Printer Cartridge Economics – Four Ways to Make Your Ink Last Longer
The cost of printer cartridge overheads can make a big difference in a busy office. If you work at home, you should also consider the cost of ink for your home-based business. You may end up paying a fraction of the annual printer supplies cost for that cheap printer.
One printer may be used by several people in a family, and each one will require its own cartridges. The kids are researching online for information and creating reference materials before they start drafting and printing their homework papers. Although digital photography is wonderful, grandma doesn’t even have an e-mail address.So you are printing high-quality prints of your son’s graduation ceremony and sending them to grandma. You have to proofread important documents for work by tomorrow. And, you know that you can’t read text on a computer monitor so…
If you are anything like me, it is impossible to imagine your life without a personal printer. While the quest for cheap, reliable printer ink is never ending, there are strategies that can be used to cut down on ink usage and save money on replacement cartridges.
- Draft print quality should be used wherever possible. To open the box listing the settings for your printer, go to File — Print. To see all the options, click ‘Properties. There are many options under the heading “Paper/Quality” that will allow you to choose draft quality printing. The document will be printed at a lower resolution. However, this may not affect reference material that will be discarded later.
- When possible, prefer black and white printing to color. Depending on the printer you have, grayscale printing may be possible using the black cartridge. You won’t require the other colors if you aren’t doing any presentation-quality work.
- If you are dealing with a large document, it is a good idea to print two sheets per page if possible. Printing two pages side-by-side in “landscape” orientation may be possible with your printer. You’ll also save paper costs.
- If you use special photo paper, modern personal printers can produce excellent quality photographs. High quality digital photos can require a lot more ink, so consider outsourcing your printing needs to a local printer. Many online services can help you order your prints and even mail them to yourself. If you’d like, your photos can be printed on greeting cards, mouse mats, or calendars.
You can reduce your inkjet and toner costs by buying ink less often. Keep your supplies on hand for high-quality presentations.
Source: Nigel Patterson
