printing | Progressive Office Cabling

Printer Security Issue – Scanned Images on hard drives

27 Dec 2009

Modern printers, scanners and photocopying machines often have a similar hard drive to those found in computers. And these machines as a convenience to the user automatically store any document that has been printed or copied on the hard drive. This technology dates back to around 2004. So, it is now very common to have a printer or copier that is storing images on an internal hard drive.

This means that these devices may contain sensitive data on the hard drive which must be destroyed. This is often an overlooked security issue which could result in a data breach. Tax returns, photo IDs and other sensitive business documents are regularly copied and printed on office systems.

The security breach occurs because when several copies of a document are needed, the document is scanned just once and the copies are made from the file that has been saved on the hard disk. This data can be accessed by removing the hard drive from the printer or copy machine and connecting it to a PC. And there are no existing standards which state how the data on these devices should be permanently removed however the same measures must be practiced as when erasing computer hard drives.

If you plan on selling or trading in your printer or copier, first verify if it has an internal hard drive. If it has one, use the same precautions you would use if you were removing a computer or server from your office network. Remove and erase or destroy the internal hard drive data.

If you need help, please contact us!

Laser Printer Technology and Advantages

24 Dec 2009

Stu Kushner

Laser printers are the most expensive type of printer in terms of running costs, due to the cost of the toner cartridges. But the cost per page for black and white printing is usually less than for inkjet printers.

The toner is the same type of toner used in photocopiers. And laser printers emulate the final stage of what a photocopier does by using a statically charged drum to attach toner to the paper. No liquid ink is used. The powdered toner is statically stuck to the paper when it passes over the rollers, and is then very quickly heated to fuse it to the page. The laser market is predominantly black and white, as nearly all businesses use the technology to produce cost-effective printouts. Laser printers ability to produce crisp, exact quality for text makes it the best choice for printing most corporate documents.

Laser printers are now quite capable in printing graphics as well. But for clear, color printing, color laser printers are ideal. And as their prices continue to decline, they are becoming more popular. But, again as with color inkjet printing, the cost per page goesup dramatically with color laser printers because they use 3 or 4 toner cartridges.

The primary market for color laser remains companies who are looking toLaser printers ability to produce crisp, exact quality for text makes it the best choice for printing most corporate documents. (the quality of a well-done color laser printout is really something to behold), and professional reprographics companies. But further price competition is making color laser a viable option for home users.