How to Save Money on Printer Cartridges

Printer cartridges are one of the most expensive accessories for your computer. If you tend to print often, you may be shelling out a lot of money for printer ink. To start saving money on printer cartridges, consider these options.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Print out a page at least once a week. Printer cartridges tend to dry up quickly when they sit unused. Printing the occasional page prevents you from having to replace the cartridges as often.

2. Preview your text first. Proofreading your documents before you print can help you use less printer ink and buy fewer cartridges.

3. Purchase a generic printer cartridge brand. Avoid the name brand cartridges; the generic brands are typically half the price.

4. Invest in an ink refill kit. Refillable cartridges allow you to simply buy the ink and refill the cartridges when the ink runs out.

5. Use the draft setting on your printer. This option makes the printer use less ink per printed page.

6. Select black ink to print your documents. You can save on printer cartridges by printing in color only when absolutely necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember to recycle your printer cartridges. Office supply stores, such as Staples, have a printer cartridge recycling program.
• You will have to replace a printer cartridge that you refill. A typical printer cartridge can be refilled ten times.

Resources

• Inkjet Super Store has a wide selection of generic printer cartridges.

[jfmalewitz]

on 1/3/2008 Good tips. I especially liked the advice about printing out a minimum of one page a week. I had a printer in storage, and wondered why it didn't work well when I started using it. Thanks for sharing this.