How to Get the Most Out of Your Ink Cartridges

Last Updated on June 16, 2020 by Christian Ralph

Have you ever thought that you could squeeze a few more pages’ worth of ink out of your printer? Whether it’s because you’re trying to cut down the cost of printing or manage your ink more economically, your best starting point is to master your use of the ink cartridge.

While it might seem to be as simple as installing it correctly, there are a couple of things that you can do to give the lifespan of your current or next ink cartridge a considerable boost!

Check What You Print

First things first, the best way you can save on ink is to get into the habit of printing efficiently. There are plenty of tools at your disposal that can help you cut down on the amount of ink you use before you even print.

The best place to start with this is checking the font you’re going to use. As you would expect, bold and thicker fonts can contribute greatly to the decline in your ink levels in the long run, so if you’re conscious about saving on ink, perhaps you may want to reconsider using a particular font or excessive bold phrases throughout your document.

Another thing to consider is what size font you use. Choosing between a size 12 or 14 font can have a measurable impact on how much ink your using per-print. When in doubt as to whether saving on ink will affect the readability of your materials, make sure to preview your document if that option is available to you. Models such as the Lexmark C925de colour laser printer gives you the chance to view your printing materials before you print.

Viewing your final document before you print can save you both time and ink. Being able to check for any unwanted formatting issues and make those last-minute changes will save you re-printing because of any errors you missed.

Set Your Print Settings

Another useful thing to consider is what options your printer is currently configured for. If you see abnormal levels of ink being used for a job that just isn’t that demanding, it might be worth checking what the current situation is with your printer.

If you are on a Windows-based system you can easily do this by clicking start > printers >, then right clicking your printer model and selecting printer preferences.

This will allow you to play with settings such as print quality, which we would recommend setting to “draft”, if you’re looking to go easy on your ink usage. Setting the colour options to greyscale can also help in this effort, as well as adjusting your document settings to print multiple pages per sheet.

Get Hands On

Sometimes when a printer warns you that you have no ink, this is not exactly the case. To check whether this warning is a result of your cartridge simply running low with plenty of good ink left to use, it may be worth your while to take out the cartridge and give it a shake.

Yes, as simple as it seems, you can often get a little more out of the cartridge by giving it a decent shake and placing it back in the printer, which quite possibly will allow you to finish off that printing job.

Use an Economical Printer

To ensure you get the most out of your ink cartridges, it might be in your interest to invest in a printer that is specifically designed to cut down on the amount of ink used per print.

Some inkjet printers such as the Epson Workforce Pro WF-5620DWF inkjet printer are perfect for those looking to maximise the use of ink cartridges. This model has a high output of pages as well as automatic double sided printing, all of which is intended to help you get that little bit more out of the ink cartridges you buy.

These are just some of the ways you can make your ink cartridges last just a little longer. If you have any questions or would like any more information about the topic covered in this blog post, please contact us and a member of our expert team will be happy to help.