How to Get the Most From the Cheapest Ink Cartridges - Information For Consumers
If you own an inkjet printer in the UK, then you're familiar with the cost and short lifespan of ink cartridges.
Chances are you started out using printer cartridges that carry the same brand as your printer, but quickly learned how expensive they can be.
Many inkjet printer owners have switched to compatible and remanufactured inkjet ink cartridges because they are much less costly than OEM (original equipment manufacturer) branded cartridges.
In fact, some third-party printer ink cartridges yield more copies than OEMs simply because they contain more ink than comparable OEM cartridges.
Put another way, OEMs do not fill their cartridges to capacity and many remanufacturers do.
So, for the best deal for print cartridges, its not common to stick with third-party products and follow the tips and hints below for getting the most out of even the cheapest ink cartridges.
Make Sure Your Printer Has a Separate Black Cartridge Before you buy a printer, make sure it has a separate black print cartridge.
Black ink is less expensive than colour ink.
Also, set your printer's software to use the black cartridge when you're printing plain text or simple graphics.
By default, some printers may combine the coloured inks (yellow, cyan, magenta and/or others) to create a rather muddy black that uses up the expensive colour ink faster.
Print in the Lowest Available Density Check your printer software and settings to determine what the default printing density is.
Sometimes this is given in DPI (dots per inch) and sometimes it's expressed as a phrase such as "letter quality," etc.
Regardless of how it's expressed, set your printer to default to the lowest DPI and/or the lowest density or quality for everyday needs.
This is usually called "draft mode" or "draft quality" on most printers.
When you need to print something in higher density or quality, it's a simple matter to change the default for that particular print job and allow it to revert when the job is complete.
Refer to your printer manual for details specific to your particular printer brand and model.
Clean the Printer Cartridge Before Replacing It.
If you don't use your printer every day, ink can build up around the nozzles that deposit the ink onto the paper.
The nozzles are located in a component called the print head.
The print head is found on either on the printer itself or on the cartridge.
If your printer uses cartridges with in-built print heads, it's possible to clean them.
So be sure to clean the print head before tossing a cartridge into the trash.
Cleaning is a simple matter of removing the cartridge and giving the print head a brief soak in a saucer of hot water mixed with rubbing alcohol, then blotting gently with a paper towel.
For maximum yield from even the cheapest ink cartridges available in the UK, proper care and maintenance are essential.
Chances are you started out using printer cartridges that carry the same brand as your printer, but quickly learned how expensive they can be.
Many inkjet printer owners have switched to compatible and remanufactured inkjet ink cartridges because they are much less costly than OEM (original equipment manufacturer) branded cartridges.
In fact, some third-party printer ink cartridges yield more copies than OEMs simply because they contain more ink than comparable OEM cartridges.
Put another way, OEMs do not fill their cartridges to capacity and many remanufacturers do.
So, for the best deal for print cartridges, its not common to stick with third-party products and follow the tips and hints below for getting the most out of even the cheapest ink cartridges.
Make Sure Your Printer Has a Separate Black Cartridge Before you buy a printer, make sure it has a separate black print cartridge.
Black ink is less expensive than colour ink.
Also, set your printer's software to use the black cartridge when you're printing plain text or simple graphics.
By default, some printers may combine the coloured inks (yellow, cyan, magenta and/or others) to create a rather muddy black that uses up the expensive colour ink faster.
Print in the Lowest Available Density Check your printer software and settings to determine what the default printing density is.
Sometimes this is given in DPI (dots per inch) and sometimes it's expressed as a phrase such as "letter quality," etc.
Regardless of how it's expressed, set your printer to default to the lowest DPI and/or the lowest density or quality for everyday needs.
This is usually called "draft mode" or "draft quality" on most printers.
When you need to print something in higher density or quality, it's a simple matter to change the default for that particular print job and allow it to revert when the job is complete.
Refer to your printer manual for details specific to your particular printer brand and model.
Clean the Printer Cartridge Before Replacing It.
If you don't use your printer every day, ink can build up around the nozzles that deposit the ink onto the paper.
The nozzles are located in a component called the print head.
The print head is found on either on the printer itself or on the cartridge.
If your printer uses cartridges with in-built print heads, it's possible to clean them.
So be sure to clean the print head before tossing a cartridge into the trash.
Cleaning is a simple matter of removing the cartridge and giving the print head a brief soak in a saucer of hot water mixed with rubbing alcohol, then blotting gently with a paper towel.
For maximum yield from even the cheapest ink cartridges available in the UK, proper care and maintenance are essential.
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