Even though the price of printer ink cartridges and toner cartridges have dropped over the years, you still want to get the most out of your cartridge, especially in tough economic times. We recommend purchasing ink cartridge refill kit , or buying printer ink cartridges in bulk to save money.

Print Only When You Have To

This step sounds obvious, but its much harder to put into practice than one would think. Try to utilize email and PDF as much as possible to cut down on paper waste. Only print out documents when it is absolutely necessary.

Adjust your Printer Settings

After you click on “Print”, click on the “Preferences” or “Properties” button to access your printer tool box. Here you can choose what sort of “Print Quality” you prefer. Often, the options are Best, Normal, Draft and Fast Draft. Best will use the most ink, while Fast Draft will use the least.

Save Color

Unless you need to print a document in color for a presentation or your boss, avoid using the color ink cartridge as much as possible. Color ink is more expensive. So instead, choose “Print in Grayscale” from the Printer Preferences section. This will only utilize the black printer ink cartridge, and not the color ink cartridge.

Choose Small Fonts

One way to save on printer ink, as well as paper, is to choose smaller fonts and spacing for your documents. Consider printing in 8pt, rather than 12pt, (if you can read that small!). Plus, choose single-spacing to save on paper. Adjust these settings back to your default, though, when printing documents for others to read.

Shake and Wipe

Sometimes the fluid in a printer ink cartridge simply settles on the bottom, or the nozzle gets clogged, making the computer think you are out of ink. To remedy this, take the ink cartridge out and shake it, then wipe the nozzle with a paper towel.

These steps will help you prolong the life of your printer ink cartridge. But when it finally runs out, consider a printer ink refill kit or buy printer ink cartridges in bulk from PrinterInk.com.