| Welcome to the N-Tech Solutions Customer Newsletter for February 2009!
by Nathan Woodcock
As part of our commitment to providing an IT service that is professional, straight-talking and enjoyable we publish this newsletter every one or two months to keep in touch, have some fun and maybe even point out a few handy computer related things you didn't know. If you'd prefer not to receive this email simply click the unsubscribe link at the bottom on this newsletter. We missed the January edition of the newsletter as we've been extremely busy with many projects, business and personal, not to mention stunned for a large part of the month with the news that Rebecca and I are expecting twins in July. I don't think we're in shock anymore but it's hard to tell! 30% Tax Break? Yes Please!
by Nathan Woodcock
Whether or not you think the 42 Billion dollar economic stimulus package approved this week is a good idea or not, there are some real benefits for small business to take advantage of before the end of June this year.
Did you know that you can claim a 30% deduction in your 2008-2009 tax return for the cost of any eligible asset over $1000 purchased between 13th December 2008 and June 30th 2009? This is in addition to the normal depreciation you can continue to claim. You can read the summary on the Treasurers website here. An example from the treasurer: A small business that buys and installs a $2,000 computer before the end of June 2009 can claim an additional $600 deduction in its 2008-09 tax return. So if you have any upgrades in the pipeline, are thinking about a server, or suspect you may need to purchase new or replace computer systems, now is the time to do it. Talk to us about what we can do for your business.
Testimonials and Web Links
by Nathan Woodcock
Some of you may have seen the new-look N-Tech Solutions website which we regularly update with computer news, special offers, hints and tips, and of course these newsletters.
I'd like to add a new section with customer testimonials from those of you who have used our onsite services and have been happy with our service (if you've been unhappy with our service I'd love to here from you too but I probably won't publish it on the website!). If you have five minutes to spare to write a brief testimonial about your experience with is I'd very much appreciate it. Send them to
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We also have a Links section on the site where we link to other local businesses. If you'd like your business to be included there just drop us a line to the same address above. Printers - The Real Cost
by Nathan Woodcock
(This article was originally published in Greater Noosa Living magazine)
There are so many printers on the market these days and some of them are extremely cheap - some under $50 after cashback. But what are the real costs of ownership of a printer? The initial purchase price is actually the smallest amount you will pay over the lifetime of the printer - the cost of consumables (replacement ink or toner) soon exceeds what you paid for the printer. So it can often be false economy being drawn in to the super cheap buys. So how do you work out how economical your printer is?
All manufacturers have technical information about their printers and their ink or toner cartridges. For printers, you need to find out the "duty cycle". This is measured in pages per month and is the upper limit of usage for the printer. For example, a fifty dollar home printer will have a much smaller duty cycle than a thousand dollar office printer. Buy a printer that can cope with your demands or you might be replacing it sooner than you think.
For cartridges, you need to find out the "average yield". This is how many pages can be printed with the cartridge. There is a standard called ISO/IEC 24711 (for inkjets) and ISO/IEC 19798 (for toners) which means that the measurements are consistent across different printer, ink and toner brands. Divide the cost of the ink or toner by its average yield to arrive at a cost per printed page.
For example, a HP Officejet J4580 inkjet printer has a black cartridge (HP No. 901) with an RRP of $23.00 and an average yield of 200 pages. $23.00 divided by 200 = 11.5 cents per page. Compare this with the extra large cartridge for the same printer. It has an RRP of $42 and an average yield of 700 pages, giving a cost per page of 6 cents. It’s clear which one you should be buying!
Typically, laser printers are more economical than inkjets but this isn't always true especially for the cheap lasers. HP's Officejet Pro series bring the cost per page down to under 4 cents, which is less than their cheaper laser printers. Make sure you do the above calculation before making your purchase. Space Saving, Cheap Good Quality Refurbished PCs
by Nathan Woodcock
We've just taken delivery of some excellent space saving refurbished PCs. These little beauties are Hewlett Packard DC7600 all-in-one systems. The PC itself is a low profile thin case that sits directly behind the monitor on a stand. When you are sitting in front of the included 17" LCD screen it you can't even see the PC behind it. Space saving, no cable mess, neat and tidy it's perfect for home, the office or the kids and the performance is great for all of the above. Priced at only $399 each they won't last.
Specs:
Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz CPU
1GB RAM
80GB Hard Drive
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
8 USB ports
Windows XP Home
Keyboard, Mouse
HP L1706 17" LCD monitor
30 day warranty (all systems have had full diagnostics and stress testing run by N-Tech)
. | Contacting N-Tech Solutions
There are a few ways you can contact us, as follows. Office phone on 07 53093379, Nathan's mobile on 0422 247730 (phone or text, I'm often on jobs or with clients and can't directly answer your call), email to
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Leave a message if you don't get through to someone and we will call you back. This includes weekends - we'll call you back on Monday unless you say you need a weekend callout (weekend callouts are charged at emergency rates 1.5 - 2x normal rate) and we'll call back ASAP.
Credit Card Payment Accepted: Did you know you can now pay us by credit card via Paypal? We accept Mastercard and VISA , although there is a 2.5% transaction fee attached to CC payments. If you wish to pay your bill via credit card let us know and we will email you a link that enables you to pay quickly and securely, without even signing up for a Paypal account. Samsung CLP-300N Colour Network Laser Printer $195:
A networked colour laser for under $200, and it’s a Samsung so it’s rugged and reliable. Up to 17PPM black and 5PPM colour. Perfect for the home office.
Changing your MS Word Dictionary...
For some reason it often seems very difficult to get MS Word to use the correct dictionary for spelling. Follow this link for simple, detailed instructions of what to change where to make the change permanent. Meanwhile in the You Must Be Joking Department...
Story on an IT news site: "iFart Mobile to Pull My Finger: You stink
iPhone fart app maker takes another to court over trademark infringement accusations as two developers battle it out in crowded fart simulation app market." |
