Wednesday, September 9, 2009

New Canon Compatibles

Just in time for back to school! We have added several new products including the very popular Canon CLI-221 black, cyan, magenta, and yellow compatible cartridges along with the PGI-220 black compatible cartridge. These cartridges work with several of Canon's latest printers, including the PIXMA iP3600, iP4600, MP620, MP980 and many more!

Our Carrot compatibles work great and at a great savings for all your back to school printing needs!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Congratulations to our RC Truck Giveaway winners!!!

Daniel Greenberg, NY
Rochelle Hanson, CA
Matthew A Davis, OH
Tabatha Watts, NC
Celeste Clark, MI
Diane M. Burchiel, NV
Lu Anne Patrick, VA
Phillip Davies, PA
Martha McGee, MS

Thank you all for your participation!

Please stay tuned for more special offers and giveaways from the Carrot Bunch!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Great Ink Needs Great Paper!

As you may know, we are always adding new products. We have recently added a wide selection of Letterhead Paper to our website! Plus, we will have many new designs added soon. We offer the best quality paper you can find with smooth finishes and wonderful resolutions. Our entire selection of paper is compatible with laser printers, inkjet printers, and/ or copiers.

Keep in mind that the more you buy, the more you save. We offer 25 sheets of paper in each package, priced at:

$3.99 each, or
2 or more for $3.49 each, or
4 or more for $2.99 each

Please feel free to contact us at 877-322-7768 if you have any questions about our paper, and we will be more than happy to help in any way we can!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Now’s the time to Buy a new Printer

Carrot Ink was founded on the principle that your ink shouldn’t cost more than your printer. Back in 1998, I believe you could buy the lower end printers for about $150 and the ink cartridges were in the neighborhood of $50. So, depending on how many cartridges your printer used, it would be close. But saying “your ink shouldn’t cost more than your printer” was a little bit of an exaggeration.

I’ve seen several ads lately where decent printers made by the top printer manufacturers are on special in the $35 - $45 range. For a while, OEM cartridge prices were dropping and now they are on the rise to the point where you can actually find printers that cost less than the OEM cartridge. All the more reason to shop at Carrot Ink where your ink STILL costs less than your printer.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Kodak Reveals All Or Not!

Kodak has a new ad campaign, which is a continuation of their old ad campaign about how much you can save in printing costs if you use their printer and ink versus one of the other guys such as HP, Canon, Lexmark, Epson, Brother, etc.

The other guys have been selling expensive ink well…since…forever! Now Kodak thinks it’s revealing a “big secret” about how much the other guys ink costs. I think this is hilarious! This is exactly what third party Ink and Toner companies like Carrot Ink have been telling people for more than 10 years!

The best part about it is that you can even get ink for Kodak printers at Carrot Ink for 30-40 percent less than you would pay Kodak.


The beat goes on…

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

How much is too much?

There is a fine line between aggressively promoting your business or products and spam. We recently promoted a Resume Kit along with job hunting resources. Prior to our promotion, we emailed our customer database and then continued the promotion on Twitter. Needless to say, our message was out there repeatedly. Our intention was to help, not to bother.

As you know, we run an inkjet and toner company that sells over the internet. We send out emails to make sure that our customers are aware of our latest and greatest promotions. From my perspective, I feel like we are making sure our customers have a great offer in their inbox if they happen to need some ink this week. If not, it is pretty easy to delete. I am not just a sender of emails but a recipient just like everyone else. Maybe because I am a sender I appreciate an inbox full of offers just in case I need to use one…

If you want to opt out of our e-mail, that is pretty easy to do too (unlike the ones you get from “yourself” and are like an infinite loop when you try to opt out). However, recently, I received a letter by snail mail telling us to quit sending emails. The sender was rather irate that we were polluting his inbox and even wanted to sue us if he could. Well, it takes all kinds! But I got to thinking that maybe everyone doesn’t appreciate frequent emails so that they have a fresh deal at hand when they need to reference one.

So, it begs the question, “How many emails are too many?” What do you think?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Help for the Job Search

With the tremendous number of people who are unemployed and that number exponentially growing, I felt that we should do something to help.

While brainstorming at the Carrot Patch, we came up with a “
Resume Kit” to provide a necessity that everyone looking for a job would appreciate.

