21 tips for saving printing costs that no printer manufacturer will tell you!

TIP 1: Only print out what really needs to be printed.

In everyday life you notice that although almost everyone now owns a smartphone and has access to computers, extremely much is printed out. We were wondering why. For many people, paper is better and easier to read than screen content. Printed documents are easier to correct, mark, etc. and then forward. Printed pages are something solid - nothing crashes or does not start. Data loss is caused at most by fire or water. Printouts are somehow more binding - for example in contracts. We're comfortable with it. Digital signature or backup? There is often uncertainty and disagreement regarding the legal retention periods and modalities for tax-relevant documents. Consequently, everything is printed and filed as a precaution. Consider whether the document really needs to be printed. Unimportant e-mails, documents, etc. do not have to be printed out. It is better to optimize the workplace ergonomics (e.g. purchase a better monitor, or optimally configure the email program, in which e.g. the font size is adjusted).

TIP 2: Do not replace the ink cartridges and toner at the first message!

You probably know the feeling when you have changed the Printer cartridge, the message that the ink level is low appears again and you should replace the cartridge immediately or immediately. Just because the ink cartridge is almost empty, it does not need to be replaced immediately. It is best to order a new cartridge now and wait until the cartridge is really empty. With Toner cartridges you can also use another trick: Remove the toner and shake it a few times carefully, horizontally back and forth. This distributes the toner powder inside the cartridge and you can usually continue printing for a long time without any errors.

Tip: How to change a toner

TIP 3: Buy only high capacity printer cartridges and toner.

Many ink cartridges and toners are offered in several versions. On the one hand there are the normal ink cartridges and on the other hand there are toner and cartridges with a high filling quantity, so-called XL or HC (High Capacity) variants. Buying high-capacity ink and toner cartridges can significantly reduce your printing costs per page.

General: The higher the filling quantity of a cartridge, the lower the cost per side. You should definitely compare. However, they should also consider their individual printing behaviour. If you print a lot, XL cartridges and high-capacity toners are the right choice for you. If you print less and do not use a Laser printer, there is a risk that large ink cartridges will dry out.

Such printer cartridges and toners make sense especially for multiple printers. Users who print less should invest in an economy pack with several cartridges. There is also a great saving effect here. Toners, on the other hand, cannot dry out.

TIP 4: Buy multipacks or doublepacks.

Many ink cartridges and toners are also offered in so-called Multipacks, Valuepacks, Promopacks, double packs or even quadruple packs. This applies to both original and alternative products. Buying the toners and ink cartridges in a set can save you between 10 and 30 percent compared to buying them individually. At the same time, you can set up a handy supply so that you are no longer surprised by empty cartridges and toner.

TIP 5: Buy compatible toners and printer cartridges.

Ink cartridges, toner, picture drums, ribbons - it doesn't always have to be the original! You will see in our webshop that we also offer cheaper alternatives from third party manufacturers for many products. These compatible toners often offer significant cost savings compared to the original products of the device manufacturers. The alternative, compatible products also undergo numerous quality controls and are manufactured to industry standards so that they work smoothly with your device. The price is an unbeatable argument here. We are happy to recommend the following to our customers: If you really want the prints and copies to be of the very best quality, as you contact these customers and business partners, you may be better off choosing the original products. But if you only use the printouts and copies internally and only for a short time, then the alternative inks and toners are really a good solution!

TIP 6: Buy printer accessories online!

Buying inks and toners online is between 10 and 30 percent cheaper than in the shop. The price saving is so great that even the shipping costs no longer matter. At the same time you have the perfect price comparison and can quickly see which product is the cheap alternative for you. In addition, we can offer many products or product variants that a normal shop does not have at all, usually due to lack of space.

TIP 7: Buy toner and ink cartridges in stock.

A blanking printer or a non-functioning copier can cause considerable delays and, in the worst case, losses in many companies and enterprises. You should always keep an eye on how much ink or toner you still have in stock for your devices. You should place a new order at the latest when the printer or copier first complains about a low ink level or an empty toner. And while you're at it, why not buy several cartridges? On the one hand you can profit from multipacks, on the other hand we offer a graduated price for most products starting from 2 pieces, so that you can save in any case with the supply purchase. Clever stockpiling thus contributes to the uninterrupted and smooth flow of your business activities. With toners, you don't need to worry about durability, because they are filled with a dry powder and not with a liquid, nothing can dry out here. Ink cartridges, on the other hand, can dry out if stored incorrectly, but the range is usually limited to several hundred pages, so that the change intervals are significantly shorter. It is best to store ink cartridges in the shade at room temperature or slightly cooler. This will prevent the ink from drying out prematurely. You should also leave the cartridges in their original packaging, which usually consists of a transparent foil or an opaque aluminium bag. In addition, the cartridges are often vacuum-packed. The packaging protects the ink from evaporation and drying out.

More info:Store printer accessories correctly.

TIP 8: Print in draft mode.

