New Printer Ink Cartridges And Making Them Last

2010-11-16

Buying new printer ink cartridges can cost on average between $7-$20 for black ink and $10-$40 for color ink. New print cartridges should state the amount of page yields expected, but that all depends on what exactly is being printed and how it is being done. Printing a ton of images or changing the driver settings will alter the amount of pages per cartridge, yet there are still ways to make ink cartridges last their lifetime and beyond.

Change the Printer Settings

When printing documents that do not need a quality finish, change the printer settings to "draft" or "black and white" only. When printing a color page, the printer will use all of the available cartridges on the page; where as black and white documents will only use the black cartridge.

Print Selection

By eliminating unnecessary pages from using precious ink, become selective before pressing the print button. There should be a "Print Selection" button on the main printer menu which allows the freedom of choice in choosing what is going to make it onto a printed page.

Preview Before Printing

The "Print Preview" feature within the settings will make sure that prints are not wasted. By looking at what the page will look like before printing keeps ink from being thrown away on a page that is not going to be used.

Print Plain Text

Keep images on the screen and choose to print only the text of the document. If the images are not serving a purpose than just focus on what is really needed.

Print More per Page

Printing multiple pages onto one page of paper will not only save time and paper, but preserve ink as well. There is a "Multiple Pages per Sheet" setting that can save new printer ink cartridges from running out too fast.

Reduce the Font Size

If printing multiple pages is not an option, than try reducing the size of the font. It may not save as many pages, but it will reduce the usage of ink.

Use More Often

Regular printing will prevent the ink cartridges from drying up before they are even done being used. Even a small snippet of text sent to the printer daily keeps the liquids fresh.

Not Done Yet

Continue to print past the printer light coming on. As long as the printed page is serviceable, then there is no need to replace the ink cartridges with a brand new one.

Printer ink is not meant to last as long as the printer, but by being more cautious of where the ink is going the cartridges could see an extended life.