Ink and toner can be costly, especially if you print in high volume, but there are ways you can save on printing costs. There isn’t one solution for every dilemma however, so you should check to see which ones you can incorporate into your work.
Before getting started on your path to saving money on ink and toner, it would be good for you to have an idea of how often or how much you print on a monthly or yearly basis, as printing frequency plays into which money-saving methods will work for you.
Buy discounted ink and toner cartridges. Another way to save on printing costs is by using coupons and voucher codes to buy ink and toner cartridges at discounted prices. The codes are especially helpful if you print high-quality outputs frequently and are keen on saving money.
Buy a printer with a low cost per page. There are many printers on the market that come with a budget-friendly price, but use up a lot of ink so even if it seems you’re saving money by shopping for an inexpensive printer, you’re actually spending more on printing costs in the long run because you end up buying more ink.
You can find information on printing cost per page from the manufacturers’ official sites and on various review websites. Generally, the most economical ink and toner cartridges are usually the most expensive, but if you print in bulk, going for high-end printers using these cartridges may be the wiser option when it comes to saving money. If you print less frequently, go for low-capacity inkjet cartridges instead.
Think twice before you print. Print only the material that you absolutely need. Oftentimes, the things we think we need to be printed out can be left as a draft or saved as a document for reading on screen. If you really need a hard copy of a webpage, go for the printer-friendly version that automatically does away with ink-wasting elements, such as ads and navigation bars. Don’t forget to preview documents before printing so you can adjust spaces and make some layout edits here and there to conserve ink.
Change the font type. If the material you’re printing is purely for reading and documentation purposes, consider switching the font to something that uses up less ink but is still easy to read. For instance, EcoFont uses up 25 percent less ink because it has tiny holes in every letter, but it doesn’t sacrifice readability.
Lower the printing quality. By lowering the resolution, you use up less ink and make the print job finish faster, too. Print in draft mode as often as possible for well, drafts and other unimportant documents. If your professor allows it, print a draft of your dissertation and other academic writing in draft mode before submitting it for comment and review. You can also print in black and white for text-only documents, as color ink cartridges are more expensive.
Use up all the ink. Low-ink warnings may prompt you to replace your cartridges prematurely when in fact they may still contain up to 30 percent of ink (quick note: this varies depending on the manufacturer). Don’t rush to replace them unless the printout quality decreases or when you’re about to start a print job that requires a high-quality output.