These kits consist of high quality paper and envelopes and job hunting resources.

The first kit consists of 25 sheets of paper to have a good copy to take to an interview. For those who want to send their resumes by mail, the second kit consists of 15 sheets of paper and 5 envelopes.

  • In addition, we are including the link to our blog where we have provided a list of job hunting websites that may be of interest. This puts a lot of job search resources in one listing so that the job hunter doesn’t have to try to dig them up for themselves. We were able to work a partnership with a local recruiter we met at a Dallas Tweetup – Craig Fisher (@fishdogs), who owns a local recruitment company called A-list Solutions. Through this blog, you will be able to download his Interview Prep e-Book.

  • Finally, we are including a coupon for 25% Off Carrot Brand Inkjet cartridges, which is a deep discount on our already low prices.

  • At the end of the day, there is little or no profit to us in these kits, since our intention is not to try to make money on the backs of the unemployed. We just want to help them with the resources they need to land that new job.

If you are reading this and are unemployed, you may want to see our other blogs on job hunting. But in any event, the best of luck in your job search. If you are not unemployed, please pass this on to someone you may know who is.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Unemployment Sucks!

The recent unemployment rates have topped 8% and those in the “know” are afraid they will reach 10% by this summer. It is at the point where either you or people you know are unemployed. Well, I’ve been there and I can tell you that unemployment SUCKS!

In my case, I was 47 the FIRST time I was unemployed. Up to that point, I had always felt in charge of my life and could parlay my experience into a better paying job every couple of years to move up the ladder of success. What did I do wrong? Well, I happened to be an executive at a company that got bought out by a company that already had their own executives, causing me to be redundant. Sadly, I’m not the only one. There are millions of people that succumb to this and other unfortunate circumstances every day. And as they tell you, “it’s not personal, it’s business”.

Your life does not and should not stop there. So, I managed to distill a few things that I would like to share and emphasize to anyone who may be unemployed for the first time.

  • NETWORK, Network, network! Whether you like to network or not, statistics show that over 95% of people find new jobs through someone they know or with whom they are acquainted. Don’t be proud and don’t sound desperate, just tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job.

  • Some argue that you should not settle for the first thing that comes along. In this job market, I say take what you can get. Even if it is a lot less than what you used to make, or it isn’t the right industry or whatever other excuses you come up with. If it is a job you can build upon, or even start over, then great. If not, use it as a spring board to stand on, until the right one comes along. And don’t get caught up in the thinking that if you take any old job, that it will detract from your job hunting time. Keep in mind you may meet people who will help you find that perfect job. And if you hate it enough, it will inspire you to look even harder!


  • Don’t feel sorry for yourself! After a few interviews and no job offers, there is a good chance that you will start feeling a bit down. It goes something like this: “It isn’t fair! Why did this happen to me? Nobody wants me!” You are absolutely right. It isn’t fair and in case you didn’t know, life is not fair. You are right in wondering why this happened to you, but take some solace in knowing that you are not alone, and there is a reason for everything in your life. You may not be able to see it now, but you will see it one day with the clarity of hindsight. But most importantly, somebody does want you and actually NEEDS you. Your task is to find each other.


  • Stay upbeat and positive, even though you don’t feel like it all the time. As they say, when one door closes another door opens, and sometimes those doors are connected by a long hallway. While you are in that hallway, you can learn a lot about yourself and when you get to the other end, you may find more than one door to open.


  • And most important of all, don’t forget to pray. Pray to the one God of your faith or the Supreme Being or The Source or however you think of God. Let Him know you need help. Like a mother whose baby is crying to be fed, God will not let you suffer. But you must be open to the answer you receive. It may not be what you expected.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Carrot Ink Shipping Information

We understand you do not always have time to run to the store and purchase your printing necessities, so feel free to order online and receive FREE standard shipping on orders over $45.00!

If your order total does not reach the minimum amount do not worry; we send numerous promotions out via email each month which require absolutely NO order minimum. If you are not yet subscribed to receive our promotion emails and offers please email service@carrotink.com right away to start taking advantage of our great deals.

If you are in a hurry we also offer either FedEx Overnight, or FedEx 2day delivery.

Shipping rates:
Standard shipping (USPS) starts at $3.95 and goes up per pound.
FedEx overnight starts at $9.95 and goes up per pound.
FedEx 2day starts at $6.95 and goes up per pound.

