Cartridge World Vestavia

2010-02-24T06:24:00.000-06:00

Please visit our store site at: http://cartridgeworldusa.com/store285

Free Paper Friday

2009-11-18T05:13:00.002-06:00

This Friday, November 20th, 2009 we'll be offering a free ream (500 sheets) of paper for any purchase of $15.00 or more. Come in Friday to take advantage of this great offer.

Limit one per customer. Valid only at Cartridge World Vestavia for 1/22/10.

Beware of Lexmark - Buy HP

2009-11-11T05:13:00.010-06:00

If you are shopping for a printer, beware of Lexmark. You might find a cheap printer, but you'll pay big time when it comes to replacing the cartridges. Now Lexmark is selling cartridges that are not refilliable. These "return program" cartridges include the Lexmark #28 and #29 as well as many other newer Lexmark cartridges.

When you buy these cartridges, you don't own the cartridge, but a license to use it one time. And guess what, we can't refill it. Here's the fine print. (from Lexmark's website)

"In a manner similar to the way most software is provided, patented Lexmark Return Program Cartridges are packaged with a Lexmark license/agreement. Opening the carton or using the cartridge signifies the user's agreement to the use once and return the empty cartridge conditions of the license agreement."

So you don't own the cartridge, but a license to use it one time. You can buy a cartridge without this "license" from Lexmark but at a higher price. These license free cartridges are usually signified with an A (i.e. 28A, 29A etc).

The main problem I have with this "program" is that it is deceptive to consumers. You buy their printer, then you are given all of these restrictions. Should you really have to read the fine print on your printer cartridge box? Who has time for that?

Refilling should be your choice and they shouldn't intentially design cartridges that are not refilliable. It is not good business or good environmental stewardship. Lexmark claims to recycle these cartridges, but wouldn't it make more sense environmentally to be able to refill these locally over and over instead of having to ship them back to Lexmark.

This is why we recommend HP! They are not perfect, but they are much more refill friendly than Lexmark. (Oh and don't get me started on Dell they're just as bad as Lexmark)

UAB & Samford Faculty and Student Discount

2009-08-19T18:51:00.002-05:00

UAB and Samford students and faculty save an additonal 5% on any Cartridge World Vestavia order. Just present your student or faculty I.D. when in the store.

Should I buy an extended warranty?

2009-08-09T06:28:00.007-05:00

I go back and forth on extended warranties. Typically I'm already a little stressed about spending money when buying something where a warranty might be advisable. (TV, Washer, Dryer, etc). Although I did have someone try to sell me an extended warranty on a mouse I bought at Staples. For only $3.95 I could get an extra two year warranty on the $12.00 mouse. I declined.

My best warranty experience happened earlier this year. Our washing machine went on the blink. It was about 5 years old and I didn't even know if I had an extended warranty or not. However, I occasionally scan warranty documents into my computer, so I did a file search, and sure enough I found the warranty. I had 23 days until expiration. Yes!

Here are a few things to remember when considering whether you should purchase an extended warranty:

Usually they just add on to the existing manufacturer's warranty. So if Sony gives you a one year warranty on your TV then, the extended warranty doesn't kick in until after that.
If a product is defective it typically will fail within a short period of time. This isn't always the case, but if you are going to have a problem, it is probably going to be within the manufacturer's warranty period. The exception to this will be where you heavily use a product and just wear it out. Having an extended warranty on my washing machine is probably a good thing (we do a lot of laundry!), but having one on my treadmill - Not so much.
Put the warranty somewhere you can find it. Scanning it on to your PC is a great idea, but a paper file will work just as well as long as you can find it. Some stores put your warranty info into their computer, so even if you lose it you can still make a claim, but I wouldn't count on them having your back.
American Express used to have a program where when you purchased something with their card, they would double the manufacturer's warranty. Not sure if they still are doing this, but might be worth a call to them, before making a big purchase.

