How to Save Printer Ink

Do your Ink cartridges keep running out quickly? Printer ink isn't exactly cheap either. Read on and you'll find out how to save your precious ink.

Steps

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    Use ecofont. Ecofont shoots holes into your font. It can help you save up to 20% ink compared to standard fonts.
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    Check your document for mistakes. If you find one once you've hit print then you'll have wasted all that ink and have to print again.
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    Use your printers Fast Draft/EconoFast setting. Unless you're printing something where quality is required.
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    Try using software that lets you choose which parts of your document you want to print and delete what you don't. It will track your savings in ink and paper.
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    Print in Black and White wherever possible. Black ink cartridges are usually much cheaper than the colours.
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    Before you print anything, make use of the preview option and check whether things look good. At this point you may decide to manually change the settings, for example print several pages on one piece of paper, reduce the size of an image etc.
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    Turn off your printer using the on/off switch on it before turning it off at the mains. The likelihood is that your printer will park the ink cartridges and cap them so that they do not dry out.
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    Don't clean your printer heads or align them unless necessary. This wastes ink.
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    Don’t be alarmed if your printer reports that ink or toner are empty. Chances are you have 10-30% lifetime left. So keep printing until the printer stops. Remember to buy a new cartridge for when the cartridges do run out.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I convert a JPEG to a PDF file to save printer ink?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There are several apps, websites, and programs which will do that for you. Just search "JPG to PDF converter" in Google for a list of options.
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Warnings

  • Buying compatible/remanufactured ink may invalidate your printers warranty, but not in the US. Federal Law, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act (U.S. Code – Title 15, Chapter 50, Sections 2301 – 2312) prohibits any company to require you purchase only their products and it prohibits a manufacturer from voiding your machines warranty simply by using refilled cartridges.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 51,311 times.
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Co-authors: 7
Updated: June 4, 2020
Views: 51,311
Categories: Printers | Ink Cartridges
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