Sustainable Design - What a Samsung Colour Printer Taught Me Through Bad Examples

A few months back, I picked up a used Samsung CLP-320W  network printer. It has a Wi-Fi connection, prints excellent black and white, as well as colour prints. However, there are some design choices that remind me how designs could be far more sustainable.

Toner : The toner cartridges are meant to be taken out and replaced. There are chips on the cartridges that record the number of pages used and thus limits the use of the cartridge. Simply removing the cap and refilling with toner is impossible with the printer's software.

Solution : 

• Do not limit the use of the cartridges artificially. Allow consumers to decided if they wish to dispose of the cartridges. 
• Rather than a plastic cap that must be pulled out with a pair of pliers, often with much difficulty which destroys the cap, provide a screw plug.

Wiper or Doctor blade : The blade ensures that only a small amount of toner is swept from the reservoir onto a roller which is then deposited onto the page before passing on the drum and then through the fuser. In my case, the blade seemed to have been slightly bent. I tried straightening it, given it was made of stainless steel, but had no luck, just making it worse. It caused all my prints to have a vertical streak. When I looked inside my printer, I noticed that the the magenta and cyan cartridges had a mass of toner on them which had fallen from the yellow cartridge.

Solution :

• Replacing the wiper blade was not cost effective, nor widely available. I considered just getting a new set of cartridge - barely a sustainable solution. 
• Increase the number of fastening points to ensure equal distribution of the wiper blade. A standard wiper blade, e.g. for all A4 /  Letter size printers, would make the industry far less wasteful.

Note : I made an earlier post on my muddled efforts in resetting the Samsung CLP-310 page count. I eventually moved, and left that printer with a colleague from work. She indirectly reminded me once again, that people don't appreciate something unless they pay for it, or build it themselves : she complained about the pale printing after I had just refilled the toner cartridges. Issues about that printer didn't take more than a few lines in an e-mail, but I doubt she even tried to shake the cartridges even out the toner levels.

Links:

Right to Repair
Toner Reset

Stop wasting job seekers' time - Obligation to communicate that a position's compensation is commission based

Twice in the last week, I have been called in for an interview. Both interviews were a total waste of my time.

The first recruiter contacted me by e-mail describing the position in portfolio management. Once I met the recruiter in person, I learnt it was a sales "opportunity" where the compensation is commission based.

The second experience wasn't very different, however the company communicated that the position would be in a call centre for customer service. When I got there, it was something quite different : sales. Again, the compensation is commission based.

These recruiters wasted my time and money. Putting on a shirt and tie doesn't bother me in the least, however I was nonetheless upset that I had to pay for the bus fare to and back.

I am not sure what are the labour laws, but there should be some rules and regulations to prevent misleading recruiting practices.

If companies and agencies would like to avoid receiving resumes with falsified degrees, credentials etc., a database which links employers, educational institutions and others would make the recruiting and job search activities far more efficient.



Links:

http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/newsletter/OE20050823.htm

7 Habits of Highly Effective Sales Recruiters

Job Scam - Employment scam through Monster - privacy

Here is a letter that I received from a recruiter.

Good morning

We are sending you this email because we reviewed the résumé you sent posted on Monster.    We have commercial sales openings at our City location, which seems like a good fit with your skill set. There is training provided, we are also looking at fast tracking individuals into Leadership roles. My Manager would like to schedule a time to  meet with you in his office for an interview this Wednesday to discuss the position details.

Please let me know what time:

Weekday, Month 34^th  : 8:00AM or  3:30PM

will work for you. I am available until 4 pm today, please try and get back to me before then. I will send over the full address and directions upon your reply.

-It should also be noted that a successful applicant would need to be available to start work within 1-2 weeks.

All the best,

Joe Slick Sleaze

Centralized Recruiting

Recruiting Specialist

I believe it is a scam :

• Commission only
• No phone or computer provided
• No compensation for fuel costs

 Other recruitment e-mail:

 

Hi Witdim, 

Thank you for applying( WAIT! I never applied !?!?!) to our full-time opening that we have available with Telecom Canaduh! We came across your resume and felt you may be a great fit for the Customer Service/ Sales role. We have taken your previous skills and experience into consideration and we're interested in learning how you may be an asset to the companies long term goals and expansion plans.  

This is an immediate entry level opportunity with the potential of developing into a management role. The selected candidate must be available Monday – Friday from the hours of 7:00 am to 8:30 pm.

We will be conducting interviews with qualified candidates at our new downtown location. We would like to invite you in to discuss the opportunity in more detail with one of our hiring managers on April 19th, 2015 at 9:20 am or at 10:00 am. 

Please confirm which time works best for your schedule. If these times do not work for you let us know how we can accommodate you better. 

We're looking forward to hearing from you soon!

 

Regards,