Once your order ships, we will send you a Shipment Notification via email. This notice will include the tracking or delivery confirmation number of your package and a link directing you to the carrier's website. Please allow up to one (1) business day for your tracking number to be uploaded into the carrier’s system.

You may also track your package by logging into our website - all information about your most recent order is available once you have logged in.

Save time and gas money, take advantage of our low if not free shipping rates!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Job Hunting Resources

With the rise in unemployment we thought it would be helpful for our customers who find themselves in the position of looking for a new job to have a listing of internet resources in one place that they can use as a reference. For example, we stumbled upon this great e-book by Gen Y career guru Heather Huhman that serves as a great guide to snagging that perfect gig. Our full list is below, but understand that it is in no way represented as being a complete list, since there are many local resources and agencies available that would be too numerous to mention.

In the following list, please find links that you may find helpful in your hunt for a new job. Ink retailer Carrot Ink (http://www.carrotink.com/) is not affiliated with any of these sites, nor do we endorse or accept any responsibility for their accuracy or content.

http://www.americasemployers.com/ - Specializes in job relocation. Offers industry specific job search and access to recruiters.
http://www.career.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. You may also search by company and experience.
http://www.careerbuilder.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers career advice and resources and will e-mail you jobs that match your interests.
http://www.careercast.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers career news and blog as well as multiple web links.
http://www.careerxchange.com/ - Offers industry, experience and location specific job search. Also offers career/interview advice and newsletter.
http://www.careersite.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Features company profiles and career resources.
http://www.careerweb.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists featured employers, job fairs and will e-mail you jobs that match your interests. Multiple quick links listed.
http://www.computerwork.com/ - Specializes in IT/computer careers. Offers industry, experience and location specific job search.
http://www.dice.com/ – Specializes in the tech industry. Browse jobs by location or skill. Lists featured employers and career fairs.
http://www.engineeringjobs.com/ - Specializes in engineering careers. Browse jobs by company and access to recruiters.
http://www.experience.com/ - Geared to college students and young professionals. Offers industry and location specific job search. Features networking and career guidance links.
http://www.fedjobs.com/ - Specializes in Federal careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Also features career chat and newsletter.
http://www.jobs.findlaw.com/ - Specializes in legal careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Multiple industry links.
http://www.flipdog.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers career advice and will e-mail you jobs that match your interests.
http://www.hotjobs.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Features career articles, now hiring and resume and interviewing tips.
http://www.it123.com/ - Specializes in the tech industry. Multiple links to educational and training resources.
http://www.monster.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists featured jobs in your area and offers career advice. Will e-mail you jobs that match your interests.
http://www.medhunters.com/ - Specializes in medical careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists featured employers and most recent jobs.
http://www.marketingjobs.com/ - Specializes in marketing and sales careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists multiple free career resources and has access to recruiters.
http://www.localcareers.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. List job fairs, resume help, continuing education and featured jobs and employers.
http://www.latpro.com/ - Specializes in careers for Spanish and Portuguese speaking professionals. Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists job fairs and has newsletter.
http://www.jobsingovernment.com/ - Features multiple links to federal and government jobs.
http://www.jobs.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists featured jobs in your area.
http://www.incpad.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Multiple links to various other career websites.
http://www.jobsonline.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers salary calculator.
http://www.jobbankusa.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers multiple job seeker resources and resume and interviewing tips.
http://www.nationjob.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists featured employers, relocation and educational information. Will e-mail you jobs that match your interests. http://www.jobfox.com/ - Build your profile/resume online throught their site. Will e-mail you jobs that match your interests.
http://www.theladders.com/ - Specializes in careers that offer 100K+ in salary. Offers industry, job title, and specific location job search. Lists most recent job postings.
http://www.usresume.com/ - Lists multiple links to various other career websites. Also offers many links for resume and cover letter advice/help.
http://www.tristatejobs.com/ - Specializes in careers within the tri state area. Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers resume center and career assistance.
http://www.tjobs.com/ - Specializes in telecommuting careers. Offers links to industry careers and resume help.
http://www.6figurejobs.com/ - Specializes in executive careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists job of the day, entrepreneur opportunities and career advice.
http://www.selectjobs.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Lists most recent area jobs.
http://www.sciencemag.org/ - Specializes in science industry careers. Offers industry and location specific job search.
http://www.schooljobs.com/ - Specializes in teacher and education industry careers. Offers industry and location specific job search.
http://www.recruitersonline.com/ - Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers access to recruiters.
http://www.ntes.com/ - Lists multiple links to various other career websites.
http://www.net-temps.com/ - Specializes in temporary/temp to hire positions. Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers newsletter and free career resources.
http://www.netshare.com/ - Specializes in executive careers. Offers industry and location specific job search. Also offers newsletter and blog. Will e-mail you jobs that match your interests.
http://www.netjobs.com/ - Lists multiple links to various other career websites.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Hogwash Redeux

