In a world where everyone is obsessed with saving money, people are turning to all avenues to reduce costs. Even the company whom you work for is looking to reduce costs – especially if you are the owner of a company that supplies a service to the general public. You want to reduce operating costs wherever you can so that revenue is more wisely spent on the services/products you provide.
One way to reduce operating costs is to reduce office supply costs. Now that holiday breaks are all over and you are all back in the office – it is time to reduce even back to office printing costs. One of the highest costs when it comes to office supplies is the cost of printer ink replacement cartridges. It isn’t feasible to get rid of your printer but it can be done to reduce the number of times you are paying for a replacement cartridge. Plus with lower demand on your printer and easily print jobs – the life span of your appliance is increased.
So how can you reduce office printing costs? Try one, some or all of the following:
Print double-sided
when possible – if the document is more than one page long, see if it can be printed double-sided. If it’s a contract or information package – try printing on both sides to reduce the amount of paper being used.
Purchase printer ink replacement cartridges in bulk online
Try purchasing your printer ink cartridges in bulk orders through online retailers that offer brand name cartridges for a fraction of the cost – try 123Ink.ca.
Print in black and white or greyscale
Color ink is the most expensive out of all ink cartridges whether you are using a generic brand or not. Try printing most documents in black and white or better yet; greyscale to reduce the amount of ink used without reducing the resolution.
Proofread before printing
If you are printing a document for a manager or fellow employee, always proofread before printing. If you need their input on the final draft, send it electronically, ask them to make and changes before printing your final hard copy.
Print only what you need
When printing off long-winded documents or articles from a website, customize your printing for only those pages that are relevant to your task. This will save a lot of paper and ink wastage.
Sleep mode
Set your printer to sleep mode when it is not in use or if you are closing the office for the weekend, holidays, etc. Sleep mode can help save on electrical costs as the machine will not be running in full functioning mode and will only wake up when someone faxes or sends a document to it.
Print in draft mode
For documents that you will be writing on and referring to, use the draft mode option to reduce ink usage by about 50%. While this mode is a lower resolution print job, you are saving ink and paper on documents you will be changing.
Use remanufactured or compatible ink cartridges
Have no other choice but to be printing on a constant basis? Try using remanufactured ink cartridges where the ink has been recycled, cleaned and dyed before it is sold at a lower cost. Not interested in that? Well, try compatible ink cartridges that are essentially generic equivalents of your preferred ink cartridge. These two are generally sold for a fraction of the cost.
Choose your paper wisely
Think of what type of document you will be printing and who it is for. Certain types of paper are heavier than others, such as card stock, and will use a higher percentage of ink. These heavier printer papers will also cost more in the long run.
Maintain your printer
Printers that are struggling to do their job and not working to the best of their abilities will definitely end up costing you money in the long run. Printer jobs may be skewed or you may need to restart the printer more than once (which costs more money to run, electrically). Complete preventive maintenance tasks when required on your printer to ensure that it is running smoothly.
Go digital
Ask if you truly need to print a document for a coworker or can you instead send it through email in a mode that they can open it, edit it, and send back to you? Try using digital means of communication whenever possible and save the hard copies for the times you can’t.
Recycle when you can
Send your used printer ink cartridges out to be refilled with fresh ink whenever you can, provided that they are in good shape. Made a print job mistake? Take that paper and use as scrap paper or for jotting down phone messages to get your money’s worth.
Cost per page
Printers today usually offer information on the printer ink such as how many pages you will get per cartridge. Take this information and purchase a printer that will handle your print jobs without burning through a cartridge a week.
Multi-Function
Technology has advanced enough that printers can print, scan, email and fax so to further reduce costs – get yourself a printer that does it all without having multiple machines plugged in around the office.
Print in PDF
PDF documents will require less ink for printing as they automatically reduce margins and should print in greyscale.