Your printer and copiers usually have different printing programs with which you can save ink and toner almost unnoticed. For example, print in design quality instead of presentation quality. We have already told you about printing in design rather than presentation quality. The printer uses less ink. In some cases, you also have the option of making test prints with lower resolution. The printer uses an economy mode or reduces the print resolution. If one of these modes is set, the printing result becomes less powerful. The printer or copier simply uses less ink or toner. You can therefore use this setting for test prints or internal documents. If you need both high quality prints and working copies, it is recommended to create several print profiles in which the corresponding settings are stored. You will find the relevant information in your manual.

TIP 9: Print cheaper with certain fonts.

Fonts with wide letters, thick lines, many curls and serifs use more printer ink and toner than reduced fonts. Sometimes you can reduce your printing costs by up to 30% with the right font. Savings fonts are "Century Gothic" and "Garamond", which are standard in most word processing programs. The top 3 fonts that you should not use because they use a lot of ink and toner are:

• 1. Arial
• 2. Trebuchet
• 3. Tahoma

Even smaller font sizes save paper and ink. For example, you can reduce the font size to a comfortable size for you before printing. This means more content fits on a sheet of paper, saving you toner, ink and even paper.

TIP 10: Color or monochrome printing.

If you want to save ink, you can print in black and white. That much seems clear. So consider whether it really must always be colour prints. It is no coincidence that colour copies in the copy shop are many times more expensive than simple black-and-white copies. Ink cartridges are usually more expensive than black cartridges. But what about grayscale? Many printers and copiers offer this option. But can you really save money with it? Unfortunately not - because many printers use the colors for the grayscale. Grayscales are usually not produced by the economical use of black ink. That means the grey is not printed with black, but is composed of all colours. And that's exactly what you want to avoid.

TIP 11: Shut down the printer properly.

Right at the beginning: You should not switch off your inkjet printer via the power strip. These devices require very little power. However, if they are completely disconnected from the power circuit, they reinstall themselves when they are switched on again. This may cause the printheads to be rinsed with ink, consuming a lot of expensive ink.

Laser printers, on the other hand, consume a relatively large amount of power when idle. However, they usually have an off switch that really disconnects them from the mains and does not leave them in standby mode. They are therefore not reinstalled or cleaned by default on a reboot. Therefore, the following applies to laser printers and copiers: Switch it off!

And for printers, the same applies to refrigerators and washing machines: pay attention to energy efficiency when you buy them!

TIP 12: Buy a new printer.

Are the cartridges or toners very expensive for the device? And have you had the device for quite some time? Then it might be a good idea to invest in a modern device where consumables are cheaper. In this case, the purchase costs of a new inkjet printer or small device can pay for themselves after just a few cartridge changes. At the same time, it can happen to you that after a while inks and toners are no longer produced for older devices. Then the purchase of new toner or inks can become not only particularly complicated, but even extra expensive.

TIP 13: Cheap printers have too high follow-up costs.

If you found a company or become self-employed, you will consequently face numerous costs for the initial equipment, so that operation can even begin. Even if the cost pressure is high at this moment, you should not save at the wrong end. Inexpensive printers can be cheap to buy, but they can be particularly expensive in the subsequent costs. Because in this case, device manufacturers do not earn money from selling the printer or the copier, but from selling consumables. Inks and toners are often unexpectedly expensive and start-ups, young entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized companies often have a particularly high print volume, as they need numerous documents, such as flyers and advertising letters, for customer acquisition. If you expect a high print volume, we advise against cheap inkjet printers, for example, whose range and performance are often limited. It is best to find out in advance how expensive ink cartridges and toners are for a device, whether there may be alternative products and think about how much and what you will print.

TIP 14: Single Ink Jet Printer

Most more professional inkjet printers have individual cartridges for each color. Less professional household appliances are fitted with so-called combination cartridges, which contain all colours (i.e. yellow, magenta and cyan) in a single cartridge. Combination cartridges are useful for users who print little or rarely. However, print a lot and it is often advisable to buy a printer that works with individual ink cartridges from the outset for cost reasons. For example, if a single ink cartridge is empty, you only need to change it while you can continue to use the other colors.

Do you only print and copy files, texts or internal documents? Then you should generally think about a mono printer or copier. These devices only use black ink or toner, so they only produce black-and-white copies and black-and-white prints. This has several advantages: Often there are particularly large cartridges with enormous ranges, as there is sufficient space in the devices. And unused ink cartridges can also cause you no problems.

TIP 15: Change paper type and reduce costs.

Hopefully we have already made it clear that wasting paper is not good for your budget. At the same time, however, you should also pay attention to the quality of the paper. Cheap paper usually has a high absorbency. So that unnecessarily much ink is consumed. For the usual applications, commercially available printer paper with a thickness of 80 grams per square meter is sufficient. As soon as the paper becomes thicker and of higher quality, the price also increases. Important business documents or presentations look even better on paper that is 100 grams per square meter thick. And for photo prints there is of course the special photo paper. They can also do something good for the environment by using recycled paper, which may also be cheaper than pure white paper. If you have several copiers in your company, why not equip one printer with expensive white paper and the second with pure recycled paper for internal documents?