Earlier I addressed the errant claims of warranty invalidation that you get when you try using an ink cartridge other than the expensive OEM version in your printer. You would think the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act would have put that to rest. However, I just came across an advertisement from one of the OEM printer manufacturers that strongly suggest that anything but their cartridge is “poor quality.”

I find that amusing, since independent study after study has shown the third party ink cartridges to be equal to or better than the OEM cartridges as far as print quality and pages per cartridge. Printer manufacturers don’t make a practice of sharing what their quality complaint percent is. However, I met someone from the industry who worked for one of the top printer manufacturers who did share the number with me. It was significantly higher than what we experience at Carrot Ink. Imaging that!

I know that all’s fair in love and war. I thought selling high-quality printer cartridges on http://www.carrotink.com/ at a fair price was just business, but I guess I am wrong – it’s war!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

An Open Letter To Our Twitter Followers…

We’ve got some great followers, or should I say friends? Many of you have reached out to us today to let us know that a competitor of ours has swooped in on our list of Carrot Patch fans to “poach” our follower list in Twitter.

We’re really sorry to hear this. We feel it is a breach of Twitter etiquette, but I guess those are some of the risks you take in operating as part of this open Twitter community.

I want to be clear to all of our followers – we respect you, we respect this Twitter space and we would never dream of violating your trust by giving away your information. However, due to the structure of Twitter, it does not prevent unscrupulous people from going in and taking it.

To date, we’ve had some great one-on-one conversations with many of you, and we look forward to many other great conversations.

We love sharing ideas with our friends’ and in return, getting some of your input, and as you know – we’ll sprinkle in a few Twitter-exclusive deals along the way……

My best to all,

Ray Pahler
CEO, Carrot Ink

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Newest Additions to the Carrot Patch!!
We have recently added the following Compatible Brother 115 Series Toner cartridges to our inventory:

Compatible Brother TN-115BK – B0115BANCL
Compatible Brother TN-115C – B0115KANCL
Compatible Brother TN-115M – B0115MANCL
Compatible Brother TN-115Y – B0115YANCL

The new 115 series Toner cartridges are compatible with the DCP-9040 CN, DCP-9045 CDN, HL-4040 CDN, HL-4040CN, HL-4070CDW, MFC-9440CN, MFC-9450CDN, and MFC-9840CDW printers.

In order to locate your Printer Model simply click on “Brother” in the light gray toolbar located at the top of our Home Page. It will then list the Printer Model numbers in which we stock cartridges for.

Please note if we do not have your Printer Model listed on our site you can always use the “Shop by Cartridge Number” option. If you wish to locate these items by their part numbers you will find the TN-115BK, TN-115K, TN-115M, and TN-115Y part numbers listed. Or feel free to type in the SKU, TN115 into our Search Catalog located at the top of our Home Page.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Green Week!

In spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to tie into the “green” movement by creating a week dedicated to eco-friendly products, facts, giveaways, etc. We want the world to know that Carrot Ink is committed to helping out the environment.

Here are some eco-friendly things we do!
-Refill kits for specific cartridges as well as universal refill kits
-Ink-Wise generic mailers for those cartridges that can be remanufactured
-Rechargeable batteries, both standard and the USB Port rechargeables
-Recycling program for our own waste generated in-house
-Our Carrot Car is a Toyota Prius Hybrid
-Our remanufactured cartridges are about as eco-friendly as you can get
-Green Flash Drive, the purchase of which results in a donation that supports an agency planting trees
-Use corn starch pellets to pack your order, which are biodegradable and thus do not sit in landfills
-Actively collect empty inkjet and laser toner cartridges for recycling. - We’ll even pay the postage

Global warming is prevalent and it’s important that everyone does their part to save our earth. We are proud to contribute to the cause.

