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printer ink cartridge

Tricks for Maximizing the Life of Your Printer Ink

by Rich on September 18, 2009

Printer ink can be costly. It may leave small business owners and home printer users wondering what they can do to reduce their cost of their printing needs. If you have already utilized remanufactured options, or you are unable to do so based on your specific printer, and you still have a desire to cut costs, consider a few of these options for lengthening the life of your printer ink cartridge.

The first thing you can do to stretch your printer ink budget is to change the settings on your computer before printing. For the majority of your printing needs, use draft mode. This means that images will print in black and white, or even gray, reducing the amount of ink you are using. You will use no color ink unless necessary, which is the most expensive of the two replacement cartridges. If you are able to print drafts in gray, that uses less black ink as well. Be sure you change your draft setting when the time comes. Those that forget will find they waste a page worth of black or gray ink by printing an unnecessary draft page.

Ink Cartridge

After installing a printer, or after correcting a problem, your printer and computer will prompt you to print a test page. Only do so if absolutely necessary. This is a trick used by ink manufacturers to use up extra ink. All it means is that you will be one page closer to paying for an expensive replacement.

Another tip is to shake your cartridge occasionally. The ink has a tendency to settle in the cartridge, and may not reach its destination. By shaking it, you are loosening the clogs that may exist within the cartridge. Obviously use care when doing this and be sure to replace the cartridge properly.

Ink Cartridge

Remember that higher print resolutions require extra ink. Just like printing in draft can lessen the amount of ink you are using, lowering your quality settings may help as well. If you can, print the majority of your documents in a lower resolution, saving the best quality printings for when it is absolutely necessary to have a perfect print.

When your computer indicates that your printer cartridge is low, there may still be as many as 100 pages of printing left in the cartridge. Some users recommend changing the cartridge as soon as possible after the notification occurs. They believe it may damage the cartridge if you use it until the very end. However, others believe that it is most economically sound to use all of the ink available. If you plan to replace the cartridge, it may not matter if it is damaged.

If you purchase cartridges before you need them, be sure to store them in an environment that is room temperature and out of light. Keep extra cartridges and cartridges that are in use dust free. Store the extra cartridges right side up so the ink will not drain or leak.

Inkjet cartridges

Cartridge replacement can be expensive, but a few simple tips will help extend the life of your printer ink. In the long run, you will still find yourself replacing ink cartridges, but over time, you may require just a bit less replacing.

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Dirty Tricks Printer Manufacturers Use So You Buy More Ink

by Rich on December 8, 2008

If you’ve ever felt like you were being manipulated into spending more on ink and toner, you’re not alone. The printer manufacturing industry makes the bulk of its profits on consumables, including ink and toner—and it goes to great lengths to preserve its market. However, their efforts aren’t exactly transparent—and consumers aren’t just getting mad; they’re figuring out how to out-maneuver the big companies. Here are a few ways manufacturers

will try to get you to spend more money on original ink.


By building printers that freeze up when they think you’re out of ink or toner. Some brands install Smart Chips in their cartridges. These are tiny computer chips that are designed to alert the printer when the cartridge is out of ink. Usually, the printer will stop printing until the cartridge is replaced.

Smart Chips are controversial, primarily because they aren’t always accurate—there are plenty of firsthand accounts on the web from customers who found ways to disable the chips after they claimed their cartridges were empty, and their ink lasted for months afterwards. In addition, some chips will stop the printer’s activities on a certain expiration date regardless of whether the cartridges are empty—and plenty of customers have complained online about seeing the “out of ink” message even if they bought the cartridge new and haven’t printed in months. Needless to say, Smart Chips have encountered growing customer resistance.

By casting doubt on third-party cartridges. Original manufacturers make a lot of claims about third-party compatible and refilled cartridges, and not all of them are true. Manufacturers claim that third-party ink is likely to clog print heads and damage the printer, and there’s a persistent rumor that manufacturers will automatically void your warranty if you use third-party ink in your printer.


In reality, while it’s not unheard of for lower-quality third party ink to damage printers, it’s quite rare. And there are plenty of third-party sellers who stand by their products with 100% satisfaction guarantees, generous refund and exchange policies, and rigorous testing processes, primarily to secure customer trust in the face of manufacturers’ claims.

In addition, claims that manufacturer warrantees will automatically void if you use third-party ink are generally untrue. However, manufacturers may not cover damage caused directly to the printer by off-brand ink.

By tinkering with your printer settings. Some printer drivers will print automatically in colour even if you’re just printing a page of black-and-white text, or come with Normal set as the default mode instead of Economy or Draft. These are small things, but if you don’t notice them and change the settings manually, you could use more ink than you need as a regular practice.

Colour cartridges tend to be much smaller than black and white and run out more quickly. Whenever you print, be sure your settings are on the appropriate colour scale—never simply hit the “print” button and forget about it. The Normal setting typically uses much more ink than Economy or Draft. It looks good for formal documents, but if you’re just printing out directions or an email, you may not need top quality. Check the settings each time you print and change your default settings to Draft or Economy, and you’ll definitely save money and extend the life of your cartridge in the long term.

By building 3-in-1 cartridges. If you’re buying a new printer, it’s important to be sure it doesn’t come with a three-in-one colour cartridge. These cartridges combine all of your ink colours in a single cartridge, ostensibly for added convenience. The problem is that once one colour compartment runs out, the entire cartridge is spent—you can’t replace colours individually, and that three-in-one cartridge is expensive. It’s much more cost-efficient to buy a printer with separate cartridges for each colour, so you can replace them individually as they run out.

Printer manufacturers base their business model on getting you to spend more money on ink and other consumables. But if you’re aware of their tactics, you can take a few steps to level the field in your favor. Avoid printers that have three-in-one cartridges or smart chips when possible, check your settings each time, and consider ink price when buying a new printer—and you’re sure to save.

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