Resident Office Nerd Blog

Glenstone Lodge Sees Instant Results With Xerox Update

2009-05-07T22:12:00.003-04:00

Glenstone Lodge, a 25 year old staple for vacation goers in Gatlinburg, TN recently updated their office fleet with Hungate Business Services, Xerox provider of products and services in Sevier County. Ursula House, General Manager at the Glenstone stated that their “antiquated equipment was not meeting their daily requirements anymore”, and hoped to “achieve a cost reduction and improved office productivity with their update.” After an extensive evaluation of multiple vendors’ equipment and lease parameters, she selected Xerox’s offering. “Hungate was able to show us a cost savings with friendly lease terms and equipment to do the job.” The solutions included the Xerox WorkCentre 5030, Phaser 3635MFP/X, FaxCentre 2121 and Phaser 4510/N for their requirements.

Ratings of the solution have been positive by the staff and administration. “Everything has been great - from the improved quality, cost savings and added features it’s been a good move for us”, says Ursula. “We especially like the walk-up printing from our USB drives on the Phaser 3635MFP.” “It wasn’t a focal point during evaluation but it’s been great for our Reservations staff to help our guests print out their documents quickly and easily”. Overall, “Hungate Business Services has done a great job for us and we look forward to working with them.”

Get $15 In Gas When You Buy Two HP Cartridges

2009-04-02T15:09:00.003-04:00

It's back! Now through April 15th, or while supplies last, any customer who buys any two HP LaserJet toner cartridges will receive a $15 American Express Fill-it-Up Gas Card. All gas cards from this promotion must be redeemed by April 3oth, 2009.

This offer is valid only while supplies last. All HP LaserJet toner cartridges are eligible. Dual packs are eligible, but only count as one cartridge i.e. one gas card per dual pack.

Tired of the Post Office?

2009-03-25T18:01:00.004-04:00

Zumbox delivers your mail online, and even allows businesses to send correspondence much cheaper than conventional methods. Check out the FAQ's for more information. Fantastic idea!

Low Cost Color Printing Plans Introduced by Xerox (Quietly)

2009-03-25T17:56:00.004-04:00

Xerox recently introduced a 3-Tiered cost per copy plan (CPC) for the Phaser 8860 family of devices without much press. However, these are the first of its kind at Xerox and may signal the future direction of the copier & multifunction industry. Products included in this plan are the Phaser 8860 Color Printer and the Phaser 8860MFP.

Here are details on the non-traditional service plans; all costs per page include on-site maintenance, ink and other consumables:

1. .0169 per page - "Useful Color", mostly black and white pages with a splash of color, like a company logo
2. .039 per page - "Everyday Color", pages with one or two small color pictures and text
3. .079 per page - "Expressive Color", pages with full color

According to Xerox, they have found that most office color documents are typically in the "Useful" or "Everyday" categories, and with the Phaser 8860 family of products it will give customers even more flexibility when they go to purchase their office equipment. The Phaser 8860 Printer retails $2,499 and the MFP for $3,999 - leasing plans are also available. This offering is only available through Authorized Xerox Sales Agents for customers in the U.S.

hbsx.com Homepage Refresh

2009-02-22T18:56:00.007-05:00

Hungate Business Services recently updated their homepage with a fresh new look this week. The design was facilitated by Jeremy Mitchell, with creative support from Kathy Mitchell. The flash animation incorporates promotions on the Xerox Phaser 8560 solid ink printer, and a free shipping promotion into the existing header template.

Xerox Phaser 6180 Out - Xerox Phaser 6280 In

2009-02-13T09:30:00.012-05:00

With the recent introduction of the $350 instant rebate on the Xerox Phaser 6180, the stock has been depleted nationally in the U.S. New orders will no longer be fulfilled through local resellers or Dealers, unless they have them already in stock. Phaser 6180 supplies and consumables are still available for purchase.

The replacement for the 6180 is the Xerox Phaser 6280 which is on sale now even before its "formal" launch on February 23rd, 2009. The Phaser 6280 boasts an impressive 30% increase in Color speed (26ppm) and 19% increase in B&W output (31ppm) over it's predecessor. Retailing at $549 it's a fantastic buy for lower volume users needing high quality Color. The Phaser 6280 comes with networking standard, a one year warranty and compatibility with PC, Mac and Linux. The Xerox Phaser 6280DN configuration comes with two sided printing standard and retails for $649.

