Five Ways To Maximize Your Printing Dollars

2010-07-16

Printing costs may not seem expensive, but they add up over time. A combination of laziness and lack of printing knowledge forces people to spend more money than they should on printing jobs. Most people don't realize that they could be saving printer ink cartridges and paper, along with money, with every print made. There are easy, smart ways to handle your printing, like using printer ink refills, that will make your dollar go farther.

If you're printing out something that doesn't have to look perfect, like driving directions or a copy of meeting notes, it is a good idea to use the Draft mode of your printing preferences. The Draft mode is not professional, but if you're looking to print something of little importance, it is still thoroughly readable. By making a habit of printing in Draft mode, your ink usage will decrease immensely. You can revert back to Normal or Best quality when your work is ready for a professional print.

If you want to save even more money, you can also try printing in black and white instead of color. Color printer ink cartridges cost a great deal more than plain black ink, so when something doesn't need to be printed in color, keep it simple and save your ink. Your printing options should have the option to print in black and white or grayscale, so take advantage of it. By pairing this with printing as a draft, you'll be conserving over half of your ink. When the final product is ready, you can print it normally in color.

Saving paper is probably the easiest way to save money while printing. Although it may not seem like a big deal, the pennies can really add up. A good rule of thumb is to only print the things you need. If you want to print out select pages of a document, use print preview to effectively select only the pages you want to print. If you're printing from the web, use the printing options of your browser to avoid printing advertisements and other images that will use up your ink and paper. Another way to save paper is to print 2 pages per sheet or print on both the front and back of the page. You can also practice both at once and effectively fit 4 pieces of paper onto one sheet.

By following these simple practices, including using printer ink refills, your ink will last longer, you'll save paper, and your dollar will go further. Why throw away unnecessary money on color ink cartridges and stacks of paper when you can conserve these until you really need them? Knowing how to print smart and conserve your resources is the secret to saving money on your printing jobs.