If you have purchased replacement ink cartridges and printer paper, you know exactly what we mean when we say printing is expensive. We can’t completely stop printing in most cases, but there are some ways to save money when printing from home. From buying paper in bulk to changing the settings on your printer, we break it all down below.
Printing Habits to Adopt
Use Grayscale
There is no reason to print a document in color if the document does not actually need color. In such a case, printing in grayscale can help preserve your ink.
In fact, most default settings on inkjet printers are set to print in color—most likely because the setting uses more ink, forcing you to buy more cartridges. Don’t fall for the manufacturer’s trap.
Simply clicking grayscale or black and white before printing a document will significantly reduce your ink usage and allow you to save money in the long run.
Eco-Mode or Draft Mode
In addition to color mode on printers, most printers today have options like eco-mode or draft mode to use as little ink as possible. Keeping these modes on continually will save you money over time.
The only time you should turn off eco-mode is if you are printing a photograph that needs full color.
Always Proofread Before Printing
If you neglect to review your work before printing, you may find a bunch of typos and will have to go back and make the edits and reprint the document.
Not to mention, if you’re printing a legal document or something equally important, you should ensure that the document is grammatically correct and free of typos. Of course, mistakes happen, but try to catch the mistakes upfront.
Catching mistakes and making the edits before printing not only helps you reduce wasting paper and ink but also saves you money and time. Additionally, your documents will look much more professional if presented to a client without errors.
Get the Most Out of Each Page
One way to get the most use out of each page is by making the margins smaller. Reducing your document’s margins allows you to fit more on the page, allowing you to use less paper. In the long term, this will save you money because you won’t need to reorder paper as often.
Reducing the margins will help you save paper in cases when a document bleed over just a few words from the first page. In other words, just shaving a quarter-inch off your margins can make the difference between using additional paper.
Another great way to use less paper is printing on both sides. Like reducing margins, printing on both sides (or duplex printing) allows you to get the most out of your paper.
Print Something Only When Needed
Naturally, the best way to save money when printing at home is by not printing at all. For instance, avoiding printing documents just because you think you might need a paper copy one day can save you a lot of paper. You either need a paper copy now or you don’t. Never print something just to have a hard copy; that is certainly a waste of paper, ink, and money. In fact, most “just in case” documents end up in the recycle bin before we know it.
Purchasing Paper and Ink the Right Way
Buy the Right Paper and Buy It in Bulk
Unless you are printing diplomas, certificates, or some other important document, you do not need to be printing on cardstock or another thick paper.
Basic printer paper will work just fine for everyday printing, so there is no need to go overboard with cardstock or paper with an expensive finish. Again, getting more than you need is going to cost you over time.
In addition, purchasing paper one ream at a time may be fine for those who print sparingly, but if you are a frequent printer, purchasing paper in single reams will add up quickly. Instead, purchase boxes of reams. Buying in bulk will allow you to see exponential growth in savings over time.
Use Remanufactured or Compatible Ink Cartridges
We all know how ridiculous the prices of brand-name ink cartridges are, so consider buying remanufactured or compatible ink cartridges.
Remanufactured cartridges come from cleaning, refilling, and fixing an empty brand-name cartridge, making them much more eco-friendly than any other cartridge alternative. Using remanufactured cartridges significantly reduces the number of cartridges in landfills because you are reusing a recycled cartridge.
If you are not yet convinced about remanufactured cartridges and their quality, shopping with us will certainly give you the confidence and save you a great deal of money. All our cartridges go through rigorous testing to ensure they meet brand-name specifications and are guaranteed to work with your printer.
We also have compatible ink cartridges that are slightly different from remanufactured cartridges. Instead of recycling an old cartridge, manufacturers build compatible cartridges from scratch with new parts, so they fit their respective printer series.
The major benefit both cartridges offer is the cost per quality. In fact, both remanufactured and compatible cartridges are sold at a fraction of the price of brand-name cartridges without compromising quality.
Whether you run a business from home or you just need to print occasional documents, printing gets expensive. Luckily there are a few ways to reduce your printing costs. For example, following our recommendations will help you balance your printing budget more efficiently.
Whatever your scenario is, we know you can benefit from remanufactured or compatible ink cartridges. No one wants to spend the money on expensive brand-name cartridges. Instead, our cartridges are an affordable alternative.
Here at 1ink.com, we price our remanufactured and compatible cartridges at a fraction of the cost of brand-name cartridges but hold them to the same standard of quality. We guarantee our customers will be satisfied with our products, and for confident shopping, we offer a one-year warranty on all our cartridges.
So whether you need replacement ink cartridges for HP printers or for any other major brand, we have an extensive inventory from which you can shop. Contact us today for more information, and we would be happy to help you find the cartridge you need.