Make Up To $250 For Trading In Your Old Printer

2009-02-06T16:12:00.003-05:00

This quarter Xerox and Hungate Business Services is offering a rebate of $50 for Phaser 8560's, $50 on Phaser 6360's and $250 on Phaser 7760 products purchased between January 1 - March 31, 2009 with an eligible trade-in. Xerox will even pay shipping on your eligible trade-in. You must submit your claim within (30) days of eligible purchase or by April 30, 2009, whichever is sooner.

Customers may trade-in and purchase a maximum of 5 printers per customer during the promotion period. If you wish to trade more than 5 units, please contact Hungate Business Services at info@hbsx.com for more information.

Want to Cut Office Costs? Follow Your Print Button.

2009-02-01T20:19:00.010-05:00

Depending on the amount of paper documents that your business goes through, and what type of equipment they are printed on, it may be surprising how much those documents actually cost to produce. Desktop Printers are the biggest culprit, and can cost substantially more (20-80%) to operate than multifunction equipment. The main reason for this is that the output from printers have a variable cost, versus a fixed cost off of multifunction copiers. The standard yield on supplies for printers that you see advertised from major equipment manufacturers are based on 5% coverage. In reality most documents printed have coverage that is much higher, around 15-20%. HP and Xerox provide good information on how much things will cost on their network printers, but they certainly don’t put it on their homepage.

How can you tell how much you’re spending? In short, get help – free help. Most local copier vendors now are armed with software and a slick USB tool (PrintAudit and PrintFleet are common names you can ask for) that can really help you get a clear overview of your office peripherals. They have incentive to give you a no cost quantitative analysis in the event they can provide a more cost effective solution. You can run a quick network scan and it will download your vital equipment information including make, model, serial and print counts. Repeat the process in 30 day increments until you feel that accurate volumes have been recorded, and then rely on your vendor to give you total costs of operation on all of your devices.

(Sample Print Audit Report)

You’ll be surprised what you find; you might even find a printer or two than you didn’t even know about. Once the data is collected, it might be advantageous to your organization to redirect larger print jobs to more cost effective multifunction devices, or possibly even replace printers with a fixed cost device.

i-Phone “Push” Not Working? Check Your Exchange Server Certificates

2008-12-14T17:42:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we noticed that our i-Phone users were not able to get their e-mail via the “push” methodology; instead they had to manually download their e-mail like they did before the 2.0 update. It left us scratching our heads a bit because it had worked seamlessly just a few weeks prior, and we had not done anything of significance with our network.

We noticed that whenever a user went to the i-Phone mail folder, they would receive a “Certificate Invalid” notice, however since the device would still manually download e-mail we didn’t give it much thought. After some trial and error on many different fronts that included reloading e-mail accounts on the i-Phones, restarting Services (and Reboot) on the Exchange Server 2003 we turned our attention back to the “Certificate Invalid” notice. Simple enough, we found that a Certificate had expired on the Exchange side, and the suspicions mounted of this being the culprit.

After interpolating a nice article on how to create a certificate, we set out to renew the Certificate that had expired. To do so, we went to IIS Manager > Web Sites > (right click) Default Websites, then Properties > Directory Security Tab > Server Certificate. After selecting the Server Certificate button, we followed the Wizard to renew the Certificate which was simple and straightforward. Once it was renewed, our problem was solved immediately and the “push” e-mail began to flow.

Free Gas With HP Purchases Promotion Renewed!

2008-11-18T09:04:00.005-05:00

Due to overwhelming customer responses, we have reinstated our FREE $15 Gas Card promotion when you buy ANY two HP LaserJet Black and White or Color Toner Cartridges. This offer is valid through Hungate Business Services until December 5th, 2008 and/or while supplies last.

All HP LaserJet toner cartridges are eligible. Dual packs are eligible (dual packs count as two cartridges) and there is a limit to 8 gas cards per order - Get yours today!

$50 Mail-in Rebate with the Purchase of Two of the Same Qualifying Original HP LaserJet Print Cartridges!

2008-10-01T13:05:00.003-04:00

During the month of October, Hungate Business Services customers will receive a $50 Mail-in-Rebate with the purchase of two of the same qualifying HP LaserJet cartridges at the same time, on the same order. Limit of five (5) rebates per qualifying end-user customer, household or business.

Hungate Business Services Makes it Simple
HBS will automatically include the Mail-in-Rebate form in the shipment of qualifying orders making redemption easier than ever!

