Videos

Get a Business Email Address with Custom Domain for Free

Let’s say you are a blogger or an online store owner, and you bought a domain for your business. But your business email address is still @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. Though these emails provide quality service, these addresses still raise a doubt on your customers. On their heads, they will question the legitimacy of your business emails, which in turn reduces the numbers of your potential leads.

However, if you customize your email domain that matches your brand, then the question of legitimacy will be out of the scenario.

Email address with custom domain is a must

Gmail, Yahoo!, and Outlook Live offer custom email address, which means that, you can use your business domain on your primary email address. For example, if your business domain is MYBUSINESS.COM, then your email address is CONTACT@MYBUSINESS.COM. However, custom email domains from these providers are a paid service.

In most cases, you can get your custom email for free from your cPanel hosting plan. But for those who hosted their blogs or websites from other platforms, such as Blogger, WordPress.com, Weebly, Wix, Tumblr, or Medium, you need to look elsewhere to get a free custom email domain.

Get your business email from Zoho

Time needed: 1 hour

As of the moment, Zoho Mail offers the service for free. The free business email plan allows you to create up to 5 users with 5GB storage capacity. You can also attach files with size up to 25MB. You can also use most of Zoho’s business email features, such as collaboration tools, email migration, and many others.

  1. From a web browser, go to www.zoho.com, and then, from the Mail section, click SIGN UP NOW.

    You may find the Mail section within the Featured Apps section from the home page.

  2. Select Business Email, and then click SIGN UP FOR FREE.

    You may find the option from the “Get started with add-free email” section.

  3. Scroll down, and then from the FOREVER FREE PLAN section, click SIGN UP NOW.

    Emails from free plans are accessible from web only. You can host an email for a single domain.

  4. Enter your domain, and then click ADD.

    Use your top-level domain, without www or other subdomain prefix.

  5. Provide your registration details, and then click PROCEED.

    Provide your account name, admin email, cellphone number, password, country of residence, and your other email address. Make sure that you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

  6. From the Summary section, review the details, and then click SIGN UP.

    Make sure that the information is correct.

  7. Enter the verification code, and then click VERIFY MY MOBILE.

    The verification code is sent to the mobile number that you use to register on step 5.

  8. Enable and set up the 2-factor Authentication.

    You can use OneAuth, your mobile number, or a Google Authenticator app. You can also skip the set up by clicking “Remind me later.”

  9. Verify your domain.

    From your DNS Manager or DNS hosting provider, create a TXT record that matches the record provided by Zoho. You can also use CNAME to verify your domain.

  10. Create an administrator user account, and then click Create Account.

    You can also create additional email addresses for your colleagues or employees. Note that you can only create up to five accounts.

  11. From your DNS Manager or DNS Hosting Provider, create three MX records.

    Make sure that the mail exchange (MX) records match to that of Zoho MX servers.

  12. Create a TXT record for Sender Policy Framework (SPF).

    Avoid email spoofing by creating an SPF record from your DNS Manager or DNS Hosting Provider. Make sure that it matches the SPF record provided by Zoho. Since it may take up to 48 hours for the TXT record to propagate, you may verify your SPF record later.

  13. Create a TXT record for DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).

    To avoid email spoofing and to make sure that your emails will not be treated as spam, create a DKIM record from your DNS Manager or DNS Hosting Provider. Make sure that it matches the DKIM record provided by Zoho. Since it may take up to 48 hours for the TXT record to propagate, you may verify your DKIM record later.

  14. Your basic setup is complete. Go to your Zoho Mail account.

    Once your set up is complete, you can use your email already. However, since your SPF and DKIM records are not yet verified, the emails that you send may be treated as spam by the receiving email provider. Make sure that you verify your SPF and DKIM records once the TXT records have propagated. Use DNSChecker.org to check if your TXT records are updated.

If you have questions, please leave a comment below. If you plan to set up a single catch-all inbox to manage or access all your email messages from different email address, then see How to Access Multiple Email Accounts in a Single Catch-all Email Inbox.

Watch the video for the complete setup instructions.

