5 Ways to Save Printer Ink and Paper
One of the most frustrating things when it comes to printers is the cost of toner and paper. Toner and copy paper are both expensive, and never seem to last long enough. One of the easiest things you can do to save toner and paper is learn the technical “ins and outs” of your printer and its functions.
In this article we’ll address many of the technical aspects to consider before setting up your next print job.
Printer Settings. If you’re serious about saving toner this is one of the first things you should set up. Per capita, proper printer settings will save you the most money! Use the “low quality” setting.
Some people manually choose the “low-quality” setting for each print job. Want a better idea? Consider making “low-quality” your default printer setting. This change forces you to manually select “high-quality” print only when you really need it. Seriously; when do you really need “high-quality” print outs anyway?
So, want to know an easy way to make this change? To permanently change your printer’s default settings on a Windows machine navigate to: Start >> Printers and Faxes. Right click and click open. Search the tabs until you find your default
settings and select “low-quality” as the default. Operating system layouts are different so look around until you find the setting.
Print Layout. Does your print job have to be page per page? Maybe you could get by with two or four pages per sheet of paper? Ever considered printing on both sides of the paper? Both of these great ideas can save you lots of ink and paper.
To print multiple pages on one sheet in Word navigate to: File >> Print >> Pages Per Sheet and select two, four, six, eight, or ten sheets per page. As stated earlier, different versions of Word will have this set-up in different ways. Fiddle around with your version until you figure it out. Use the print preview until you get it right.
Keep in mind that when you make a change to this printer setting it usually stays that way. Make sure to go into your settings to change it back if you want a regular print job.
Black and White. This seems like a “no-brainer” yet time and again people make this mistake. Color ink costs more cash. The more color ink you use the less cash you’ll have in your wallet!
Print in black and white or grayscale. Look in your printer properties and choose black and white as your default. Color ink is expensive. Only use it when you need it.
Remember: just because a color print job has a lot of black ink in it, this doesn’t mean that you won’t burn through serious amount of color ink. What? Black is black, right? No, it isn’t. Did you know that black in a “color” print job mixes with other colors to make a higher resolution black? This means you’ll use more of your color inks for basic black.
Resolution. Reduce your printer’s graphic resolution. You’ll find your printer’s graphic resolution in the advanced settings. Use 300 dots per inch [dpi]. 300 dpi is good for most print jobs. Remember that regular paper doesn’t work with high resolutions anyway. Only apply a high resolution when you’re using high-quality photo paper. If you’re having difficulty finding your resolution settings look around for “Econo” print, draft, or ink saver options instead. It will reduce your resolution for you.
Print Preview. As mentioned earlier, use your print preview before printing anything. Make sure your settings, margins, and images are correct in advance. Navigate to: File >> Print Preview and take a look.
Got Inkjet? Here’re some basic advice for inkjet printer owners:
1. Keep it flowing. Inkjet printers need a steady flow of electricity. Why? Think about it. Every time you completely disconnect your inkjet it starts over again. A cleaning cycle engages when your machine starts up again. Cleaning cycles cost you energy and lots of ink.
2. Manual shut off. To keep your ink from drying out turn off your printer manually. Never cut off the power from a strip. Use your manual on/off button to shut it down. This allows the printer to “set” its ink cartridges in their correct place. This will keep your ink from drying out due to exposure.
3. Keep on Printing. When alerted that your ink or toner is empty, let it keep running jobs. Make sure you get another cartridge ready, but run this one until the printer stops. Most cartridges have 10-30% worth of ink remaining before they run out.
There you have it. Some great tips to save you cash in replacement cartridges and paper. Follow these tips and you’ll start saving money in toner and paper today!
Despite all the advice above you’ll eventually need to buy a replacement printer cartridge for your printer. You should buy it from a reputable online merchant who sells refillable cartridges or generic cartridges which are fully compatible with the manufacturers’ own brand replacements. LaptopsForLess.com has a huge selection of replacement cartridges in stock, at very reasonable prices [often a fraction of the cost of manufacturers’ own brand replacements]. We’ll even recycle your old printer cartridges for you!
