For most people, the cost of printing can be pretty high. You need to get the right printer, then you need to spend money on ink and toner cartridges and buy paper. Because the cost can be quite high, you’ll probably be looking for simple but effective ways to reduce your printing costs.
Find a Printer with a Low Cost per Page
The easiest way to keep your printing costs down is to find a printer with a low cost per page. You may only shave off a half a cent per page, but those half cents add up over time to a much bigger saving. The downside of this tactic is that the initial cost for a printer with a low cost per page may be a little higher than other printers on the market. Remember, cheaper printers usually tend to require more expensive ink cartridges, and often use more ink.
Make Sure Your Printer Prints on Both Sides
Almost all printers available these days have automatic duplexers built in. An automatic duplexer is a feature that allows the printer to print on both sides of a sheet of paper without you having to manually turn the page over and feed it back into the machine. Printing on both sides of the page will cut your paper costs in half. If you print high volumes of text documents especially, this is a great way to reduce your paper cost as well as help the environment.
Only Print What’s Absolutely Necessary
Think before you print; you don’t need every document you make in hard copy. Rather than printing out documents to distribute around the office, send out digital copies via email. With tablet computers and lightweight laptops becoming more popular, it’s possible to carry around your documents in a digital format. Be conservative with your printing.
Take Care of Your Cartridges and Printer
Another way of making your printer more efficient may be as simple as just cleaning it regularly. Dust, built up ink, small bits of paper and general wear and tear on your printer may be the reason your printing costs are rising. Clean your equipment regularly to ensure smooth and efficient printing.
Use Refillable Cartridges
Printer ink itself can be quite expensive, but the cost of a whole new cartridge is even higher. Try to use refillable cartridges to reduce your printing costs over time. Not only will this save you money, (though, again, initial costs can be quite high for these cartridges) but it will also reduce your environmental impact. Another great way to save money on your cartridges that not many people know about is cartridge recycling. An empty cartridge holds quite a bit of value as it has a lot of small parts that can be reused. Sell off your empty cartridges for remanufacturing to make a little bit of money back on your cartridge costs.