menu.
2. Click on the
Options tab.
3. Select the Large
Icons option and close.
Now the toolbar buttons
appear larger and slightly
cruder looking, but at least
you can see them. This
option works with any
Microsoft Office program.
Q”
QUOTABLES
Love yourself first, and
everything else falls into line.
You really have to love
yourself to get anything
done in this life.
-- Lucille Ball (1911 - 1989)
Actress, Comedienne
The purpose of education
is to replace an empty mind
with an open one.
Malcom Forbes (1919 -1990 )
Publisher, Forbes Magazine
It is the paradox of life that
the way to miss pleasure is
to seek it first. The very first
condition of lasting
happiness is that a life should
be full of purpose, aiming at
something outside self.
– Hugo Black (1886 - 1971)
U.S. Senator and Associate
Justice on U.S. Supreme Court
Let the beauty we love
be what we do.
– Rumi (1207 - 1273)
Poet, theologian, philosopher

Fast, high paper capacity Never be ashamed to admit

duplex laser printer on sale! that you were wrong. You’re
only saying that you are
If you need a fast network laser printer that holds a lot wiser today than you were
of paper, have we got a deal for you! The HP LaserJet yesterday.
8150dn holds 1000 sheets in its two standard paper trays, – Pastor Dave Gilpin,
Hope City Church
plus another 2000 sheets in an extra paper feeder. Plug HP LaserJet 8150dn
it into your Ethernet network to provide speedy printing Secular freedom is having
solution for the whole office. This duplex printer also
to do what you want to do.
handles tabloid (11 x 17) size paper. Only $849.00
Religious freedom is
Also available: HP LaserJet 8100 for $449.00 and
wanting to do what you
HP LaserJet 2300dtn for $399. Call for information.
have to do.
Richard Rohr O.F.M. (1943 - )
Franciscan priest, writer,
Call 713-522-4546 and inspirational speaker

TONER AND INKJET CARTRIDGES: NEW AND COMPATIBLE SINCE 1988 LASER INKLINGS • SPRING-SUMMER 2008 • PAGE 5
 The
Funny Stuff :-)
G randma was in the bathroom,
putting on her makeup, under the
watchful eyes of her young
granddaughter, as she’d done many
times before. After she applied her
lipstick and started to leave, the little
one said, “But Grammy, you forgot
to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!”
M y young grandson called the
other day to wish me Happy Birthday.
He asked me how old I was, and I
told him, “62.” He was quiet for a
moment, and then he asked, “Did
you start at 1?”
A grandmother was telling her
little granddaughter what her own
childhood was like: “We used to skate
outside on a pond. I had a swing
SEE INSERT
LaserJet P3005dn not the other guys?
Half price sale on Why Laser Ink and
1988—2008
20th Anniversary
HOUSTON, TX
600
Celebrating Our
PERMIT NO.
PAID
U.S. POSTAGE
PRSRT STD
Grandparents
made from a tire; it hung from a tree
& Grandchildren
I’m four to six.”
in our front yard. We rode our pony.
We picked wild raspberries in the A second grader came home from
school and said to her grandmother,
woods.” The little girl was wide-eyed,
“Grammy, guess what? We learned
taking this all in. At last she said, “I
how to make babies today.” The
sure wish I’d gotten to know you
grandmother, more than a little
sooner!”
W hen my grandson Billy and I
entered our vacation cabin, we kept
surprised, tried to keep her cool.
“That’s interesting,” she said, “how
do you make babies?” “It’s simple,”
the lights off until we were inside to
keep from attracting pesky insects.
replied the girl. “You just change ‘y’
to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.”
Still, a few fireflies followed us in.
Noticing them before I did, Billy
whispered, “It’s no use, Grandfather.
C hildren’s Logic: “Give me a
sentence about a public servant,” said
The mosquitoes are coming after us a teacher. One small boys wrote: “The
with flashlights.” fireman came down the ladder
M y grandson asked me how old
I was, and I teasingly replied, “I’m
pregnant.” The teacher took the lad
aside to correct him. “Don’t you know
what pregnant means?” she asked.
not sure.” “Look in your underwear, “Sure,” said the boy confidently. “It
Grandfather,” he advised. “mine says means carrying a child.”
SEE INSERT www.laserinktx.com DETAILS PG. 1
e-mail specials Special thru July
Sign Up for our Summer Service
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
1311 Willard Ste. 1 • Houston, TX 77006-1111