Program Time Frame: October 1–31, 2008

Qualifying Hewlett Packard Toners:

Q2612A
Q5949A
Q6511A
C7115A
Q7553A

Need More Information? Download the Rebate Form

Hungate Business Services Shipping to Puerto Rico

2008-09-22T08:18:00.003-04:00

HBS now offers shipping Puerto Rico via UPS 2nd Day Air. Currently the orders supported are supplies such as toner, drums, maintenance kits by Xerox, HP and Lexmark. We take care of all necessary custom paperwork the same day (by 6 pm EST), so order delivery times are the same as if you were a U.S. customer.

Free Gas When You Buy HP Laser Cartridges

2008-08-08T11:00:00.004-04:00

Starting today at Hungate Business Services you can receive a $15 American Express ® Fill-it-Up Gas Card ® with the purchase of any two HP LaserJet Toner Cartridges!

Now through August 29 (while supplies last) you will receive a $15 American Express Fill-it-Up Gas Card with EVERY purchase of ANY TWO HP LaserJet Toner Cartridges. Limit 15 gas cards per order.

This offer is valid only while supplies last. All HP LaserJet Toner Cartridges are eligible when you purchase from Hungate Business Services Supply Store. Dual packs are eligible (dual packs count as two cartridges).

Also, receive free shipping on all orders over $125 for U.S. Customers!

Easy Access To Your Mac From i-Phone

2008-05-18T22:50:00.006-04:00

I just discovered a nice app. from the folks at iGet Mobile that is extremely useful for those on the go (or individuals who tend to forget things). It allows users with i-Phones to access their Mac with a touch of a button. Simply enter in the IP address that iGet gives you after installing, add the address to your home screen and you've got an icon handy at all times to get you back on your desktop. You can browse all of your folders and documents with ease - it even allows you to convert Photoshop files to a standard image file (.png) for quick viewing and sharing. Another nice feature is the ability to send any file directly from your i-Phone to an e-mail address using your SMTP protocol of choice. With a minimal cost of only $29 it's already paid for itself by keeping me to run back and forth to the office.

Hungate Business Services Showcased on Volusion Success Stories

2008-05-12T20:17:00.003-04:00

Kyle Hungate was showcased today on the Volusion Success Stories Blog regarding his company's website - Hungate Business Services. Since starting his online business he has managed to step outside the traditional brick and mortar operations into the online world and increased sales 100%. Read more here at the Volusion Community Blog.

Hungate Business Services Announces FREE Shipping Over $125

2008-05-05T20:56:00.002-04:00

Starting today, May 5th 2008, you will receive free UPS Ground Shipping anywhere in the United States. No coupons are needed, simply checkout and you will see your free shipping available from the shipping pull down menu if your order is $125 or more.

Week 2: Ditching The PC--Moving To Mac

2008-02-14T17:03:00.004-05:00

Ok I'm a bit tardy, I'm really at Week 3 but who cares right? The question is, does it work for what I would call "normal everyday business"? Here's the previous week's events of note.

Day 8:
I needed to load some work specific software, one of note was a Nortel VPN client. I loaded the CD, followed the prompts and had no issues during install. I loaded my company software and things were still working fine. However, when I tried to launch this software after install I could not connect to the Nortel VPN. I did not have enough time to diagnose that day so I addressed on Day 9. Strike 2.

Day 9:
I'm still having connection issues on the Nortel VPN, and now am questioning the processor of the Mac being compatible with this VPN. I try to find a customer support number for VMWare to verify.

Day 10:
I'm unimpressed with the website help at VMWare site, you get 30 days of e-mail support for free but I can't find much else. There's no support number to speak of, just e-mail and a few thin knowledge base articles.

Day 11:
I had an epiphany...Maybe restarting the PC virtual machine might be a good thing to do. I give it a whirl, and what do you know? It works! I've got things up and working with the VPN. I guess the old fashioned shut down and restart was in order. I had shut down and restarted the Mac on day 9 and 10, but when using VMWare Fusion it takes a "snapshot" of the virtual machine--not really shutting it down and restarting.

Day 12:
Everything is working great! I very pleased with the integration. I can drag and drop everything from Mac to PC and the the different views are very cool. I have the ability to have a split screen view of each OS, have a "Unity view" which puts the Windows program on the Mac Desktop, or I can even have a full screen view of Windows XP.

Day 13:
Still pleased, however, I don't have any sound coming off the Windows XP side and my darn keyboard has lost some critical shortcuts like Ctrl + C or Ctrl to individual files on my Windows side. For example if I want to delete certain files not in chronological order, I can't do it. Strike 2 1/2.