How are you going “green”?
Great Troubleshooting Tip for Compatible Cartridges!!

If a Compatible Cartridge is not printing correctly, a little troubleshooting will get the problem resolved rather quickly. A clogged printhead can cause your documents to print out faded or with partial lines.

The "tapping" technique is one troubleshooting tip that will get this problem corrected immediately. To perform the tapping technique, please follow the steps below:

Remove the cartridge from the printer and wrap it in a paper towel. With the nozzle facing down, gently tap it on a hard surface. Sometimes there are air bubbles in the various ink chambers preventing a proper flow of ink. If this is the case then tapping it should dislodge it. You should get some dots of ink on the paper towel. Then place the cartridge back in the printer and try printing again. After you have completed this process everything should start to work again.

If for some reason the tapping tip does not get the problem corrected please feel free to contact us via e-mail at service@carrotink.com or by phone toll free at 1-877-322-7768 so we can work together to get you printing properly as soon as possible.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

New Brother Cartridges!

We are always adding new products to our inventory. Our newest additions are the Brother Compatibles series LC-61 cartridges.

The following printer models accept the Compatible LC-61 Cartridges.

Brother DCP-165c
Brother DCP-385 C
Brother DCP-585 CW
Brother DCP-6690 CW
Brother MFC-290C
Brother MFC-490CW
Brother MFC-5490CN
Brother MFC-5890CN
Brother MFC-6490CW
Brother MFC-6890 DW
Brother MFC-790CW
Brother MFC-990 CW

In order to locate your Printer Model simply click on “Brother” in the light gray toolbar located at the top of our Home Page. It will then list the Printer Model numbers in which we stock cartridges for.

Please note if we do not have your Printer Model listed on our site you can always use the “Shop by Cartridge Number” option. If you wish to locate these items by their part numbers you will find the LC-61 part number listed. Or feel free to type in the SKU, BRC61 into our Search Catalog located at the top of our Home Page.

Brother LC-61BK Compatible (BRC61B) $7.95
Brother LC-61C Compatible (BRC61K) $5.95
Brother LC-61M Compatible (BRC61M) $5.95
Brother LC-61Y Compatible (BRC61Y) $5.95

If we do not currently stock the items for your printer please feel free to send in your request! We really do love hearing from our customers. As a small business we use the information to help us learn as we grow.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Wireless Printing

Most of the time your printer just sits there tethered to your computer. If you’re like me, you probably have a computer in your home and maybe your spouse has their own and your kids have their own and don’t forget the laptop! WHY?!?

We recently talked about the great HP iPhone app . Well, did you know you can also print via WiFi and Bluetooth connections?

WiFi- Connect your printer into your wireless router, then locate the printer on your WiFi network. Or you can get a wireless compatible printer.

Bluetooth- When you do not have a WiFi connection you can print by Bluetooth from your cell phones or digital camera. The Bluetooth device connects directly with the printer. * The printer must have a built-in Bluetooth or have a Bluetooth card installed.


How do you wirelessly print? Do share!!

--Wendy

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Great Promotional offers via email!

Everyone can save money by shopping at Carrot Ink. Not only do we offer great prices on Print Consumables but we can also save you even more! By subscribing to our weekly newsletter, you can take advantage of our money-saving promotions. We offer various discounts for Carrot Brand Products. We also offer free items, such as Compatible Cartridges, T-shirts, Flash Drives, and many more items!

To add your email address to our promotional list please enter your email address in the light gray box at the bottom of our Home Page. Or you may contact us via email at service@carrotink.com or by phone toll free at 877.3.CARROT (877.322.7768), and we will be more than happy to subscribe your
e-mail address.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Pay the way you please!

Here at Carrot Ink we accept multiple forms of payment.

Credit Cards

For all online and offline (telephone, fax, and mail) orders, we accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover/NOVUS. (Please note your credit card is charged only when your order is ready to ship).

If you are uncomfortable using a Credit Card as a form of payment we also offer the following three options.

Paypal

We accept PayPal for online orders only.

