Back to School HP Photosmart Printer Giveaway

My lot are into their second week of school now, but for lots of parents today is the very first day of their little ones school lives.

I have a bumper of week 'Back to School' giveaways for you kicking off with this Photosmart Printer from HP.

The competition is now closed - the winner has been drawn and notified. Thank you for entering.

To enter all you need to do is a leave a comment on this post telling me what you do with all of the photographs you take? Perhaps you print them out, upload them to social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr and instagram. Or do you just upload them and store them on your computer?

The winner will be chosen at midnight (GMT) 12/09/11 at random from all of the comments left on the post. Usual terms and conditions apply.

Before you enter, HP have some great printing tips to share with you.

Between the school run and supermarket shop, juggling work and playtime –  all the while being a domestic goddess – you’ll notice how quickly time flies! So whether you’re ‘freezing time’ with pictures to capture those precious family moments, helping the kids with a school project, or just reviewing work documents, here are a few printing pointers to get the best out of what you’re doing.

There’s more to print than meets the eye,  so grab yourself a cuppa and take five to read some creative, green and money saving printing tips!

Think before you print

It sounds obvious, but using the wrong materials or the wrong printer settings is one of the most common reasons for poor quality materials and it gets expensive.

·         Print in draft: Get your green head on if you’re going to be printing a lot of text, especially if you’re only proofing homework, or maybe documents from work. Printing in draft not only helps the environment but it will save you time and money too!

·         Long lasting memories:  On the other hand, for vibrant long-lasting pictures which will take pride of place on the mantelpiece – make sure you’re using the right paper and ink. Most photo printers now deliver professional quality photos at home so it’s time to get snap happy.

Take advantage of the technologies available!

Every day we hear about new gadgets, apps and innovations in technology – print is no different. Make sure you know what’s new in the world of print to make your experience as easy as possible.

·         Beyond wireless: HP’s unique ePrint technology means you no longer have to be attached to a network or even a laptop / PC in order to print! Every HP ePrinter has its own email address, so as long as you can email something (from your mobile for example), you can print it, from anywhere in the world, to your printer at home.

·         Holiday snaps:  Why wait until the holiday is over before sharing the family holiday photos with granny and granddad – using HP ePrint you could email them a picture of your family on the beach and it will immediately be printed out, bring the sun, sea and sand to your parents’ front room!

Don’t forget the environment

·         Look for the duplex printer function, allowing you to print on both sides of the paper every time you hit print – most new printers have them. Selecting this option means you halve your paper usage and use less energy to print - without compromising on quality - but you’re doing your bit for the environment too!

·         Certified sustainable: keep an eye out when buying your ink and paper that your purchases come from a sustainable source, or are accredited with a reputable energy award. Not only are HP papers and inks all EnergyStar certified, but HP is also the only print company which operates a ‘closed loop’ recycling programme, meaning cartridges are recycled back into new cartridges (rather than downgraded into poorer quality plastics). To date, HP has manufactured more than ONE BILLION recycled cartridges using this process!

Colour counts!

Finally, don’t forget that you can make anything come to life by designing and printing it in colour – and doesn’t have to be an expensive luxury!

·         The colourful party: Get creative with the kids and design their next birthday party invites with them. They’ll love being hands on in the process and invites will come to life by making them personalised and printed in colour. What’s more, printing at home is likely to be less expensive than purchasing pre-designed invites off the shelf. Why not print some fun decorations for the party from your printer too. Designing special placemats, goody bag cards and even hats will make sure everyone remembers the party for a long time!

·         Colour means business: if you want to make a real impact with potential clients, new customers or a new supplier, remember that printing your marketing materials in colour will add an extra dimension that black and white simply doesn’t muster.  One company we know of starting printing invoices in colour, with balances in red ink, and found payment response times increased immediately – people don’t like seeing red on a statement! How could you make your business more effective with colour?