quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Instead of mailing out paper invoices, can you move to emailing them? That would save a lot of time, energy, and money, eliminate the need for a portable printer, and allow you to re-send invoices on the fly from your phone or a laptop. Just a thought.

I do offer email invoicing. So far, I think I have 6 people on the list. Haha

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
I'll stay out of the OS war. I will say that for years I used a Canon PIXMA iP90 compact printer. Now, according to LifeWire, the PIXMA iP110 is "The industry standard for what a mobile printer should be."

At Amazon for $150.

That's pretty good. The wife has a Pixma photo printer and she constantly has issues connecting to it. It'll print one photo and then can't see the printer any longer. I'll give it a go though.

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
See your email.

I'll check it when I get off the mower.

You ever try seeing if the gopher software will run on Linux via wine?

Ultimately may not be worth it if it turns out to be unstable - depending on what all it is trying to hook into.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Instead of mailing out paper invoices, can you move to emailing them? That would save a lot of time, energy, and money, eliminate the need for a portable printer, and allow you to re-send invoices on the fly from your phone or a laptop. Just a thought.

I do offer email invoicing. So far, I think I have 6 people on the list. Haha

Perhaps make E-Billing mandatory with an additional fee for paper bills? Again, just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:
What about a surface pro tablet and a wireless printer? The tablet would allow your customers to review the invoices prior to printing without climbing into your truck and you could take and attach pictures.

Can the screen survive being left in the truck in 100° weather? That does seem like a decent idea.

We had a few of them in our mobility program and they often spent time in my luggage inside of a hot trunk with no issuses. I think if you kept them out of direct sunlight they would be fine.

I know we have some members who have them who could give you some better info.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by cyanide357:
Probably because isn't the superior OS choice -- Linux.

Truth! The motherboard I had installed in my old truck ran Linux.

quote:

Mark, What software are you using / needing compatibility with?

Gopher

I saw that and thought Gopher. So fast and easy. And ad free.

Look at Panasonic Toughbooks or tablets or refurbished versions. A new CF-33 or FZ-G1 will be pricey but will likely last 10 years plus in your application which is a crazy lifespan for a computer in this day.
We have used these in rural mobile meter reading applications for over 20 years with very few failures.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

Perhaps make E-Billing mandatory with an additional fee for paper bills? Again, just a thought.

Charging an additional fee for paper billing might tend to aggravate some customers.

Maybe better to adjust retes for the next season, adding the additional paper billing fee to all accounts, then offer a discount for customers who opt for email billing. Same end result, but aggravating fewer customers.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

Perhaps make E-Billing mandatory with an additional fee for paper bills? Again, just a thought.

Charging an additional fee for paper billing might tend to aggravate some customers.

Maybe better to adjust retes for the next season, adding the additional paper billing fee to all accounts, then offer a discount for customers who opt for email billing. Same end result, but aggravating fewer customers.

That's why I added "just a thought".

For what it's worth, my brother does this out of his Yukon. He has a small laser printer (Brother I think) and has it connected via USB to his notebook.

If he needs internet, he has it set up to tether to his phone, and just turns off airplane mode on the notebook, so that it connects up on demand.

He runs the invoice or print from the printer and since it's connected via USB, it's extremely simple.

Simple, simple, simple. There's nothing worse than a non-functioning, complicated, setup when you're on the road or at a customer, and you need to get them paperwork in order to get paid.

GL as you flesh this out.

quote:

Originally posted by topherh:
Look at Panasonic Toughbooks or tablets or refurbished versions. A new CF-33 or FZ-G1 will be pricey but will likely last 10 years plus in your application which is a crazy lifespan for a computer in this day.
We have used these in rural mobile meter reading applications for over 20 years with very few failures.

I work at Panasonic's national laptop repair center. Toughbooks are pricey but will last forever. We still get units in from the mid 2000s that is still running XP.

The CF-33 would be perfect for his need but they are very expensive. I would look at the smaller CF-20 with a 10" screen.

One thing to consider is toughbooks are designed to work in the elements. The CF-31 even has a heater on the hdd for winter use.