Checks

We accept checks for mail-in orders only. First-time check payments are subject to a 10-business day hold pending bank clearance. Your order will ship at the end of the hold period. For returning customers, once your check is received we will process your order the same day!

Money Orders

We accept money orders for mail-in orders only. Once we receive in the (orders will be released the same day the money order arrives).

If you wish to purchase via Check or Money order simply print out a copy of the check out page and mail it to us at the following address:

Carrot Ink
3732 Arapaho Rd
Addison, TX 75001

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Absolute Hogwash!

One of the pains of printer ownership is that nagging “warning” you receive that claims to void your warranty if you use a cartridge other than the brand of your printer – can they really do that?

Well, I did a little digging one day and came up with this little nugget, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which provides that:

No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name.

Seems to me that this is saying if these brands require you to use its ink, or else, must provide that product to you for free – I won’t hold my breath on this one!

So, what do you think? Are these warranty-voiding warnings just a bunch of hogwash?

Friday, February 20, 2009

No Cords Attached…

While browsing at CES 2009, Ray and I stumbled across something that could change the way we print. Seems that HP has come out with an application that prints photos wirelessly from your iPhone. This comes just in time for many to empty their holiday photos and get ready for St. Patty’s day!

Before this application, photos from your mobile phone had to be downloaded to a Mac or PC or Smart Printer, or e-mailed to yourself so you could print them out. Not the end of the world, but it took forever.

The HP app is so simple and innovative. You download it off of iTunes and pick a printer to print from. Tadaa! photos taken with the iPhone are printed wirelessly and memory can be cleared.

This is not the first application of its kind. A while back I noticed there was software that you could buy to print from your Blackberry. In my opinion, not only is the HP iPhone app easier, it’s free!

Has anyone out there used this application? If so, what are your thoughts?

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Great Troubleshooting Tip for Remanufactured Cartridges!!


When it comes to printing photos, important documents like a resume or term paper, or even a grocery list, no one wants streaky or discolored printouts. Several different factors can affect the quality of your print jobs, including a clogged printhead. These clogs can prevent the proper ink flow needed to print quality documents or pictures, and streaking or discoloration can occur.

For Remanufactured or OEM cartridges that contain a printhead, there is a quick and easy way to clear away dried ink particles on the printhead. This tip typically works better than using the deep cleaning option on your printer, and does not waste your ink! Please see the steps below:

· Remove the cartridge from the printer and locate the printhead. The easiest way to do this is to turn the cartridge upside down and look for the copper rectangle on the bottom that dispenses the ink.
· Once you have located the printhead, take a shallow dish from your kitchen and fill it with a quarter inch of warm water. You will then need to soak only the printhead portion of the cartridge in the warm water for 1-2 minutes. Sometimes you will see a small amount of ink run into the water but do not be alarmed. This is dried ink being washed away from the printhead.
· After the soaking has been completed, gently dab the printhead dry with a paper towel and re-install the cartridge in the printer. Your test page should print streak free and in the correct shade of colors.

** Please note that in some cases you may need to perform the printhead soaking more than once to clear away streaks and discoloration.**

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Economic Stimulus

It’s hard to escape talk of the economy these days – words like sub-prime, bailout and stimulus have become everyday vocabulary. So it was no surprise when I was forwarded an e-mail about the stimulus payment we’re all going to receive in 2009, and it got me thinking.

The e-mail explained the stimulus payment in a “Q & A” style that led you to the conclusion that the money is meant to be spent on products that will boost the American economy – that makes sense. But here is what really got me thinking – the e-mail analyzed the different ways we could spend our stimulus check, and in every case it ended up in another country’s bank account. A sampling from the e-mail:

  • If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
  • If you purchase a computer it will go to Taiwan.
  • If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (unless you buy organic).
  • If you buy a car it will go to Japan and Korea.
  • If you purchase prescription drugs it will go to India.
  • If you give it to a charitable cause, it will go to Nigeria.

Although meant to be sarcastic or funny, there was a strong element of truth which is really pretty sad. While this got me thinking about the undoubtedly globalized business world in which we operate, it also evoked this sense of pride from within. I’m proud, for example, that Carrot Ink has been in business for 10 years. I’m proud that we save our clients money while still providing a superior product. Most of all, I’m proud that our Carrot Brand remanufactured inkjet products have been bought, reprocessed and sold right here in the good old US of A.

