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Here are our Top 3 Inket Printers:

1. Canon Pixma MP620 – We are big fans of Canon at PCToolbox and Brandstar and this printer is one which we have sold two of in the last week!  Although it’s not a small machine it is a scanner/printer all in one, it is a USB Printer and it has a wireless option which is fantastic, the ultimate in lazy printing and relatively speaking it is cheap!  Inks for it range from about £7-£15 depending where you buy from but for photo and everyday printing this has to be an option!  If you don’t want the wireless option consider the MP540 mentioned later.
2. Canon MP540 – Again an All in One printer, scanner, copier machine but this one is just USB, no wireless option, and it saves you nearly £50 too so you have got to really want the wireless feature and slightly better specification to go for the MP620.  Very good for photo printing and general home use.  See the link for full specifications or check out the cannon website.
3. Canon iP2600 – Last but not least ANOTHER Canon Printer, I told you we are fans!!  This is a cheap as chips printer at around £30.  Ok expensive chips but you know what I mean.  This printer is just a printer, not scanner.  It is perfect if you have kids who will be wanting to churn off sheet after sheet of ‘work’!  Or if you’re a Uni student needing a printer on a budget or just don’t want to spend vast amounts of money on a printer.  Being a Canon the quality will be good for both the machine and the printing and you can knock out a half decent photo too!

At the end of last year we mentioned that we would be writing a range of posts about Microsoft’s Windows Home Server and I thought that a good place to start would be recommending some books.

There are two that we suggest you start with, your experience with networks and servers will depend on which one will suit you best.

The first is “Windows Home Server User Guide”, this will allow you to setup the server and get client machines connected with shared files, printers and more.  If you are new to networking and/or servers then this is the book to start with.  It talks you through the basics to get you fully functioning Windows Home Server easily and relatively quick.

The second is “Windows Home Server Unleashed”, this again goes through the basics but it goes a lot further as well.  If you are familiar with networking and have some server experience then we would say this is the one to go for.  It takes you through doing a lot more than the first book….but then it is probably 4 times the size!

So there we go, that is the first step, get the book…oh and the software…if you don’t have the software then download a trial.

More Windows Home Server posts coming throughout 2009!!

Our Sixth recommended retailer for Christmas Presents is Misco!  Misco are an electronics company, they sell a wide range of products which include; Computer Hardware, Laptops, Digital Cameras, Desktops, TFT’s, Printers, Servers, Wireless Networks and Software!

They are worth having a look at as they have loads of great deals which could save you loads!

I am often asked what are the advantages of having a server for a small business. Which is a good question as it can be a heavy investment and often a wasted investment if it is not used to its full potential. So how could a small business use a server to its full potential without using features for the sake of it..?

It’s my opinion that using Small Business Server from Microsoft is the ideal operating system as it is packed with features the standard versions don’t come with, most importantly for small businesses it includes Exchange Server. More specifically the features that I think would be most useful to a small business are as follows…

• File Storage – store files centrally to ensure easy access for all users rather than emailing documents back and forth or using USB Pen Drives.
• Exchange Server – Have your server manage your company emails so sending internally is immediate, you can share each others calendars and access all this remotely from any machine with an internet connection so your team can always stay in touch.
• Remote Access – Allows employees to work from anywhere with an internet connection for ultimate productivity.
• With all data stored on the server you have only one backup to worry about – even with the best server in the world you still MUST backup!
• Share printers
• Enabling Faxing from and to the server with faxes being delivered to the email inbox of users

Servers can do much more, but in my opinion those are the things that are the biggest advantages to Small Businesses looking to improve their Computing capabilities.
Something to try on your own? Most definitely not. Get hold of your I.T. Company and ask them to do it for you.