It’s a running joke amongst business owners nowadays how expensive printer ink and toner is. Printing is a necessity in almost any occupation, so saving money on ink and toner is key to keeping your bottom line down. There are tweaks you can make to your habits which will use less ink and toner while keeping your output the same. By using less, you save both on time and money. Fewer replacements mean lower costs and your team won’t spend hours cursing at the machine while it beeps for a new cartridge. Try these five tips to make your printer ink last longer!
1. Disregard Your Low Ink Warning
Ink and toner cartridges are built to be replaced or recycled, so the ‘low ink’ warning may show before it’s out. Instead of immediately swapping out the printer ink cartridge when the dreaded low sign comes up, keep printing. This is the best time to order the new cartridge, rather than constantly keeping them on deck. Once you notice a decline in the print quality for a specific color (blacks coming out more grey than black), change the cartridge out for a new one.
2. Opt for High-Quality Cartridges
It’s tempting to save money on the front end by purchasing off-brand printer ink, but this will inevitably end up being more expensive. Low-quality ink regularly uses fillers, which can eventually build up in parts of your printer and clog the machine. To avoid this happening, only use name-brand, high-quality printer ink cartridges which are produced by the same manufacturer as your equipment. Your local print supply company can assist you in finding the best fit for your printer.
3. Preview Your Print Before Sending to the Printer
What seems to be an obvious step is often the most overlooked one. Taking the time to preview your printed material in Word, Excel, or any other program which offers direct print can save you massive amounts of ink. Items can look entirely different on the screen as opposed to printed paper and checking the print preview before sending it to the printer will avoid costly mistakes.
4. Use Draft Mode
A setting built into any office program; draft mode is a godsend from the business gods. All draft mode does is set the output to a lighter print. Most laser or inkjet printers need to go over a single letter multiple times to get the ‘normal’ jet black color, but the human eye doesn’t need all those layers of ink to decipher the document. Draft mode tells your printer to print the same number of letters but at a lighter shade of black, saving printer ink on every sheet.
5. Regularly Maintain Your Printer
If you don’t change your car’s oil regularly, what happens? It doesn’t work as well! The same goes for your printer. Printers are delicate pieces of equipment, with multiple rollers and feeds which can get clogged or dirty over time. To ensure you’re getting the maximum printer ink output, you want to have equipment that is functioning to the best of its abilities. Depending on your business’s printer usage, this may mean just a yearly check-up from a print supply company or setting up a routine maintenance program. Fortunately, we’re here to help! For any of your printing needs or projects contact Vegas Ink and Toner.