Here are two more hints: Rough and fluffy paper leaves fibres inside your machine. This accelerates wear and tear. So pay attention to good paper. And use closed paper trays. Printers often have an upper and a lower paper feeder. If the paper tray is open, the paper may become dusty. Dirt and dust then enter the interior of the printer during printing. This can also contribute to wear and, in the worst case, clog the nozzles.

TIP 16: Duplex printing

Paper is expensive; high-quality paper is even more expensive. And wasting paper is expensive for the environment. You know this: You go to your office or company for copying and printing and before you can even get your documents, you first have to fill up paper, because your colleagues have printed the paper trays blank. Well, if the replenishment is stored near the device, but what if not? Refilling the paper trays is unavoidable in the long run, but the intervals can be extended. First option: In your printer settings, try the option "Print several pages on one page". This turns two A4 pages into one. The zoom function works similarly on your copy. If the zoom is set to approx. 70% (please note the individual specifications of your copier), two adjacent A4 pages are shrunk to one A4 page. Second option: Do you know the duplex functions? This feature, found primarily on copiers, ensures that the front and back sides of the loaded paper are printed when printing and copying. This is a clever way to halve paper consumption and save space in the office.

TIP 17: Smart page layout

Just printed out the 100 pages PDF to read comfortably on the way? Or copy the last handout or protocol without looking at the document first? Now you sit there and see that you have printed far too many pages, wasting paper, ink or toner. A quick glance through a document, for example via the print preview or the page view, can effectively avoid waste and garbage.

You can use the "Pages from to" function to set which pages are to be printed. Just leave out blank pages or pages with unnecessary graphics. The title page is often a big waste of ink. Even footnotes that are usually hidden at the end of a document and that are not needed immediately can be excluded from printing. This saves ink, toner powder and paper.

You can also print multiple pages on one sheet. Your printer and copier offer you the right settings in the menu. This also saves a lot of ink and paper.

Also close the copier cover when copying so that toner is not lost in large quantities for printing the black areas. Or better yet, test your copier's zoom function to avoid black edges and save toner. At the same time, the somewhat larger copied documents are easier to read.

TIP 18: Use previews, print views and Word effectively to save printing costs.

If you use your browser's print program, you are almost always offered a preview of the pages to be printed. Often the text or image that is important to you is only on some of the pages, while advertisements, banners and page headers (headers) or page footers (footers) take up whole pages. Check which pages you really want to print and specify them as "selected pages" so that the printer only prints those pages. Some pages offer special print views from the outset, from which design elements or colors have been removed. Often these can be reached by a small printer symbol directly on the page. This hides graphic elements and reduces the content to be printed to the text, so that you can protect your ink cartridges or toner. If you only want to print the text of a specific page, you do not need to print it directly from the browser. Copy the text, paste it into Word, and optionally remove unnecessary formatting. For example, you can choose a smaller font. This means you need less ink or toner for printing.

TIP 19: Reduce printing costs when printing photos.

For many years, major manufacturers, such as HP and Canon, have been selling printers that are particularly suitable for photography. Usually you need special photo paper for this. With the right preliminary considerations you can also save ink here. First of all, it should be borne in mind that image sharpness and color depth are important criteria for photo printing. High quality ink paper has a smooth surface and low absorbency, so less ink is needed. Make sure to select the paper you have loaded in your printer settings so that less ink is automatically used during printing. If too much ink is applied to the paper, this does not necessarily create more depth and sharpness, but only prolongs the drying time of the images and can lead to blurring of the surface. The best way to make beautiful photo prints is to combine high-quality, wood-free photo paper where possible, and the right printer configurations by making the settings for photo printing with low ink consumption.

TIP 20: Receive faxes by computer.

Do you or the company still own a fax machine? Can't you (yet) do without the fax in your business? Now it is unfortunately the case that one often only receives simple confirmations or even unwanted advertising by fax. The fax machine prints everything - unfiltered - whether you want or need it or not. It is better to set up your computer and telephone connection so that faxes are sent to your e-mail inbox before printing. Then you have the choice of what is printed and what is deleted directly. The same procedure can of course also be used for sending faxes. This means that no employee has to wait minutes for a fax to be sent. Sending a fax is therefore not much more difficult than sending an email with an attachment.

TIP 21: Print yourself instead of having it printed.

Owning your own printer or copier has obvious advantages. Virtually no office or household today can do without its own device. Colour and photo printing has also become so simple and cost-effective that it is often cheaper and less complicated to print directly on site than in a specialist shop.

However, anyone working in the fields of architecture, construction planning or mechanical engineering often also has to print out plans or maps that standard devices can no longer output. Even printers and copiers that offer the A3 format can then be too small. Then the only way to help is to go to the copy shop or print shop, which can be quite expensive. If you find yourself in a copy shop regularly, perhaps several times a week, you should also think about purchasing a plotter. With these large format printers, something from Riso, OCÉ, Canon or HP, you can print maps and maps yourself. Here you will also find the right cartridges for your plotter. You are welcome to inform yourself on our website how expensive the individual cartridges are.