Print Smarter! How To Save Ink and Paper

It’s no secret that you can keep more money in your pockets from your used or unused cartridges of toner. Another great way to save some more money and save ink is by paying attention to the font you use for your printing needs.

Using lots of ink or toner in a print job usually means that you will have to buy more sooner.

It can also mean that you might also have to pay a tad bit more on your light bill since you might be printing a little longer. There’s a solution though, to saving on toner and paper while saving the environment and it all starts in the selection of font.

Budget and eco friendly fonts are a great, easy and free way to cut back on your use of ink or toner. For example, if you’re in the habit of using Arial font, you’re missing out on savings.

Arial has a higher rate of ink consumption and customers have seen more out of using Times New Roman instead.

Yet, besides sticking to the classic Times New Roman, there are a few other fonts that can help you stretch your ink for all it’s worth.

A great tip to keep in mind is to look for fonts that are thin or narrow.

These types of fonts will reduce the amount of ink your printer will use, though it will depend on your desired product. For example, if you’re looking to create a banner or a heading, you’ll likely have to be mindful of your choice of font in terms of readability.

We’ve rounded up some great fonts with good readability and a good chance at saving on ink consumption.

Century Gothic

 

Not as commonly used as it should be, Century Gothic is one of the most sought out fonts for eco friendliness and savings. It has thin letters so you’re using less ink even while increasing readability.

It’s great to use for banners and flyers as the letters are spaced out enough to read from further away.

Though you should be careful if you’re printing a large document because the spaced-out font could mean more space on a line and more pages to print out, it’s still a very useful font, Century Gothic can be a great alternate to the classic option.

Courier

 

Referred to as the relative to the font similar to a typewriter, Courier is a go-to option for plain texts and documents. The characters are evenly spaced with the same width throughout and make for perfect blocks of texts.

The texts are also thin enough to read without increasing the size. Courier is a classic option for a specific design scheme and if you can get around the typewriter look, you’ll save paper and ink on this choice.

Brush Script

 

Not a favorite choice because of the low readability value, Brush Script can save lots of ink and paper during your printing jobs. Great for headings, logos and large bold fonts, you can make a real impression with this choice.

 

Ryman Eco

 

This free downloadable font was designed to be sustainable. It uses 33% less ink than other standard fonts, so your printer won’t be working twice as hard getting documents out.

Ryman Eco was deigned to look more beautiful, yet similar to standard fonts. The monotype font is useful that when printed in small enough fonts, the ink bleeds together and leaves the reader none the wiser.

So you have a standard looking font, using less ink and saving more on paper.

Photo credit: wpp.com

Ecofont

 

Another downloadable font, Ecofont was created with the sole purpose of saving ink while printing. Commonly used is their Ecofont Sans option with tiny holes poked through the letters, so when it prints out in small fonts, the ink also bleeds.

The best part is that the company also designed a software able to poke small holes through your other standard fonts like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman, reducing ink usage by up to 50%. Though not free to download, this is a great and super-efficient way to successfully save ink and paper during your print jobs.

 

In the event that you are in the market for fonts that will save you money while you print, any one of these options are a great place to start. Sure, you can always just make your favorite font smaller, but it might be at the cost of readability.

Your goal should be to save ink, paper and print beautiful, readable documents, so take some time to see what works, it’s more than just a little worth it.

Three Secrets Ink and Toner Companies Don’t Want You To Know

When you buy your printer’s ink or toner from a trusted company, you expect the best.

The best in service, the best in products and certainly the best in reliable information. No chance that you’ll think your favorite reliable company would keep useful information from you; though it’s likely they might be.

Buying and selling toner could be tricky business and like every other bargain, you want to make sure you’re in the know so you could get your bang for your buck – every time.

So, it’s important to take note of all there is to know about purchasing your toner. It’s essential that you pay attention to the common things these companies will keep from you in order to secure a sale.

That’s why we’ve rounded up the top three to give you a head start on what to keep an eye out for.

An Expiration Date Doesn’t Mean Obsolete:

Have you ever felt the pressure of finishing up all of your ink or toner before it gets past the expiration date stamped on the side?

It’s not uncommon for toner and ink companies to put these dates as a warning or precursor that your printing jobs won’t be of the same quality after a specified time. One thing that can also be noticed with expired ink, is that it might clog the printer and your printer may have extra trouble printing out documents.

Though these may be true, there are also some key things to note about your expired toner that may help you extend its life.

• Your toner or ink could be good for up to two years after the purchase date.
• Storing your toner or ink the right way – in an upright position and in a dark place at room temperature – could minimize the chances of your ink leaking or, in multi-colored cartridges, it could keep the colors from mixing. That could buy you some time when it’s time to put your cartridges to use.
• If the toner or ink is sealed, chances are you’re still able to use it even if it’s near or just past the expiration date.

*Take note that if you’re using remanufactured toner or ink that is not in its original cartridge, the expiration date stamped on the side should be disregarded.

Companies would at times refill the original cartridges with toner or ink and so even while the cartridge may have been used, the ink is still fresh and in great condition for use. These cartridges have already been through a cycle though, so the original date should be voided and you can range your usage for up to two years after the purchase date.

The Infamous “5000 Page” Yield

It’s great to know that you can print as many as 5000 pages in one cartridge, but did you know that this estimate is HIGHLY INACCURATE?

In the printing world, there is a method used for determining the page yield for color inkjet printers and other printable devices. This ISO method simply measures the number of pages printed with only 5% coverage, until the cartridge runs out. This means that there only needs to be at least 5% of the page with ink or toner on it to be considered a full page.

Who only prints on 5% of a page? What does that even look like?

5percentofinkonpage

So, you can see that this can be a bit misleading, even though it’s the standard way to measure pages.

That’s why it helps to look at the other factors involved in printing pages such as image sizes, content size, font size and even paper tray selections. If you’re printing small jobs at a time, you can probably stretch out your ink or toner a bit more than someone printing larger documents but it’s nice to know that you’re getting a bit more out of your toner than you originally thought.

You CAN Sell your Unused and Unopened Toner or Ink

Most of the time, an ink or toner company will advise their customers to get rid of their unopened or unused toner or ink cartridges. That means if you bought a new printer and it isn’t compatible with your old unused toner or ink, you should throw that unopened toner away.

Or, if you accidentally bought extra toner and have no need for it, companies tell you to save it or toss it.

If only they told you that doing this is like throwing cash in the trash!

Your unused and unopened toner may not be useful to you, but it can certainly bring you some extra cash if you know where to look for a sale.

There are many toner buyer companies that are able to buy back your unused or unopened toner and offer great prices. If you are a business with surplus toner or ink, you’re in luck because surplus toner buyers are looking for you. They take your original cartridges and give it new life with fresh ink.

You can make a pretty penny selling back those toner or ink cartridges so it’s worth taking some time to shop around and double check the companies with the most competitive prices and a need for your particular model. If you decide to throw your sealed ink or toner away, sure it could score you some extra storage space, but it can also cost you some easy money.

You’re Now in the Know

Ink and toner companies don’t mean to be misleading when marketing their products but it’s nice to look between the lines and find useful tips to remember while seeking out your next purchase.

It’s also worth to plan ahead when purchasing toner as you can save money and toner if you do.

Don’t forget to do your research navigating the toner and ink buying (and selling) business, with one useful tip at a time, you could be a pro.