Day 14:
This is fantastic! Windows XP has never worked this good on any PC I've ever had. I'm planning to Google the problems I've got with the keyboard and sound, I'm sure this is a matter of setting that I've not been able to locate.

In summary, this was a much easier transition that I ever imagined. It's very nice to be able to switch back and forth between OS' especially since I use the Adobe CS3 suite on the Mac side. Even if you have no interest in specific Mac application, running XP on there is a real treat. Everything works the same as it does on the PC. I can't find any reason not to recommend the move, it's quite simple even for the novice (like me). I'll post anything of relevancy as they come up.

Week 1: Ditching The PC--Moving To Mac

2008-01-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

We've all seen the clever commercials, "I'm a PC...and I'm a Mac...etc." but it is really practical in the business world? I'd thought I'd give it try since I've had a pleasant experience with a Mac Mini in my home and I needed to do some design work with our website--so I decided to take the plunge. Here's a quick rundown of my first week with the transition.

Day 1:
Right out of the box I can't help but stare into the shiny and beautiful display on the iMac. I'm amazed there's only one cord, far from the mess I've got with my other PC's. When I turn it on I'm blown away, the screen is so clear and bright, it's hands down better than any PC display I've ever seen. I hook up my wireless keyboard and mouse, set it up to the wireless network and I'm off to surfing.

Day 2:
I play around a bit with iWork, the Office "equivalent" on the Mac but quickly see that some things aren't converting how I want them to in Numbers--the Excel version on Mac. However, the templates and work flow are interesting and again are very appealing to the eye. I spend most of time trying to figure out Numbers because I use this many times during the work day, but I can see I'm going to need some help (I spent about 20 minutes trying to merge two cells). I've already got a membership to the online training site www.lynda.com, so I start taking some courses.

Day 3:
I'm still struggling in Numbers, but lynda.com is helping me out; after some patience I can really see what the iWork is trying to accomplish over the boring (yet functional) Excel. It seems that the value of tables in iWork Numbers is much more so than in Excel. I think the iWork Numbers group people were trying to create a much more interactive rich experience using this program, much like all their other products.

Day 4:
Enough of iWork, we'll learn more on that later. Let's get things communicated with the home office and really get this puppy cranking--let's start with my calendar and mail and getting it to talk to the Exchange Server 2003. The mail communication was just a matter of plugging in the right values and it went off without a hitch. However, the calendar was a different story--it simply wouldn't work. There's no compatibility (that I could find) with iCal and my calender on the Exchange Server. I guess you could call this Strike 1.

Day 5:
I come to terms that I can't get away from PC applications completely i.e. Outlook. So I find a program called VMWare Fusion that claims it can run things simultaneously and the box I have in front of me looks like what I need. Now all I need is to spend another $300 on XP Pro to load on my already pricey iMac.

Day 6:
The VMWare Fusion installation was simple and to the point. I simply followed the instructions on their website and installed XP Pro successfully. The rest of the day was spent doing a mammoth of PC updates.

Day 7:
Outlook is setup on the XP side and I've got my precious contacts, calendar and e-mail in one place. Everything is working amazingly smooth. Hey it's working just how they advertised!

So after one week, we've only gotten "1 strike" per say. After installing the Fusion and XP Pro I found out that I could've gotten the Office for Mac to get the Outlook equivalent with Entourage, but it would have cost a little more, and reviews online aren't the best; so I feel pretty good about my setup so far.

Stay tuned next week when we really put things to the test.

BUYING A COPIER 101

2008-01-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

Scratching your head on what kind of machine to buy for your office? Try to start first with careful consideration of your vendors instead, this might make your decision much less of a hassle.

Here are a couple of good questions to ask:

1. 11 x 17: Many vendors charge separately for tabloid or larger paper, make sure you understand how this is calculated. In the copier industry, most vendors use some sort of cost per copy calculation. For this type of output most charge 2 "clicks", but some vendors only charge 1 "click." It doesn't take too much thought to see where this could get expensive if you're running the larger paper.

2. Service Credits: Make sure you are not paying for impressions being made when your service person is working on the equipment. Again, in the cost per copy world where you are paying up front, or as you go, this can add up quickly. Even with fairly simple devices, they can run several hundred impressions during their visit.

3. Supply Delivery: Are you the customer paying for the supplies going into your machine? It seems small, but most contracts these days are between 3-5 years. Let's estimate you get toner shipped every month and you get charged $7 for each time it arrives--that's costing you $480 during a 5 year contract!

