There is no doubt that printer ink is expensive. We pay a relatively steep price for what is essentially a small amount of ink that is more or less equivalent to a ketchup packet. Although this may seem like a bad deal, there are actually two good reasons why this is the case. The first reason why printer ink is so expensive is that ink technology is generally expensive to develop. Ink technology is not just a collection colorful fluids. Aside from being used to create beautiful printouts, they are also designed to withstand vaporization, heat and pressure from being squirted at very high speeds. When you consider all these different features being included in order to create the average ink cartridge then it’s no surprise why they’re so expensive.
The second reason why printer ink seems so costly is because they come in very small amounts. An ink cartridge that cost between $35 to $40 usually includes around 10 to 20 milliliters worth of ink. The reason why most cartridges contain so little ink is because different printers have different ways of using ink, or they use different drop sizes. What this means, basically, is that certain printers consume ink faster than others. So before you purchase a particular printer, be sure to look at how much ink it consumes in order to produce a particular printout. This way, you’ll be able to reduce your ink consumption to a certain degree.
Aside from discussing why printer ink is so expensive, it’s also important to talk about ink consumption. So if you want to cut down on printer related costs, here are several tips that will help you save some money.
- If you want to send a message or a document, use email rather than hard copy printouts.
- Use simple fonts when printing your documents and printouts. Certain fonts require less ink than others. Ecofont, for example, can save up to 20% more ink compared to other fonts.
- Use the “Fast Draft” setting when making print outs. The quality may not be the same, but it will reduce your ink consumption.
- Use a software that allows you to choose which parts of a picture or a document to print, and remove the ones that you don’t need.
- Use a software that allows you to track how much ink you will need to use per printout. They can also tell you how much ink you can save on each printout.
- If you only need to print documents then use black and white ink cartridges, as they are cheaper than colored ones.
- Prior to printing, be sure to check the preview option to see if everything is satisfactory. If something doesn’t seem right, a few manual changes to the settings should solve the problem.
- Avoid cleaning or aligning your printer heads unless you really have to, as this wastes ink.
- Use the Internet to find cheaper printer ink distributors like Ink Station or others that provide discounts.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the best way to reduce your dependence on printer ink is to simply use it when necessary. Since these inks cost so much money, the best way to deal with them is to simply use them in moderation.
