Beat Printing Costs

We all do it!—in our homes, in our offices, even at the store or at other outsourcing places. Yes, we all are tied to our computers these days, personal, business, or portable; and we all have to print. But at what cost?

PennyPinchingHints.com has some ideas and suggestions for you to save on the high costs of printing.

Save Paper:

Paper is expensive. Not only does it cost you to buy it, it may also cost you to dispose of it. It’s best to save paper whenever you can. What to do?

Use waste paper to print on. The blank back of recycled papers can work for many purposes.

Choose the duplex print function. Duplex printing automatically uses both sides of a paper.

Revise on screen. Don’t print out drafts, only final copies; and preview a print job before printing it to avoid re-printing.

Save on Toner:

Although the traditional way of saving toner is the suggestion to shake it, that is not a good idea. Rather Pennypinchinghints.com suggests these ways to save.

Many toner cartridges come with optical sensors that will not allow you to print when the toner is low. Low doesn’t mean gone, so what you can do is tape over the tiny sensor and use the cartridge till it is empty.

Use can save by using refurbished cartridges, up to 50%.

You can also buy toner refill kits and save up to 90%. These kits allow you to refill used cartridges yourself instead of buying new ones.

Save Ink:

Printer ink is very expensive. The Economist (September 4, 2010) alludes to one study that compares the cost of inkjet cartridges, milliliter per milliliter, as 7 times the cost of Dom Perignon champagne. It’s always wise to save on ink. Here’s how.

Many ink cartridge sensors will tell you you’re low on ink before you are out. Always print beyond that warning, till you can no longer read your pages.

Print with ink-saving fonts. Although many systems default to Arial font, there are other fonts that are thinner and use less ink. One such font is Century Gothic.

Ecofont software has specifically designed fonts for saving ink and its software will allow you to use normal print for the computer screen and for presentations but automatically shifts to a font with holes in it for printing.

Use grayscale colors to save on ink. Black and white printing is also more saving than any colored printing.

Change your print setting to default to low quality print, and only use high quality when you need to.

Avoid printing things that have pictures, ads, and headings to save ink. One great site is PrintWhatYouLike.com. Put in the Url of what you want to be printed in and you can edit out whatever is not needed before printing. Also choose the print format option on reprints whenever you can.

When you do need to replace your ink cartridges, get more at 123Inkjets where they offer replacements at significant discount, or at HP Home Office where they sell both ink cartridges and toner plus they usually offer a nice promo with your purchase.

Save by Buying Efficient Printers:

Always do research on your printers before buying. There are hidden costs for both office and personal printers. Pennypinchinghints.com suggests checking to see that your printers have certain saving features. A printer should

Have an auto color correction feature to avoid using up certain colors too fast.

Have a duplex option.

Use fewer colors (like 4, not 5) and still produce a quality image.

Have an instant cancel option.

Meet environmental standards.

And, make sure to ask what the cost per page of printing is so you can compare. Frequently, a laser printer may be a less expensive option, considering the price per page if you don’t have the need for color. As an example, check out the low performace and low price on the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers.

Save in Other Ways:

Another option to save on print costs, especially for businesses, is outsourcing your printing. Managed Print Services (MPSs) are growing their businesses. They manage the costs of printing and charge you competitively. You can save up to 30% with such services and you don’t have to worry about repairs and supplies.