5 Ways to Stretch Your Printer Ink Supply
By Andrew Yeung
There comes a time where you are needing to print off an important document and then you are faced with the devastating news that your ink is low. You replace the ink cartridge only to find that a few dozen pages later you are low again.
For business or personal use, ink costs can add up quickly. Luckily, we have a few tips and techniques that can help stretch your ink supply.
1. Print in Black and White
Remember the good ol’ days where we would print off directions to a friend’s house or a restaurant? Not only did we get the directions on paper, but they printed off in bright spunky colors. By simply updating your default settings to print only in black and white, also known as grayscale, you will aid in the conservation of the color ink cartridges for when you need it most.
2. Change the Font
By eliminating the fun font types and holding back on bolding the important text, you will keep your ink usage at a minimal.
Ecofont, developed by SPRANQ, is an “eco-friendly” font software for Outlook and Word that saves up to 50% of your ink and toner compared to standard fonts. The software is free to use and downloading is easy. Works for both Mac and Windows OS.
3. Double-Check Your Work
It’s always a good rule of thumb to double (or sometimes triple) check your work for mistakes. Not only does that practice ensure that your work is the best it can be, but it also prevent reprinting which in turn saves on ink usage.
4. Select “Printer-Friendly” When Printing Directly from Web
Printing directly from webpages can result in unnecessary amounts of pages. Webpages can hold several images as well as ads that aren’t useful if printed. Opt for the printer-friendly option on the webpage. If the option is unavailable, there is a bookmarklet called Print What You Like that creates a printer friendly version of the website. This tool is also available as a Chrome extension and is free to use. Not only will it omit all unnecessary images, but it will save your ink and paper from unwanted printing.
5. Turn Your Printer’s ‘On/Off Switch’ to OFF
Unlike computers and other electronic devices, turning the printer off is something we really do not think about. One unknowing tidbit is to ensure your printer’s on/off switch is turned to off. This will park and cap your ink cartridge and prevent it from drying out prematurely.
If you have any other suggestions or tips on how to save on printer ink supply, please submit them below. We’d love to hear from you!