Give your printer some love: Soak a piece of paper with rubbing alcohol (not too much and leave the edges dry), and run that through your printer’s roller. It’ll clean it right up.
Quick tech tricks: Save printer ink, avoid malware, speed browsing and more
You need a timer, and you need it fast. Do a Google search for “timer” and one appears right there for you to use. There’s a stopwatch option, too. Easy, right?
Here’s another smart tech tip I’m surprised so many people mess up. Most people fill in the email recipient section before writing the message. That’s a mistake. Make that your very last step — that way, there’s a much lower chance you’ll send an email before it’s truly ready to send.
Don’t stop there. Let’s dive into easy, quick tech tips you’ll always use.
Cybersecurity 101: After downloading a PDF file online, look at the file extension. You’re looking for .pdf. If the filename ends with .exe, delete it — it’s likely malware.
Shhh: You can instantly silence incoming calls on your smartphone by pressing the side button, volume up or volume down button once. Nice.
YouTube shortcuts: On your computer, tap keys 0 through 9 to skip to a specific percentage of the video. Press 5 for 50%, 8 for 80% and so on. But wait, there’s more! Press J to rewind and L to fast forward. (“JLo” is an easy way to remember that.) But press K to pause first.
Forgetful? Do this! Are you that person who reads an email or text, mentally reminds yourself to reply later … and never does? Stop relying on memory alone! Mark the text or email as unread. You’ll find this in the options of your email or convo. You can also say, “Hey Siri/Google, remind me to share Kim’s newsletter at noon.”
Skip the garage: Next time you hang a frame, grab your phone instead of finding a level. On iPhone, open the pre-installed Measure app. Tap Level, then hold your iPhone against an object. On Android, open the Google app and search for “bubble level.”
Quick text search: You know you sent someone a pic but can’t find it. On iPhone, open Messages, tap a convo, then the person’s profile photo or group name. Scroll to Photos > See All. On Android, open Messages, then tap the search bar at the top.
Get perfect action shots: Touch and hold the shutter button if you have an iPhone X or earlier. Swipe the shutter button to the left if you have an iPhone Xs or later. Either way, lift your finger to stop burst mode. Select the best shots by tapping Burst > Select > Done. On Android phones, hold down your camera’s shutter button to enable burst mode.
Tab shortcuts: Here’s a faster way to navigate when you have lots of tabs open. Hit Ctrl + 1, 2, 3 and so on to go to that tab number. On Mac, it’s Command + a number. To cycle through tabs, hit Ctrl + Tab on Windows or Cmd + Tab on Mac.
Send it later: It’s 9 p.m. and you’re writing an email. Instead of sending it immediately, schedule it for the morning when you know your recipient will see it. In Gmail, click the arrow next to Send, then Schedule send. Most providers have something similar.
The most popular Amazon Subscribe & Save products
Do you use Amazon’s Subscribe & Save feature? They lure you with an excellent discount to set it up, and you can choose how often you get something auto-delivered (two weeks to every six months). It’s handy for things you buy again and again.
Worst and best fonts to save money on printer ink
Do you prefer Times New Roman, Arial, or even Comic Sans? Here’s a surprise: The font you choose could actually affect your wallet.
Printer hack (literally): A YouTuber figured out how to use more affordable third-party ink cartridges in HP printers that usually block anything but the HP brand. With a cheap circuit board, the printer gets tricked into believing the non-HP cartridge is genuine and works like usual. HP is threatening to brick any printers caught doing this.
270,315 printer cartridges
How much HP’s CEO earned in 2023. Poor Enrique Lores got a 7% pay cut — which still comes to $19.46 million in pay, stocks and perks. HP says his actual take-home was $12,858,597. So, he’s fine.
Genius tech life hacks no one tells you — until now
You know you must reset your phone when you sell or get rid of it, but what about your printer?
No joke, your home office powerhouse stores more than you realize and can be dangerous in the wrong hands. It’s easy to wipe it, though. Check out No. 4 here.
Are you making this huge Wi-Fi mistake?
Entertaining guests? They’ll want access to your Wi-Fi, but it’s a pain to give out your login repeatedly. Get tech-smart. Post a QR code in your home that automatically signs in guests on your home network.
Now, if a hacker gets into your home network, they can access your personal information. Should you set your home Wi-Fi network to public or private? The answer might surprise you.
🖨️ Printer secret: Most printers have a “draft mode” that uses lots less ink when you don’t need anything fancy. (Some call it “economy mode” or “fast mode.”) To try it, open a document or file, hit Print, then go to Properties or Preferences and look for Draft mode.
Pro printer tip: If you run out of black ink right before you need to print a doc, change the font color to dark gray or blue. You probably won’t even be able to tell! OK, now order some ink.
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🖨️ Clever printer hack: Dust can cause unexpected problems with your printer. Open the paper trays, remove any paper and use a handheld vac to suck up the dust. You can also blow it out with compressed air (43% off).
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
The award for “Best Font for Saving Printer Ink” goes to … Times New Roman! When it comes to ink, you’ll get almost 30% more pages printed with it over Arial. The smaller, the better; use a font size of 10 points or lower if you can read it.
🖨️ Give your printer some love: Soak a piece of paper with rubbing alcohol (not too much and leave the edges dry), and run that through your printer’s roller. It’ll clean it right up.
🖨️ Printer alert: HP is discontinuing its LaserJet e-series printers that require a permanent internet connection and force you to use super-expensive HP-original ink and toners. It’ll continue to work if you still have one, but you’ll have to deal with HP+. Sell yours now while you can.
Be my guest: Check if your router offers a guest mode. If it does, turn it on. This means visitors can get online but can’t start messing with your smart lights or using your printer — that’s getting too comfortable. And if you’re the one on a guest network or public Wi-Fi, always use a VPN. I recommend ExpressVPN. Use this link to get three free months.
Printer pro tip: If you run out of black ink right before you need to print a doc, don’t panic — just change the font color to dark gray or blue. You probably won’t even be able to tell! OK, now order some ink.
Easy printer clean-up: Soak a piece of paper with rubbing alcohol (not too much — leave the edges dry), and run it through your printer’s roller to clean off the junk.
🖨️ Clever printer hack: Dust can cause unexpected problems with your printer. Open the paper trays, remove any paper, then use a handheld vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust. You can also blow it out with compressed air.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Gen Z cash stuffing, doorbell cam data sold & AI malware
Plus, is your printer really private? I’ll explain why the answer might worry you. I also offer advice to Ruth from New York on making the perfect family reunion slideshow. Why closed captioning is now a must-use feature, and how to know if someone is snooping on your PC.
Are printers storing your secrets?
What you’re printing isn’t necessarily between you and your printer. Here’s the scoop, in 60 seconds.