You know that printer that has been sitting in your home office or basement? Believe it or not, you can do a lot more with it than print documents. Who would have thought there are alternate uses for a household printer? Keep reading to learn some of the unique things you can do with your printer.
Children’s Games and Crafts
Considering our world’s current events, an increasing number of parents have been essentially forced to homeschool their kids. That responsibility comes with a lot of documents and writing activities that you will have to print.
This is especially true if you have younger children because they often have several different activities that require using paper and writing/drawing tools, such as arts and crafts. Some of the crafts you can print include masks that they can decorate, paper fans, and of course, plenty of coloring sheets.
However, what happens when you have finished homeschooling for the day? The kids need to stay entertained somehow. Several online resources give you templates for printing out board games with cardstock and other fun activities.
It is better to keep our kids engaged and active as opposed to letting them play on their devices the rest of the evening, right? Foster that activity and engagement by printing out games and activities for them.
Greeting Cards
Some people gave up on sending greeting cards and postcards years ago. But if we are honest, there really is nothing like getting a handwritten card from someone. Your printer has several settings that help you print in different sizes.
Many printers can print sizes from A10 to A7, A6, and sometimes beyond. So whether you are printing a greeting card or a business card, your printer likely has settings ready to go. Use these pre-installed settings to your advantage to send something special to someone.
Print Your Artwork
If you are an artistic person, you can even print out your artwork using an inkjet printer. We recommend using inkjet as opposed to a laser printer because the ink has more accurate and vivid color representation.
If you are a photographer, we can only imagine how proud you are of your shots, and we have some good news for you: you can use your printer to print high-quality photographs! Whether you want to sell your photos on the side or use them as decoration in your home, your inkjet printer will work great.
Stickers and Decals
If you own a business, you are likely doing most––if not all––of your work at home. However, just because you are home doesn’t mean you stop production, right? Of course not. Your printer can help you create stickers, labels, and decals for your products using water slide decal paper and other alternatives.
Most printers are more than capable of printing these items for you; just make sure you update your printer settings to handle the “paper” type; otherwise, you could end up with a jam.
Alternatively, you could print stickers for your kids because what kid doesn’t love stickers? Just make sure the stickers don’t end up on your wall while you are trying to work! There are tons of templates available for stickers, decals, and more.
Printing your own stickers, decals, and labels save you a lot of money in the long run. Not to mention, if you print on your own time, you also have the opportunity to work ahead if you want as opposed to waiting on your supplier.
Custom Napkins
Are you planning a fun get-together or party once such things are permissible again? Get those paper napkins ready by printing something special on them. That’s right: you can customize your napkins with pictures, designs, initials, logos, and more.
Having this capability makes it possible to take your special occasion––or family dinner––to the next level. Additionally, if you are a small business that sells customized paper napkins, this is a huge opportunity while working from home.
DIY Business Paper Bags or Lunch Paper Bags
You know that little paper bag that Starbucks puts your breakfast sandwich in? You could recreate a similar bag for your business. For instance, you could put your cafe’s logo on a small to-go paper bag for some custom branding.
Alternatively, once kids are back in school, you could print out labels with your child’s name to stick on paper lunch sacks. Likewise, if you are throwing a party this summer, you could customize the bags and use them for your favors.
Business Cards
As of today, there is still no better way to exchange information professionally than handing someone a business card. However, ordering business cards is surprisingly expensive.
Save yourself some money and make your own business cards at home because, whether you want to accept it or not, business cards are still in. Your printer can easily handle your next business card order as long as you are willing to cut the cards out from the sheet.
There is no question that households and businesses still need a printer. Most of us will only need to print a document here and there; however, you shouldn’t forget about all the other printing capabilities you have with a basic printer.
This blog touched on only some of the unique things you can do with your printer. For instance, you could create custom ribbons, transfer an inkjet photo onto wood, print onto burlap, and so much more.
So don’t be afraid of getting creative; that printer can do a lot more than you realize. However, we know what you are thinking, “All this ink sounds expensive.” And that is true––but only if you are using brand-name printer ink. However, there are affordable options, such as remanufactured and compatible ink cartridges.
Here at 1ink.com, we specialize in offering high-quality remanufactured and compatible ink cartridges. We don’t think all your hard-earned money should go into ink. We also don’t think you should have to sacrifice printing quality, which is why we take quality so seriously.
Our products are held to the same standard as the OEM brand-name cartridges, but we sell them at a fraction of the price. So whether you’re looking for Dell cartridges or discount ink and toner for any other brand, we have an extensive inventory for you to peruse today.