4. Scanning Charges: Make sure you do not get charge for scan to file or scan to e-mail jobs. This is not as widespread as the 11 x 17 example above, but this is just simply a ripoff since it doesn't really cost the vendor at all.

5. Removal Fees: If there is nothing else you take away in the post, make sure you note this one. How does your vendor address lease expiration and removals? You (the customer) are responsible for the return fee, crating, packaging and shipping back to the leasing company. It's not uncommon for this to cost anywhere from $500 - $2,000 per machine.

6. Insurance: 1/4% of the asset value is the industry average per month, however, some vendors include it with their lease pricing. This is a value add to the customer because any claims won't affect your commercial policy premiums, plus there is no deductible.

7. Property Tax: This varies from state to state, but ask your vendor about the local rates. This usually doesn't have a huge premium associated with it, but some vendors actually include it in their offerings.

8. The Guarantee: What happens if you get a lemon? Does your vendor honor giving you a totally different machine if something goes really wrong? Some vendors allow you to make the call, some do not--make sure you're in control.

9. Miscellaneous: Other tidbits to ask about are any lease administration fees, UCC filing fees, Delivery & Setup, Network Setup, Fuel Surcharges, Color Calibration and System Overahauls.

Hopefully asking these questions sooner rather then later will aide you in your buying decision. As you can see, buying from the brochure i.e. speeds, feeds, paper sources, etc. isn't the only thing to consider.

Links for 2008-01-08 [del.icio.us]

2008-01-09T00:00:00-08:00

Hungate Business Services, Color Printers, Multifunction Copiers, Business Consulting, Scanning Solutions
Hungate Business Services

XEROX OR XBOX?

2008-01-07T23:17:00.001-05:00

Today, Xerox announced one of it's biggest branding makeovers in company history. The fresh new look is long overdue, but unfortunately it reminds me a bit of the XBOX logo. I would imagine they were going for a more "global" look with the 3D red sphere and new fonts. Overall, it's pretty good, but their revamped homepage really looks like the winner here.

Read more here on the new branding campaign at Xerox.com

PLACE A SERVICE CALL ONLINE FOR YOUR XEROX

2008-01-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

Don't have time to call the 800 number for service? Neither do we!

Thanks to the service group at Xerox, there is a great new way to place a service call online for your copier, printer or fax machine that is under a maintenance contract.

Just click the link below.

Online Service Call - Xerox Copiers, Printers, and Fax Equipment

Links for 2008-01-04 [del.icio.us]

2008-01-05T00:00:00-08:00

Online Discount Brokers, Online Stock Trading, Stock Investing, Mutual Funds, IRA - Scottrade
Scottrade discount brokers offer investment services such as stocks, options, mutual funds, treasury bonds & retirement accounts. Flat commissions as low as $7 per trade for online trading accounts.

GREEN OFFICE PRINTING

2008-01-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

With a green initiative coming around every corner these days, probably the least likely you’ve heard about is right in front of you at work everyday. Your reliable little friend that churns out paper like a pasta maker is not only costing you a pretty penny, but it is also filling up the landfills. Studies show that after after 100,000 pages printed, a typical laser printer generates over 157 pounds of waste due to cartridges, fusers and imaging units. Simply put, a laser printer produces a staggering 90% more waste than alternative print engines like solid ink.

How about when you go to fix your desktop printer? If you’re like most people, you throw it away and get another one. Desktops have gotten to be so inexpensive it’s easier to replace, rather than fixing them. Manufacturers have a done a wonderful job of “reverse marketing” to the public when it comes to getting their products in the hands of consumers. Why buy toner that cost a couple of hundred bucks when you can buy a brand new printer for a few dollars more?

How can you do your part?

1.Migrate to multifunction devices
2.If you have to buy a printer, use solid ink printers
3.Don’t replace laser printers when they break down, repair them

It may be hard for many people reading this to actually consolidate into more of a workgroup device because of habit (or sheer laziness). Yes it is more convenient, but Mom making your lunch everyday was too. New technology can print at certain times, and some even print securely so you don’t have to worry about unwanted eyes seeing confidential documents. Also, many users will be pleasantly surprised on the speed and features available on a multifunction device that they can’t get on their desktop.

At the end of the day you’re probably not going to win a Nobel Prize for “going green” in your office, but the little things add up. Finally, a closing note from our friend Gabby, an elementary school kid who has a unique perspective on this topic.

Links for 2007-12-08 [del.icio.us]

2007-12-09T00:00:00-08:00