Printer ink is one of the key considerations when shopping for a printer for your office or home. Aside from ensuring the print quality, it is only understandable that you want to make sure that the replacement cartridges will fit your budget for the duration of your printer’s life. If you have lots of print jobs, the cost of printer ink can quickly add up.
If you are in the market to buy a new printer or you simply want to save ink while you print with your current printer, there are several tips that can help you lower your expenses without giving up on colorful and high quality print results.
Know More about Your Printer
Are you aware of the number of pages one cartridge can print? Even though the results are dependent on your printing needs, you can estimate output through carefully going through the specifications for cartridges meant to work with the printer model you have. There are printers that print at a default higher resolution that might require usage of more printer ink.
Optimize Output
Some default options of your printer might be set for best print resolution, even when you don’t need it. Don’t forget to regularly check the quality settings of your printer and set the default as the one that can best represent your printed work. You can also save money and printer ink if you adjust the default settings for the usual print jobs.
If you often print photos or want sharp-looking marketing materials, you can set the default to the best quality. If not, you don’t need to use all your ink just to print off an email.
Choose the Right Font
Every font uses a different amount of ink. Pick a font that has been optimized for conserving ink and you will notice a reduced ink usage without trying too hard on your part. One of the most popular default fonts is Arial, but the problem is that it uses up to 27% more printer ink as compared to the classic Times New Roman, Century Gothic or Calibri.
Purchase Your Ink in Bulk
Even though you don’t need to buy more than a cartridge at a time, planning ahead can make you enjoy more savings. There are cartridges that come in XL size that will give you more ink at a discount, as compared to getting two cartridges in a smaller size.
Most of the time, you can buy printer ink in bundles so those who want to save money will surely be pleased to know that purchasing a multi-pack is often more affordable than individually buying them.
Be Careful with Printing
Make sure you take some time to assess how many of your recent print jobs were essential and check if there are any wasted prints. You can preview your documents using an e-reader or save your files to your laptop, instead of printing everything.