Printer Cartridge Economics -- Four Ways To Make
Your Ink Last Longer
by Nigel Patterson
Printer cartridge overheads can be a major expense
for any busy office -- and even if you're working at
home, it's important to factor in the amount you
spend on your printer ink when assessing the cost of
running a home-based business. And what you spent on
that bargain-priced printer may turn out to be only
a fraction of what you pay annually in printer
supplies.
A family household may have several printers on the
go, each requiring its own specialist cartridges.
The kids are doing their homework, researching
information online and printing off reference
material before drafting and printing homework
papers. Digital photography is great, but grandma
doesn't have a computer (let alone an e-mail
account!), so you're making high quality prints of
your son's graduation ceremony to mail to her. And
you have to proofread some important work documents
by tomorrow -- and you know you can't check text
accurately from the computer monitor, so ...
If you're anything like me, you can't imagine
working without the support that a personal printer
provides. But while the search for reliable but
cheap printer ink never ends, there are some
strategies you can adopt to economize on ink use and
lower your budget for replacement cartridges.
1. Use draft print quality where you can. Go to File
-- Print to open the box that lists the settings for
your printer. Click 'Properties' to bring up the
various options available. You'll probably find
different choices under the heading 'Paper/Quality'
that allow you to select draft quality printing.
Your document will print at a lower resolution but
that may not matter for reference material that you
will likely discard later.
2. Choose black and white printing over color when
possible. Depending on your printer, you may have
the option to select grayscale printing using the
black ink cartridge only. If you're not doing
presentation quality work, chances are you won't
need the other colors.
3. If you're dealing with a long document, print two
sheets to a page if you can. Your printer may allow
you to print two pages side by side in 'landscape'
orientation -- and you'll save on paper costs too.
4. Modern personal printers can produce high quality
photographs, particularly if you use specialist
photo paper. But printing high quality digital shots
can use a lot of ink -- so think about outsourcing
your photo printing to a local print center. Many
services allow you to order your prints online and
can mail them to you if you can't collect them
yourself. You can often have your photos printed on
calendars, mouse mats or greeting cards, if you
wish.
Reduce your inkjet or toner costs by economizing on
ink when you can -- and keep your ink supplies ready
for those occasions when high quality presentation
counts.
About the Author
Nigel Patterson is a business writer and the
publisher of
Printer Ink 2u.com.
His many articles provide useful tips and advice for
online purchasers of
inkjet cartridges, laser toner and other printer
supplies.
<<
Back to Inkjet Articles
|
