Common Printer Ink Mistakes That Can Cost A Small Business

2010-02-01

In a small business, it is far too easy for costs to get out of hand. Every penny counts, and like all business supplies, printer ink cartridges cost money. Fortunately, there are many practical ways for small businesses to rein in printing costs, conserve resources, and all but eliminate a number of common printer ink mistakes.

One approach small businesses can take to reduce the amount of money spent on printer ink is to change the printing habits of the office. An easy way to accomplish this is to print only what is needed. For example, if all of the information that needs to be shared can be found on one or two pages of a document, then it is a waste of ink to print the remaining pages. Similarly, graphics do not have to be printed if the text of a document is all that is needed. Memos or announcements can be printed once and posted in a common area or circulated among staff. Changing printer options and preferences on computers are another way for small businesses to use less ink. Some programs have a "draft output" option, which allows for saving ink. Likewise, settings can be adjusted on some printers to reduce the graphic resolution; selecting a lower DPI (dots per inch) will result in less ink being used for each job yet will not significantly affect the quality of the print when normal printer paper is used.

Another common printer mistake that small businesses make is printing without first assessing which documents need to be printed. In fact, it may be helpful to establish company guidelines for what types of documents should be printed and under what circumstances. In order to make printer cartridges last longer, workers can use the "print preview" option to view documents before printing them. Instead of being printed on paper, files may be printed to PDF as an alternative. As a portable document format, PDF files can easily be reviewed and exchanged via e-mail or on the company's Internet network. Best of all, there are many free utilities that easily and efficiently are able to convert any file to PDF format. Finally, small businesses might consider investing in an ink saving software program such as InkSaver 2.0, GreenPrint, or FinePrint. For a minimal investment, programs like these reduce the amount of ink used by printers without sacrificing print quality.

Cutting printing costs in the workplace doesn't have to be costly. With a little attention and a few basic changes, small businesses can easily avoid common printer ink mistakes and save money while doing so.