How to Manage or Access Multiple Email Accounts in a Single Catch-all Email Inbox

When you register your first email account, you probably used either Yahoo! or Hotmail. When Gmail went online, people started to notice it, and you probably tried it too. And over time, you also tested iCloud Mail, AOL Mail, Mail.com, Outlook Live, and several other email service providers.

When you opened your business, you bought a domain for your website and created a custom email account for your clients. You possibly used the cPanel mail that came with your hosting plan or bought a premium Outlook.com or Google Suite account.

Cannot let go an email account

The email addresses that you created all these years are probably linked to one of your social media accounts, online services tools, subscription news, e-commerce portals, and other membership websites.

For various reasons, you cannot let go one of those emails. Some of them probably has conversation memories, important email exchanges, and are linked to one of your businesses.

Managing multiple email accounts is difficult. You also need to open multiple browsers or tabs that consume a lot of CPU resources and memory.

You then wish to have one inbox to catch all the emails from all the address that you maintain.

Authorize a single email account to catch all your emails from other accounts

Worry not! The video is created to help you manage all you email accounts in single inbox.

This is different from email forwarding service. Email forwarding, as the name suggests, forward the email from one email address to another. However, when you do this, you cannot reply using the email address to where the message was originally sent.

Before you begin, you need to identify the email account where you want to access all your emails. I suggest that you use the email account that you always check or monitor.

In the video, I use my Gmail account as a catch-all inbox. I connected it to my Yahoo! Mail and cPanel Mail or Webmail address. You can also use the same method to connect to your iCloud Mail, AOL Mail, Outlive, and even your other Gmail accounts.

If you want to set your Outlook Live or Yahoo! account as a catch-all inbox, then go to their respective mail settings.

  • From the Outlook Live inbox, on the upper right corner of the display, click > View All Outlook Settings > Mail > Sync Mail. 
  • From the Yahoo! inbox, click > More Settings > Mailboxes.

Remember that when providing passwords, some email service providers requires you to use app passwords. For example, Yahoo!, AOL Mail, Zoho Mail, and iCloud. The video also shows how to create and app password for Yahoo!, which the same for all other email providers.

By the way, if you are looking for a free email account where you can customize the domain for your business, see the “Get a Business Email Address with Custom Domain for Free” article.

Manage all your email using one inbox

Once the connection is established, all my Yahoo! and Webmail messages are delivered straight to my Gmail inbox. I can also initiate or responds emails using my Yahoo! and webmail email address using my Gmail account.

Watch the video in full to learn how I did it.

Here’s the summary of the contents:

  • 01:29 to 05:05 Configuring a catch-all inbox for your Yahoo! Mail.
  • 03:14 to 04:08 Creating an App Password for Yahoo!
  • 05:16 to 08:26 Configuring a catch-all inbox for cPanel mail or Webmail.
  • 08:28 to 09:11 Testing for the Outgoing mail settings.
  • 09:13 to 09:47 Testing for the Incoming mail configuration.

If you have question, feel free to leave a comment on the video or use the comment form below.

How to Send Money Online to Palawan Express Pera Padala from UnionBank

Queueing in Palawan Express Pera Padala branches to send money could be grueling. The long line of seemingly organized people cramped within a tiny and humid space discouraged me most of the time. If I only have an option, then I will avoid sending money to Palawan.

Stuck with Palawan Express Pera Padala

I am sending my father an allowance twice a month. If only it is convenient for him, then I can just send him an ATM card, and then transfer the money online as scheduled. However, he is located in a remote area in our province where the nearest ATM machine is two hours away and getting there may cost a fortune. The Palawan Express branch, on other hand, is only a 5-minute walk from our home. That is why, I am stuck on doing the manual way of sending money.

UnionBank online to the rescue

When I learned that I can now send money online from UnionBank and let my father claim it in Palawan Express, I immediately tried it on my next scheduled remittance.

Luckily, I already have a UnionBank account. It is a company payroll account. Hence, once I received the salary credit, I can easily send my father his allowance without me leaving the office.

Sounds safe and convenient right?

Send Money online from UnionBank to Palawan Express Pera Padala

Time needed: 5 minutes

Depending on how fast you type and how quick you can find your recipient details, transferring money from UnionBank to Palawan may take 3 to 5 minutes.