For more information on warranties, see this recent article in USA Today.

Making Your Computer Faster

2009-08-06T07:05:00.009-05:00

For those of us Windows users, slowness and crashes on our computers are just a way of life. All of us want to make our computers faster. I have thought about making the switch to Apple, but I've got so many business applications that are PC based. And while I love learning new things, I have to pace myself. So for now, I am still a Windows PC guy.

I recently noticed that my computer had been running a little slower lately and it would periodically freeze up. I think I had just gotten a bunch of junk running in the background. A lot of programs run a startup file and are running behind the scenes eating up chunks of memory, when you may not even need these programs.

To take a look at all the "processes" running you can do this:

Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete at the same time - This brings up the Windows Task Manager
Select the Processes Tab (You could have 50 to 100 processes running in the background!)

Now don't freakout, many of these processes are necessary, the problem is it is hard to tell which one's are necessary and which ones are not. If you "End Process" from the Task Manager, it stops that process, but it will reload the next time you start your computer.

You really have to be careful here, because if you start messing around with these files, bad things can happen. And you will have created a bigger problem than you started with.

I did a little research and found a software that helps to cleanup and optimize your computer and kind of gives you a tune up. It is from a company called Uniblue and the product is called PowerSuite. The module I like the best in this suite is Speed Up My PC.

It is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has been recommended by CNET.

It cost $29.95 and it is easy to install. Saving me time by speeding up my computer and keeping it from crashing makes it is well worth the price. You can click the link below and they'll do a free scan for you, to see whether it's worth buying.

Click here to run a Free Performance scan

Should I get one of these?

2009-08-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

Cartridge World Zero Carbon Racing

5 Laser Cartridge Care Tips

2009-07-28T20:07:00.004-05:00

Do not leave the cartridge in motor vehicles for any length of time, as even on a cool day the temperature can exceed safe levels. Doing so may distort the plastic in the cartridge.

Store cartridges at normal room temperature.

Don't exposure cartridge to harsh direct light. Some parts in these cartridges are light sensitive and can be damaged when exposed to excessive light.

When empty, store your laser cartridge in its original plastic bag and cardboard box.

Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible.

How'd we do? One question survey.

2009-07-25T06:15:00.002-05:00

Click Here to take survey

Google Earth View of Cartridge World Vestavia

2009-07-24T22:56:00.001-05:00

We are located on Highway 31 in Vestavia. We are part of the Publix Shopping Center one block south of Rave Motion Pictures. We are in a separate building from the Publix and next door to Blockbuster Video. Need more help just give us a call at 822.6767.

Other Land Marks:

About one half mile North of Red Lobster
About one half mile South of Brookwood Hospital

View Larger Map

Customer Testimonials

2009-07-24T22:37:00.008-05:00

"We have been purchasing our cartridges from Eric at Cartridge World for several years now, and we have always found him very pleasant to work with. Using Cartridge World has saved us a good deal of money on the never-ending expense necessary to keep multiple printers printing. Being able to have needed cartridges delivered also saves us time and money in that we don't have to leave the office and shop for cartridges. We would recommend Cartridge World to anybody that uses a lot of ink cartridges."

Melanie Tatasciore
Medical Imaging Systems

"I have used Cartridge World for about two years both for personal and business needs.....including "off the wall" questions regarding printers! Eric and his staff have always been both professional and patient! We recommend Cartridge World in Vestavia Hills to anyone who wants excellent products at great prices...with helpful guidance thrown in!"

Best Regards,

Mark C. Bentley, Executive Director
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition

"I have tried ordering ink online. I have gone to every store. I have bought after market and brand new products. The products I have bought from Eric Overton at Cartridge World are as good a quality as any I have purchased anywhere. I have tracked the service life of various cartridges and none surpass what the Cartridge World cartridges deliver. I go by his Vestavia store, drop off an old cartridge and pick up the replacement and save big bucks. I am a fan! Thanks Eric."

