If you run your own business chances are that you are doing your own printing and are using a conventional printer and conventional ink. I’m always looking for ways to save some money in order to spend the saved money on other more important things and I’ve come up with some basic tips on how to help you make your ink last longer. It doesn’t matter what type of printer you use or type of ink, I use an Epson printer so I would need Epson ink cartridges but these tips apply to every type of ink cartridges.

1. Don’t print unnecessary items. If you have a simple sales report that needs to be printed, there’s no need for extra graphics or texts that would use (waste) ink.

2. Keep the temperature constant. Don’t expose your printer (and the ink) to extreme temperatures; a constant temperature will help the ink last longer.

3. Use the ‘Print Preview’ option. Too many times I’ve noticed colleagues who are too rushed to print a document that they forget to view a preview of the document. By using the preview option you are able to see any formatting errors, typos, etc. It’s important to fully review your document before printing because if a mistake is made you will be forced to reprint the document and that would be a waste of ink.

By understanding some basic ideas you’ll be able to save your ink cartridges and use the saved money for other ventures.