10 Ways to Save Money and Use Less Ink

In today’s turbulent economic times saving money is a primary concern for most people. Cutting back on luxury items is easy, however maintaining home computers and peripherals is seen as essential and therefore many overlook potential cost savings related to the equipment – specifically when it comes to printing and replacing expensive ink cartridges. This article explores ways in which you can save money on printing.

1. Proofread before printing
The best way to save ink is to proofread your documents before printing them. It may seem obvious, however many people prefer to print and then proofread documents, resulting in multiple versions of the same document being printed – each one with minor modifications. By proofreading and correcting documents first, you will save on both ink and paper.

2. Print multiple pages per sheet
Printing lengthy documents wastes a lot of paper and ink. By changing the pages per sheet option in your printer settings to print multiple pages on one sheet, you can shrink the size of the document thereby saving on both ink and paper. Keep mind that the text size is reduced and therefore too many pages per sheet can make the document difficult to read.

3. Set the print mode to draft
Instead of constantly printing using high or best print quality, set the printer default to draft mode and only change it to the best quality print on the final version of the document. This will save a lot of ink from being wasted on document revisions.

4. Print in black and white
Colour cartridges are generally more expensive than black ink cartridges. Change the default printer settings to monochrome or black print cartridge only to ensure that only the black cartridge is used. Not only will you save your color ink but the documents should be printed faster.

5. Select the right paper
If you print a variety of documents and photographs which use different types of paper, ensure that you select the correct paper type in the printer properties options. Also check that you have inserted the correct paper into the printer before printing the document. A lot of ink is used when printing glossy documents and photographs, by double-checking your settings you can prevent unnecessary reprints.

6. Exercise good printer housekeeping
As with all equipment, printers need to be maintained to ensure optimum performance. Keep the printer heads clear of dust by spraying them with compressed air. Print a test sheet at least once every two weeks to ensure that the ink nozzles do not become blocked with dried ink. By performing regular housekeeping, you can prevent printer problems and also save on replacing ink cartridges.

7. Replace the cartridges only when they are empty
Most printers will display a low ink warning message long before the ink cartridges are empty. Change your print quality to a lower setting and continue to use the ink cartridge until you can see a visible difference in print quality. You can save a substantial amount of money by only replacing ink cartridges once they are completely dry.

8. Buy replacement cartridges
Manufacturer ink cartridges are generally more expensive than generic cartridges. Buying generic replacement cartridges from specialist online printer and ink cartridge suppliers can drastically reduce your printing costs. Often the difference in print quality is negligible therefore you should only consider using manufacturer cartridge for high quality, high resolution prints.

9. Use ink refill kits
The cheapest replacement option is to use an ink refill kit. At a fraction of the cost of a replacement ink cartridge, refilling your cartridges offers the best savings. There is generally a visible difference in print quality between a refilled ink cartridge and a replacement, or manufacturer, cartridge as getting the color balance correct can be tricky. It is advisable to use refilled cartridges for drafts and low resolution prints only.

10. Buy ink cartridges in bulk
Many online retailers offer special discounts when you buy multiple cartridges. Shop around for the best deals and save a bundle on replacement or manufacturer cartridges instead of buying single cartridges at overinflated prices from high street retailers.

These few options can vastly reduce your printing costs however the key point to remember is that the more you print, the faster your ink will run dry. So print only when it is necessary; use the lowest print quality acceptable and shop around for the best deals on ink cartridges.