5. Use print preview to print only what you want
When printing web pages, such as this one, it’s always a good idea to use Print Preview to ensure that you’re only printing the information that you want. And, as a related tip, many applications, including both Internet Explorer and Firefox include a “shrink to fit” feature available in Print Preview. (In Firefox 3, it’s hidden under Print Preview -> Page Setup.)
4. Give the inkjet to the kids and buy a laser printer
In researching this article, I found several HP LaserJet 5, 5L, and 5M laser printers on ebay.com for less than $200. These printers are both popular and well-known workhorses that are still chugging along in thousands of offices and schools. Though not as fast and fancy as the most recent printers, their output is still crisp and professional. They are also reliable. (Their design life was 500,000 pages.)
The LaserJet 5 models have the advantage of being as common as dirt, and this commonality results in commodity pricing for supplies. At the time of this writing, Staples sells the cartridge for the LaserJet 5 for $117.99 and it’s rated for 6,800 pages.
Let’s compare the LaserJet 5 to the HP P1505n, a current laser print with a “street price” of around $200. Staples is not yet listing this printer. The cartridge is available from HP direct for $69.99 and is rated for only 2,000 pages!
This is the difference between a consumer-grade printer and a business class machine.
And you’ll be buying that cartridge soon for the P1505n. The cartridge that HP includes with the machine is only good for 1,000 pages! (I had the same experience when I purchased my LaserJet 1300 a few years ago. It was less than a warm and fuzzy feeling.)
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3. If you print a lot, get the extended cartridge
HP also makes extended cartridges for most of their laser printers. The standard cartridge for the LaserJet 5 produces 6,800 pages for $117.99. The extended cartridge, however, costs $122.99 and yields 8,800 pages. In other words, that’s 2,000 more pages for five dollars.
2. Use third party laser printer cartridges
Purchasing remanufactured (inspected, refilled, and tested) laser printer cartridges from a third party supplier can make for substantial savings. Also, despite what the original equipment manufacturers like to imply, the use of alternate cartridges will NOT invalidate the warranty. Note that “remanufactured” implies that the process starts with an original cartridge.
And with that said, one must be careful when purchasing! A Google search for “remanufactured laser printer cartridges” produces a plethora of links, some dubious and doubtful, and some more promising.
Desirous of the more promising, we selected Barcode Printers, Inc. of Oceanside CA and got prices from their www.inkjetcartridge.com website. A remanufactured cartridge for the LaserJet 5 goes for $34.95 (3 for $94.95, 5 for $139.95). A cartridge for my LaserJet 1300 is $39.95, and they don’t have a listing for the HP p1505n yet.
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Image: inkjetcartridge.com
1. Don't print!
Finally, and similar to #6 and #10, save some ink or toner and maybe a tree or two by printing documents to PDF rather than to paper. Consider emailing your documents as a PDF attachment rather than physical pages.
You can also choose to store your camera images on your PC and distribute them via CD or DVD rather than using your high-cost-per-copy photo printer.Online file and photo sharing sites make it easy to share your images and documents as well.
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