Ink is one of the most significant ongoing office equipment expenses faced by commercial or private users of printers. Over a printer’s service life, the cost of ink cartridges can add up to substantial amounts. To learn more about how you can conserve your ink cartridges to ensure high-quality prints and keep your costs manageable, keep the following tips in mind.

How to Save Printer Ink

1. Take Your Time With Low Ink Warnings

Low-ink warnings are meant to alert you to decreasing amounts of ink that result in faded, blurred, washed-out prints. While this is a useful feature, they can range widely in accuracy depending on the manufacturer. 

For example, some cartridges can retain 8% to almost half of their ink when the low-ink warning flashes. Rather than swap out cartridges as soon as you see a low-ink warning, look for lighter-colored bands and fading to determine when you should replace your ink.

2. Use Single-Color Cartridges

Tricolor cartridges contain cyan, magenta, and yellow ink cartridges in a single unit. A common drawback with this cartridge style is that when one color is depleted, the whole cartridge must be replaced. 

A more economical option could be to choose a printer with three separate slots for cyan, yellow, and magenta cartridges. When one is empty, it can be replaced individually, saving you the cost of replacing all three.

3. Adjust Your Printer Settings

Many pieces of office equipment, including printers and copiers, come with preset ink usage specifications that may not always offer the most economical ink consumption. For example, if you’re printing large numbers of text-heavy documents, you can choose to print in grayscale to save more color ink. 

You can also set your printer to draft mode for quicker, less ink-intensive printing. This is particularly useful if you’re printing multiple copies of a document or image that will only be in use for a short time.

If you need top-quality printers, ink, and other office equipment, reach out to Bluegrass Office Systems in Lexington, KY. Serving residents throughout the area since 1981, this locally owned business offers an extensive selection of the latest printers and peripherals available to purchase, rent, or lease. To discuss your printing needs, call them at (859) 293-0435. Visit their website to learn more about their products.