Scott Austin, IFA
Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser
Austin Appraisal, LLC

“Excellent service, quality and pricing. We’ve been using Cartridge World for a couple years now and would recommend them to anyone”. - Garrett D.

"I switched to using Cartridge World for my fax and printer about a year ago and am so happy I did. Saving money was important, but also I'm dealing with people who care about my needs and go out of their way to help me in any way they can."

Susan, Legal Secretary, Birmingham, AL

Cartridge World in Vestavia is so convenient and they are great to deal with. I’ve been using their cartridges for several years and have been extremely pleased with their quality and performance. They are in every way as good as the originals.

Larry K., Vestavia Hills

Nice little article from PC World

2009-07-24T19:57:00.006-05:00

"....I tried Staples and Office Depot, but their prices weren't low enough. (Costco, my first choice, didn't sell the cartridge I needed.) I choose Cartridge World for a couple of reasons: There's a store nearby in Pasadena and its prices beat the office supply stores."

Read Article

Steve Bass
PC World

Mindjet Rocks

2009-07-22T05:39:00.002-05:00

This is a great planning software that helps you really see a project and all of its moving and related parts.

Need a new fax machine? Our pick.

2009-07-21T05:33:00.000-05:00

Brother IntelliFax 2820 Laser Fax Machine and Copier
Price: $175 to $225 depending if you find it on sale.

A lot of our small business customers (especially dentist for some reason) have inkjet fax machines. Now I like inkjet printers. They are generally cheap, do decent quality, and give you great color at an affordable price. However, if you get a steady volume of faxes each week you really should consider moving up to a laser toner based fax machine.

I have the Brother 2820 and really like it. We sell the refilled TN-350 cartridge for this machine for $41.95 and you get about 1,500 pages out of it. Many of the inkjet based fax machine take a $20 refilled cartridge, but only give you about 300 pages. Now the Brother machine does have a drum that cost about $80 that needs to be replaced every 5,000 or so pages, but it is still much more cost effective than inkjet fax machine.

Finally, by having a higher capacity cartridge (1,500 pages verse 300 pages) you're not having to buy and change out cartridges as frequently. This saves you time and aggravation.

Brother IntelliFax 2820 Laser Fax Machine and Copier

P.S. Brother makes great small laser printers for the home/office. However, I'd stay away from their inkjet printers. We recommend HP for inkjet printers.

Here's one of my old TV spots

2009-07-21T04:55:00.001-05:00

These worked well and I might do them again in the future. They are expensive, but it was a great way to get people to find out about us.

How can Twitter help my business?

2009-07-21T04:36:00.000-05:00

Did you know that you can use Twitter to help with your business? It is a great way of staying connected with your customers and letting them know about specials and promotions or just general updates.

I have a established a personal Twitter account that I'm focusing on for now. That I'll post updates about the store as well. (If you are already a part of Twitter you can follow me at @ericoverton)

To find out more about how Twitter helping your business, see my blog post in ericsbest.blogspot.com

Saturday Customer Saves $50

2009-07-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

It was right around two o'clock and I getting ready to close for the day. As you may recall, Saturday is our short day with being open from 10 to 2. The customer catches me before I lock up and purchases two HP 94 black and HP 95 color.

We have our computer system setup to print out your savings on the receipt. I scanned down to see that this customer saved a whopping 50 bucks! It's like found money.

Backup Cartridge

2009-07-18T21:50:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been printing something late at night only to realize that your printer cartridge had just run out? I know I have. I had to get in the car and drive to the shop one night to pick up an HP 56. We had a homework assignment due the next day.

Well unfortunately I can't give all of my customers a set of keys to the store so they can make late night runs when necessary, so the next best solution is having a backup set of cartridges.

So the next time you come in, just ask us about getting a back up set, then you'll be good to go with those homework assignments.

High quality ink and toner

2009-07-18T13:24:00.000-05:00

Great prices...Great Quality