You can send the money using UnionBank website or mobile application. For this tutorial, I show you the mobile app process. The steps are basically the same with web app. The only difference is the user interface (UI).

  1. From your mobile phone, open the UnionBank application, log in to your account, and then tap SEND / REQUEST.

  2. Tap Remittance Center.

    If you do this for the first time, then you may need to tap Get Started.

  3. Tap Palawan Express.

  4. Enter the amount, type the purpose of the transaction, and then, if you have multiple accounts, select an account where you want to source the fund transfer. Tap NEXT.

  5. Provide your recipient’s full name, birthdate, citizenship, mobile number, and email address, and then tap NEXT.

  6. Review the transfer details, accept the terms and conditions, and then tap SEND.

    Make sure that the recipient full name and contact number are correct.

  7. Enter the one-time password or OTP that was sent to your registered mobile number.

  8. Take note of the Reference Number.

    The Reference Number is for transaction history purposes only.

  9. Inform the recipient that the money will be ready for pick up once he/she receives the Tracking Code from an unknown Globe number in a form of SMS or text message.

    Use Tracking Code as the transaction number when claiming the money from Palawan Express.

Reminders

  • You can send a minimum of 100 pesos and a maximum of 50,000 pesos for each transaction.
  • The total daily transfer limit is 50,000 pesos. This limit also includes other money transfer transactions, such as InstaPay and the cash-in transactions to digital payment systems, such as PayMaya or GCash.
  • It may take 3 to 5 hours for the bank to clear the transaction. If you want the money to be received by your recipient within the day, then send the money the earliest possible time.
  • Palawan Express transfer transactions done after 3PM will be available the following day.
  • Transfer transactions done on holidays or weekends are processed on the next working day.
  • Service fee depends on the transferred amount and is deductible from your account. For example, if you send 1,000 pesos, then the service charge is 30 pesos. Sending 2,500 pesos, like what I did, costed me 75 pesos to send it.
  • For more information, see Unionbank’s FAQs.

If you prefer video instructions, then you may watch the video at the beginning or header of this article.

Did you know that your can also send money from your BPI Online account to Palawan Express Pera Padala? For more information, see the “Send or Transfer Money from BPI Online to Palawan Express Pera Padala” article.

If you have questions, leave a comment below.

How to withdraw money from PayPal to GCash

If you are working online, managing an online store, receiving commissions from affiliate sales, then you are more likely using PayPal.

PayPal is a popular digital payments systems that allows you to receive credit card payments over the internet and send payments for services and goods that you purchase on the web. It also allows money transfers and facilitate collections for donation drives.

Most of us, however, prefer to withdraw the money we earn instead of spending it within PayPal or from other online stores. And, when talking about withdrawing your PayPal balance, we only think of bank transfer. Bank transfer is safe and convenient but it may take time before it will appear on your bank books.

What if you need the the money instantly? Is there a way to get the cash out your PayPal balance quickly?

Good news for you Philippine users, the answer is yes. You can withdraw your PayPal balance instantly and that is free of charge (as of this writing). You just need a verified GCash account and a GCash application that is installed on your mobile device.

Link your PayPal account to GCash

Before you can withdraw the money, you need to link your PayPal account to GCash first.

Make sure that the first name and last name on your PayPal account match exactly with first name and last name on your GCash account.

  1. From your mobile phone, open the GCash application.
  2. On the upper-left corner of the display, tap .
  3. Tap My Linked Accounts, and then tap PayPal.
  4. In the Email Address field, type your PayPal email address, and then tap Next.
  5. Log in to your PayPal account, and then tap Authorize.
  6. Tap Close and Continue.

You will receive an email notification when the link is successful, and that your GCash account has been added for pre-approved payments.

Convert your PayPal balance to Philippine Peso

When GCash disabled its PayPal currency conversion, you need to convert your PayPal balance to Philippine Peso (PHP) before you can transfer it GCash. PayPal, by the way, will use the same conversion rate for bank transfers.

To avoid losing money for if ever the peso depreciates, I suggest that you only convert the money on the day that you plan to transfer it to GCash.

