New printer ink cartridges are expensive. According to a 2007 global study by The American Consumer Institute, an estimated $30 billion is spent each year on Inkjet cartridges. Inkjet cartridges account for 50% of the total worldwide inkjet market. In just a few months, the cost of replacing your printer ink cartridge can exceed the purchase price of the printer itself. Besides printing less, there are some things you can do to save money on ink cartridges and minimise the cost of replacing your printer cartridges.

Buy branded printer models

Most top brand printer models use individual primary colour cartridges, which makes it easy to replace each cartridge when it runs out. Cheap printers may have a low price tag, but they often also have cartridges that cost almost the same price as the printer. When purchasing your printer, check the cost of the cartridges the printer uses. This will help minimise the cost of replacing the cartridges should the need arise.

Print in black

Colour printer ink cartridges are more expensive than black ink cartridges. Use colour cartridges sparingly only when printing important documents. It is advisable to default your printer to use greyscale printing to ensure your printer prints in black most of the time.

Use high quality paper

Low quality printing paper is generally porous. It absorbs more ink than high quality paper. This means you end up spending more money on printer ink in the long run when you use low quality paper instead of high quality paper. To get better print quality and save money on ink cartridges, buy and use good quality printing paper that is smooth and less absorbent.

Print multiple pages per sheet

Most printers can print multiple pages per sheet. Take advantage of this feature to save money on papers as well as on ink cartridges. For example, set your printer to print four, readable pages of your presentations or other documents on a single sheet of paper to save on ink and printing paper.

Print only the text you need

Print only the text you need on a page and not the whole page to save on ink and paper. Highlight the text you want and click “Selection” on the printer dialog box. Press “Ctrl+P” on your keyboard or click “File” and then hit “Print” on your tool bar to send the selected text to your printer. Remember to preview the selected page before you hit the “print” to ensure you are printing only the text that you need.

Refill ink cartridges

Another way to save money is to refill ink cartridges yourself. You will need to purchase a refill kit that contains the tools you need to complete the task. Alternatively, refill empty ink cartridges at your nearest ink refill station. Carry your empty cartridges to a local refill store and pay a small fee to have a professional refill the cartridge for you. Refilling ink cartridges yourself can be messy, but it represents a cost effective method of saving money on ink cartridges.

While you are saving money on cartridges, don’t forget to recycle your ink cartridges to save the environment too.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges, including toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World (http://www.cartridgeworld.co.uk), the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges, including toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Category: Advice
Keywords: inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges, printer cartridges