15 Tips and Tricks to Help You Get More From Your Printer

Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Christian Ralph

Even if you are completely satisfied with your printer’s performance, rumbling along completing all the tasks asked of it, there may be room for the machine to increase its output and exceed expectations. With these 15 tips and tricks, your humble printer could soon be performing at its absolute peak.

Find the Printer’s IP Address

Having the printer’s IP address to hand is incredibly useful, helping you connect with various devices. Check out this guide we have put together, helping you find your printer’s IP address.

Use Economy Mode

If your printer offers an economy mode and your print jobs don’t need to be photorealistic, this could be a great option to save ink or toner, and ensure those cartridges last a little bit longer.

And Any Energy Saving Features

Not only do these help protect the environment, they can also contribute to a lower consumption of energy.

Use Branded Consumables

It may be tempting to replace depleted cartridges with cheaper, non-branded consumables, but this may represent false economy. These replacements may not offer the same page yield as their branded brethren, so additional replacements may be necessitated immediately.

Squeeze the Cartridge Dry

The low ink warning light is essentially just a warning, so don’t bust out the replacement cartridges as soon as the light starts to flash. Wait until the print quality starts to diminish, then it’s time to consider the fresh ink or toner.

And Blast it with a Hairdryer

If you’re down to your last cartridge and it runs out just before the end of a job, you may be able to squeeze a little extra goodness out of it by removing it from the printer and giving it a quick blast with a hairdryer.

Invest in Cleaner Cartridges

If your inkjet printer’s quality of output is starting to fade but their cartridges are well-stocked, it may be caused by a blocked printhead. Investing in a cleaner cartridge to run through the printer should get that cleared up in next to no time.

Only Print What You Need

Whether selecting the exact pages you require or copy and pasting from a web browser into Word, ensuring you only print the info you require can help keep your ink and toner consumption down to a minimum.

And Print in Black-Only

When you require monochrome print outs. Printing in colour could risk using up some of the colour ink or toner – a potential waste of the good stuff.

Get Some High GSM Paper

Trying to impress someone? Well a high quality paper exudes professionalism, and is reassuringly affordable. At Printerland, we stock a huge selection of top quality reams of paper – which you can find right here.

Reduce Installed Printware

When installing a printer, you’ll often be called to install a load of software – some of which may not be necessary for your print requirements. When prompted opt for custom installation rather than recommended installation – then pick the bits and bobs you need. This can help reduce bloating your computer’s memory.

Use a Workhorse Printer

A dedicated workhorse printer for large, lower-quality jobs, can save you huge amounts. Saving the golden prince printer for only the high quality jobs. Perversely, investing in two printers could end up being better value that investing in one.

Sub-Edits and Checks

Don’t waste ink and paper with erroneous prints by carefully checking everything before it goes to the printer. If your eye for detail and grammar is not the strongest, employ the assistance of a colleague who is stronger in the field.

Control the Font

It may sound daft, but simply switching from industry-standard font, Arial, to the more conservative Century Gothic can contribute to long term savings – using less ink for every word.
Come to Printerland

At Printerland, we have no allegiance to any brand or manufacturer so we can guarantee that all our advice and guidance is 100% impartial, dedicated to helping you find the most suitable printer for your needs. For the full range of Printerland products, visit our homepage or give us a ring on 0800 840 1992.