To convert your balance from foreign currency to PHP, do the following:

  1. From a web browser, log in to your PayPal account. Note that the currency conversion feature is not available in PayPal app yet.
  2. From the “PayPal balance” section, click the overflow menu icon (), and then click Manage currencies.
  3. From the currency that you want to convert, click the overflow menu icon, and then select Convert currency.
  4. Select Philippine Peso, and then click Next.
  5. Enter the amount that you want to convert, and then click Next.
  6. Click Convert Now > Done.

Transfer your PayPal PHP balance to GCash

After linking your PayPal account to GCash and converting your PayPal balance to Philippine peso, you are now ready to withdraw your money.

Time needed: 2 minutes

Steps on how to withdraw money from PayPal to GCash

  1. From your mobile phone, open the GCash application.

  2. Tap Cash in.

  3. From the My Linked Account section, select PayPal.

  4. Enter the amount that you want to withdraw, and then click Next.

    Make sure that it does not exceed your available PayPal balance.

How to scan a document to a computer from your Lexmark printer

Before you begin, make sure that your Lexmark printer and your computer are connected to the same network. To connect your printer to your internet, you can use an ethernet cable. You can also connect the printer to your Wi-Fi router.

If internet or Wi-Fi is not available, then you have to connect your printer directly to your computer. You need a printer to computer USB cable for it. The printer to computer USB cable has USB 2.0 Type A Male connector (computer end) at one end and USB2.0 Type B Male connector (printer side) on the other. For smaller printer models, the USB cable is sold separately.

Connect the Printer to the Internet or Wi-Fi

The easiest way to connect your printer to your Wi-Fi is using the WPS Push Button method.

From the control panel, navigate to Settings > Network/Ports > Wireless > Wi-Fi Protected Setup > Start Push Button Method.

On your Wi-Fi Router, press the WPS button within 2 minutes. This process works all the time.

For more information, see the following video:

If under weird circumstances that the WPS button method does not work, you can use the Lexmark Mobile Assistant (LMA) method. The LMA is a mobile application that assists you in setting up your new printer or configuring its Wi-Fi connection. For more information on using the application, see the Lexmark HTV site.

Take note of the IP Address

Once your printer is connected to the internet, its IP address appears on the control panel display. Take note of that IP address. You will use it to access the Embedded Web Server and update your printer settings more conveniently.

For example, if you want to set up the scan to email feature, you can access the Embedded Web Server to configure the settings easily.

Add the printer to your computer

Next, you need to add the printer on your computer. But before you can ado that, you have to install the Lexmark Universal Print Driver first. It normally comes in the CD inside your printer box or package. You can also download the driver from the Lexmark support site.

From the computer, launch Printers & Scanners, and then click Add Device. Printers that are connected to your network appears on the list.

Scan to a computer using Windows Fax and Scan

Time needed: 2 minutes

On this stage, your printer must be connected to the network and is already added on your computer.

  1. From the computer, open Windows Fax and Scan

    Windows Fax and Scan is native app for Windows 10. If the application is not available on your computer, you can download a copy from the Microsoft website.

  2. On the upper-left corner of the display, click New Scan.

    If no printer is added, clicking New Scan prompts and error.

  3. From the Source menu, select the scanner source.

    Depending on where you load the original document, select either Feeder or Flatbed.

  4. If necessary, adjust the color format, file type, and resolution.

    You can also adjust the bright and contrast. To preview the document, click Preview. The preview is only available if the original document is loaded on the flatbed scanner.

  5. Click Scan.

    The scanned document is saved on the Scanned Document folder within your Documents folder.

You can also use the Lexmark Scanback Utility to scan documents and save them to your computer. Download the utility from the Lexmark support site.

Scan to a Macintosh Computer

  1. Launch System Preferences, and then Click Printers & Scanners.
  2. Add a printer. Printers that are connected to the network shows on the available printers list.
  3. Click Scan > Open Scanner.
  4. To view the scan settings, click Show Details.
  5. Select the scanner source, adjust the scan settings, and select where you want to save the scanned document.
  6. Click Scan.

If textual instructions don’t work for you, then watch the end-to-end how-to video on the header.

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