Yesterday Office Depot announced the launch a new office equipment and furniture leasing option for small business customers in North America.

The new SmartWayLeasing service, which is provided in partnership with ThinkSmart (a specialist international leasing business) is only available in select Office Depot retail stores in the Tampa - St. Petersburg, Florida area. It is expected that nationwide expansion of the program will continue throughout the coming year. Office Depot’s leasing program is the first small business leasing program available through an office supply superstore.

The program allows small businesses to save thousands of dollars of upfront expenses by providing them with the option to lease office equipment, including computers, peripherals and office furniture. Inkjet and laser printers are included in this program. At the end of the lease term the customer has the option to renew the existing lease, return the equipment, or upgrade to new equipment.

And yes, Office Depot will even be leasing the ink cartridges you need for your printers. According to Office Depot, small businesses can include printer ink, toner, and paper in their leasing program.

An interesting idea. Would you use the program? Let Pacific Ink know what you think.

The popularity of All-in-One printers is rapidly growing amongst home printer users. As more households are buying printers, or replacing old printers, printer users are more often than not turning to All-in-One, or multifunction printers. Why?

Put simply, because of their versatility and space saving features. All-in-One printers allow you to print, copy, scan, and fax all from the same machine. Way back when (a few years ago), if you wanted to do all of these things you needed 4 different machines - now you only need one!

According to Consumer Reports, All-in-One printers are actually getting more affordable, more versatile, and being given more features with each new release. Examples include network capabilities, memory card readers, and LCD screens. Many of the features being added actually allow the All-in-One to be used as a photo printer.

A group of 28 All-in-One printers was tested by Consumer Reports. They found that all 28 cost less than All-in-Ones manufactured two years ago. Six of the 28 cost $100 or less. The Canon PIXMA C5180 (cost $140) was deemed a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

When tested against traditional inkjet printers, Consumer Reports found that the All-in-One inkjets printed with the same quality, cost about the same, and printed with the same speed.

Based on their research, Consumer Reports suggests the following All-in-One printers:

Best Print Speed: Canon Pixma MP610 ($170)
Best for Printing Photos: HP PhotoSmart C7280 ($250)
Best for Home Network: HP PhotoSmart C8180 ($350), HP PhotoSmart D7460 ($140)

Consumer Reports recommended the following questions if you are considering purchasing an All-in-One printer:

1. Will it be used only for printing photos? If so, consider a photo printer. Most print directly from memory cards or the camera.

2. Can you get by just printing in black and white? If so, get a laser printer. For text, they have the lowest cost per copy (which reflects long-term printing costs) and the fastest speed. But unlike inkjets, they don’t print in color.

3. What other features are important? Some printers include an extra paper tray for 4-by-6 prints. Others print directly from Bluetooth devices, such as cellphones. If faxing is important, Consumer Reports recommends getting an all-in-one with that capability.

4. What will printer ink and paper cost? Over a printer’s life, ink costs can exceed the printer’s purchase price.

If you have an All-in-One printer, take a minute and let Pacific Ink know what you think about it.

Reviewers and customers all give high reviews for one of HP’s newest photo printers. All say it makes photo printing easier than ever (even easier than the Epson PictureMate). The HP Photosmart A826 is a photo inkjet printer that features a 7 inch LCD touchscreen. Various menus can be displayed on the screen, and with a few simple touches you can have your pictures printed in a few seconds.

To print your photos all you have to do is insert your digital camera’s memory card, select your photos (with a few touches of the screen), and print! You don’t even need a PC.
The A826 comes with a loaded software package so you can customize your photos with borders, graphics, and text. Pictures can be printed in 4×6, 5×7, wallet, and panorama sizes.

The biggest complaint we have heard . . . the cost! This unit costs $250.00. Most would say a bit much for something that only print photos. But, if your focus is on photo printing and you are somewhat of the “scrap booking” type, it just might be worth it. The photo quality and the additional features would easily fulfill your needs.

What about the ink? This printer uses the HP 110 tri-color inkjet cartridge. The 110 is part of the Vivera line of

inkjet cartridges, so it contains a higher grade of ink those outside the Vivera line. HP A826 owners also have the option of purchasing the HP 110 Photo Pack. This pack contains an inkjet cartridge and 120 sheets of 4×6, 10.5mil photo paper.

The editors at CNET gave this unit an excellent 8.1 our of 10 rating. Users rate it a 7.1 out of 10. Take a minute to read over their review. And, if you own this printer, let us know what you think of it.