How to save on printer ink: Be selective with what you print, stick with name-brand ink, more
With the cost of living spiking in recent weeks – in part because inflation is at its highest level since 1981 (as measured by the consumer price index) – many Americans are looking for deals at the grocery store, relief at the pumps and ways to shave down electricity bills in the home.
Even common “consumables” like printer ink are more expensive today and are especially felt by home-based workers or perhaps those entertaining kids with crafts over the summer.
The good news is there are simple practices that could help you get more out of your printer ink, as well as a few other tips and tricks to consider when printing at home.
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A few suggestions:
Practice ‘selective printing’
Can you sign that document digitally? Isn’t it smarter to buy an activity book from your local dollar store than printing out coloring pages for toddlers? Can you get away with a digital album of pics from your vacation instead of printing out dozens of photos?
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Use the print button on web pages instead of Control+P
If you really need to print something out from the internet – such as a return label from Amazon, an important email or a boarding pass – look for the “Print” button on the web page itself near the top of the page.
Clicking this will ignore (or at least reduce) the unnecessary printing of images, ads and banners around the content itself – opposed to using the Ctrl+P print shortcut (in Windows) or Command+P (on a Mac), which will print everything on the page.
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Seal up unfinished ink
It’s a good idea to have a replacement ink cartridge handy – in case you need to print something out and the stores are closed – but be sure to keep the ink in the sealed container or foil bag it was sold in. If you open it prematurely, oxygen will begin drying the ink up over time.
On that note, if you do have spare ink opened, seal it tightly in a Ziplock bag to prevent it drying up. This is especially useful for snowbirds who live elsewhere half the year and leave their printers unused for months at a time.
Finally, perform regular maintenance checks on your printer to make sure it’s running at optimal performance.
Go cartridge-free
Perhaps the best tip out of the bunch is to buy a printer that doesn’t take cartridges at all.
The Epson EcoTank family of “supertank” printers, for example (from $279), include a set of black and color ink bottles that last up to two years. This is the equivalent of about 90 ink cartridges, says Epson, with each replacement set of bottles saving you up to $1,000 each time. It also reduces the amount of plastic that goes into landfills.
Having so much ink also solves another “pain point” associated with printing: running out of ink at the most inopportune time.
This wireless printer/scanner/copier also lets you print from smartphones and tablets, plus you can use your voice via a smart speaker, too, such as asking “OK Google, print a crossword puzzle” or “Alexa, print my grocery list.”
Free the font
Save money on ink by formatting your document with Ecofont, a collection of downloadable font styles that are “perforated.”
Though they may look the same to the naked eye, these fonts have tiny holes in the letters, numbers and symbols and, when printed, can save up to 46% of your ink or toner, says Ecofont. An annual license costs about $9.25 for or a home user (more for a business).
Like EcoTank, these fonts are not only easier on your wallet, but they also mean fewer ink cartridges in landfills.