BSDeality
09-26-2005, 04:13 PM
(I did post this over on LS, however I thought it would fit well over here too.)
Do you consider yourself efficient for one time jobs? Last week I had work in a development, signed a group of neighbors all up together. The night before I plugged in everyones info and printed out their invoices so I could drop them on my way out, (aka get paid faster). I thought i was ahead of the game until 4 other families approached me while i was working and asked for the service also, luckily i had some proposal sheets I had printed out to sell the other neighbors on-hand. I scrawled in their names and property sizes and did the math out by hand. It worked, but it was a very sloppy hack job since my handwriting sucks.
I decided that was the last straw, today I went out and bought a wireless printer ($179) and a newer WIFI card ($69) for my laptop. I had a 400w power inverter in my truck already which i use to power it. I could have boughten any cheap printer and run a USB cable from my dash to the backseat where i have my printer, however that would mean i would have to hook up before i could print anything. However with my wireless connection I bring the laptop outside the truck with me and still print. It *also* allows me to sit inside here and and print out tomorrow route sheet, right in the truck. Nothing aggrevates me more than getting halfway to my first stop and realizing i forgot my route sheet. The printer sits under my backseat in my extended cab 350 very snug, It is a perfect fit height and depth. The inverter is up by the center console.
I feel the potential is huge. I can take my measurements at an estimate, go to the truck, plunk in the numbers and print something out *on the spot* for the customer. I also no longer have to try to remember what the service price is.
The only thing i do not have at this point is a stand for the laptop, however I do not feel I will need one since I use Gopher's Palm software for my maintainence route. I can even stop at the Post Office on the way home, print out the invoices and drop them off.
Do you consider yourself efficient for one time jobs? Last week I had work in a development, signed a group of neighbors all up together. The night before I plugged in everyones info and printed out their invoices so I could drop them on my way out, (aka get paid faster). I thought i was ahead of the game until 4 other families approached me while i was working and asked for the service also, luckily i had some proposal sheets I had printed out to sell the other neighbors on-hand. I scrawled in their names and property sizes and did the math out by hand. It worked, but it was a very sloppy hack job since my handwriting sucks.
I decided that was the last straw, today I went out and bought a wireless printer ($179) and a newer WIFI card ($69) for my laptop. I had a 400w power inverter in my truck already which i use to power it. I could have boughten any cheap printer and run a USB cable from my dash to the backseat where i have my printer, however that would mean i would have to hook up before i could print anything. However with my wireless connection I bring the laptop outside the truck with me and still print. It *also* allows me to sit inside here and and print out tomorrow route sheet, right in the truck. Nothing aggrevates me more than getting halfway to my first stop and realizing i forgot my route sheet. The printer sits under my backseat in my extended cab 350 very snug, It is a perfect fit height and depth. The inverter is up by the center console.
I feel the potential is huge. I can take my measurements at an estimate, go to the truck, plunk in the numbers and print something out *on the spot* for the customer. I also no longer have to try to remember what the service price is.
The only thing i do not have at this point is a stand for the laptop, however I do not feel I will need one since I use Gopher's Palm software for my maintainence route. I can even stop at the Post Office on the way home, print out the invoices and drop them off.