This e-mail drives home the unfortunate notion that the American small business is a dying breed. It’s a shame, because it will be companies like these that will be integral in helping this country weather this economic storm.

Consider this - according to the National Small Business Association, over the past 15 years small business has created 21.9 million jobs while large business only created 1.8 million. It doesn’t say how many have been lost by large businesses in the last year alone. Small businesses comprised 99.7% of all employers and provide 50.4% of jobs in the US in 2007. I wonder what the landscape looks like today?

This e-mail serves as a call-to-action for all who read it to do their part in using their stimulus check wisely. Personally, I am going to focus on ways to keep my stimulus money stateside – buy something from a local artisan or craftsperson, vacation domestically and consume domestic products. As they say, “what goes around, comes around.”

Friday, February 6, 2009

Printer Reset Tips

After installation of new cartridge, if your printer does not recognize the correct ink levels or recognize that the cartridge has been installed, you may need to preform a printer reset to correct the problem. Please follow the steps below to reset the printer:

•Remove all the cartridges, black and the colors, sorry but every cartridge must come out.

•Turn off the printer.

•Unplug the printer from the power source (outlet or USB cord) once unplugged leave unplugged for five complete minutes.

•Reverse the steps

•Plug back in, turn back on, and install all cartridges back into the printer.

This should reset the printer, after you have completed this process everything should start to work again. Please contact us if you should have any other concerns so that we may help you work through the problems or replace the cartridge for you.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

We care about the Environment!!

We are committed to helping out the environment. Aside from the corn starch pellets we use to pack your order (which are biodegradable and thus do not sit in landfills), we actively collect empty inkjet and laser toner cartridges for recycling. So send us your empty cartridges – We’ll even pay the postage. Please email service@carrotink.com to request a postage-paid recycling bag or label.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Low Battery readings got you down?

Are you tired of buying expensive batteries that run out too quickly? We are now expanding our line of rechargeable batteries to help save you even more money! In addition to that, you will also be performing a “green” deed each time you charge and re-use your batteries. You will be sparing our landfills more toxic waste by throwing fewer batteries away.

We will be adding 9 volt rechargeable batteries for $13.95 a pair, C and D rechargeable batteries for $12.95 a pair, four-pack AA and AAA rechargeable batteries for $9.95 each, 4 channel AA and AAA smart chargers for $18.95 each, and universal battery chargers for $24.95. We are in the process of developing a new subsection called “Carrot Juice” that will house our batteries and power products. Until this subsection is completed, these new items will be listed under the “Batteries” tab on the Carrot Ink website. Please visit us today at http://www.carrotink.com/.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Check out our new Eco-friendly Batteries!

We now offer eco-friendly rechargeable batteries! The NiMH AA cell can be used like a normal battery but, it can be recharged simply by plugging it into a USB port. We have over 15 billion alkaline batteries made and thrown away each year, thus wasting resources and creating toxic landfill. The Moixa USB cell offers an eco-friendly alternative and can be re-used hundreds of times. Another great feature is no charge adaptor or cable is needed.

Take advantage of our current sale price of only $17.95 for a 2 pack! Think of the money you will save, and most importantly, you will be helping the environment!

Buy a USBCELL today!

http://www.carrotink.com/carrot/servlet/BatteryView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001

Friday, January 9, 2009

Set up a Corporate Account today!!

Do you or your company require a large amount of inkjet, thermal fax film or toner supplies?
Great News! You may be eligible for our Corporate Program.

In addition to the savings you already receive by ordering through Carrot Ink you can save even more by placing large orders through a Corporate Account. Below are the guidelines required in order to get set up for this special program:

· Credit Application requirements:
- Demonstrate purchasing history – at least three months using a check or credit card; orders should average $200.00 or more.
- Completed Customer Account Application.
- Applications will be faxed or emailed to you for completion.
- Please allow up to 14 days for credit approval once the application is returned.
· Minimum order requirement for purchases on account : $200.00
· Standard terms of Net 30 apply to all Corporate Accounts.

We also offer special educational discounts. For more information about these savings, please e-mail us at corpsales@carrotink.com or give us a call toll free at 877.322.7768. We also gladly accept purchase orders by fax or mail.