Whether you’re an office-based business or just a regular home user, cutting costs and saving a few dollars here and there should always be worthwhile considering.
As one of the essential pieces of office equipment – at both home and work – printers are one computer peripheral that can be used in a much more efficient, economical and environmentally-friendly manner than you may be aware of.
As such, this article looks at six different ways of creating a greener printer setup and saving you a few bucks in the process.
1) The cost of paper
Depending on your requirements for printing paper, the quality (and size) of such material can range fairly broadly. Do a bit of research. Don’t just use your local computer hardware store without surveying the competition. In particular, the ability to compare and contrast prices online (Google Shopping is a useful tool in this instance), is worth considering before ordering your paper.
2) Use the paper (on both sides)
Unless you’re looking to preserve or present the documents that you’re producing, you can half your printing output (and therefore the cost of paper) by utilising both sides of the paper.
This can be done in a couple of different ways. Firstly, you can turn on a preference to print on both sidesof your paper (providing your printer has the option to). Or, secondly, you can simply flip over used sheets of printed paper and insert them once more to your peripheral device.
3) Go old school (use black and white)
Again, if you’re only intending for your printing to be obligatory for internal requirements, does it need to be printed in colour?
Colour ink cartridges cost considerably more than their black counterparts and can also be emptied a lot quicker because of the varying amount of colours used. If you prefer to have the option of using both colour and black and white, switch your printer settings to “greyscale” and then turn back to colour when you want a glossy-looking document.
4) Use draft mode
Another alternative printing method, if your printer settings permit you, is to change your setup to print in draft mode. This will serve to layer the colour much thinner on the page and therefore use less ink. Of course, this can be set back at any time when you need to print off more concisely and professionally.
5) Re-fill your cartridges
If your printer is compatible, be sure to use refillable ink cartridges. They cost much less than buying new ones every time and you can even use a hardware store to do the work for you – instead of spilling ink everywhere.
6) Check, check and check again
How frustrating is it when you print off a document, letter or proposal only to find it has one small spelling mistake – we’ve all been there, right? That’s why it’s so crucial that you do all you can to check your work is accurate.
Get a colleague or someone you know to look over it for you on their screen – you may be surprised at what you miss.
