Saving money on PC hardware and software

by Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates

You can pay full retail for a lot of computer related 'stuff' or you can plan your purchases carefully and save a boatload of money.

PrintPal.com for ink

The quality of most inkjet printers is getting better every day.  The quality, when used with high quality photo paper, has become so good that the local camera store has been replaced by the home inkjet printer.  Many high quality printers now have 4 separate ink cartridges for CYMK printing colors (cyan, yellow, magenta, and black).  That's the good news.  The bad news is that the cost of ink is 'deadly'.  So, how can I save money on ink?

Visit PrintPal.com to save an astonishing amount of money on ink cartridges.  The sell manufacturer ink cartridges for a bit less than retail but typically don't charge for shipping if you buy at least $30 worth of their products - which isn't very hard to do.  Even better, they sell generic ink cartridges (aka "knock-offs") for many older printers at 50% to 75% less than manufacturers cartridges - and you would never know the difference.

Don't forget to join their mailing list to receive frequent 10% discounts.

AcademicSuperstore.com - special savings for students

If someone in you family has a student or teacher ID, you qualify to make software purchases from AcademicSuperstore.com.  Whether you are looking for a Windows XP upgrade or a copy of Microsoft Office Professional, you can save up from 10% to 75% off of retail for many high profile software products.  These are full legal versions sometimes called 'student editions'.  They are exactly the same as full retail versions.

You will need to email or fax a copy of a valid student id to them to confirm your student or teacher status.

PCMall.com - refurbished HP desktops and laptops

I like HP PCs for multimedia development (e.g., making movies).  PCMall.com makes available a wide variety of refurbished Hewlett Packard and Compaq desktops and laptops at 10% to 25% off retail.  If you are truly a PC 'newbie', don't buy a refurbished PC.  While I have had an excellent experience with these refurbished PCs, the probability of problems is clearly higher and the warranty is very limited.

This article may be reproduced with permission of Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates. Contact Fred at 201-315-4943 fred@FamilyTechnology.com for details.