Using a Zebra LP2844 thermal printer on Windows 7

About a year after I started my side business on Etsy selling decals and signs, I looked into buying a thermal printer to speed up my shipping process. Printing out labels on paper, trimming it, and taping them to the packages took a decent amount of time. Thermal printers are a great investment for serious businesses — they don’t need ink refills, you can print directly on properly sized labels, and the labels will not smear if they get wet.

Please note that the following Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

I decided to purchase a used Zebra LP2844 thermal printer off of Craigslist for $110. A popular new option for sellers these days is the DYMO LabelWriter 4XL Label Maker, but the older Zebra thermal printer does the job just fine, and it was more than 50% cheaper than the DYMO new. (more…)

Taking care of foster kittens with ringworm

Black mewmews

Black mewmews at the vet. Ringworm was evident with the balding chest area on the fuzzy kitten and minor hair loss on the face and crusts above the nose. July 31, 2016.

My first foray into fostering kittens in August 2016 was through Save a Kitten (SAK), a campaign by San Jose Animal Advocates in partnership with the City of San Jose Animal Care and Services (SJACS). During kitten season (approximately April to October), kittens that need around-the-clock care are often at high risk of euthanasia. Kittens at risk that need to be fostered usually have medical or behavior issues such as antisocial behavior, fur loss, eating disorders, eye discharge, upper respiratory infections, and bottle-feeding. (more…)

Replacing 2013 Toyota Prius C air filters

Because my Prius C is not covered under the free 2-year Toyota maintenance anymore, I wanted to minimize the amount of work I needed the dealership to do at my service appointments. Air filters are commonly a giant rip-off at dealerships after the materials markup and labor costs and usually trivial to replace. After replacing the cabin and engine air filters for my Toyota at about 30k miles, I have to agree. (more…)