Whilst it may produce excellent quality printouts at a rapid rate, your office printer won't work at its peak unless you implement a few house rules regarding printing and upkeep.
So, to help you get the very best from your printer, here are 6 ways to make your in-house machine work harder for you.
1. Reduce Output Resolution
When you begin using a brand new printer, it will have a default output resolution. This is known as the DPI (dots per inch), and is usually consigned to the highest level available. Play around with your printer's settings however, and it's possible to reduce the DPI, which will in turn reduce the amount of ink or toner used per print job. The result? You'll achieve around 40% more prints per cartridge.
2. Do You Need a Colour Cartridge?
Think about it: do you ever print in colour? If the answer's no, then there's no real reason to use colour print cartridges. Colour cartridges are notoriously expensive, particularly for high-performance business machines, and you could cut your print overheads in half by not using them. Plus - and contrary to popular belief - black ink and toner cartridges work just fine on their own; rendering colour cartridges redundant.
3. Print in Draft Mode
Draft mode is a veritable dream for those interested in capping ink use and saving a few quid in the process. Not only does draft mode speed up the print process - thus increasing your overall output - it uses less ink per print out, saving you a fortune in future printing bills. If you manage a small team, drum home the benefits of draft mode and encourage them to make the switch before they print any further documents. To find out more about the benefits of draft mode, check out this handy draft mode guide from Preton.
4. Maintain Your Machine
Like any gadget, machine or appliance, printers require regular maintenance to keep them working at their best. To find out just how important regular printer maintenance is, we spoke to the folks at Toner Giant, who said: "Given the intricate components contained within an inkjet or laser printer, it's important to clean and maintain your machine, or risk affecting its performance and internal damage. We'd recommend cleaning and maintaining your business printer at least once a year to keep it in tip-top condition."
5. Try a New Font
If you've been pouring over ways to curb ink use and have come up with nothing other than reducing how much you and your company prints, we could have the solution for you: change your font. That's right - your favourite font could be draining your ink cartridges, particularly if you use a heavy typeface requiring lots of ink or toner to recreate on a page. To make a notable saving on future font costs, why not invest in Ecofont, a font-style that's specifically designed to reduce ink usage.
6. Switch to Duplex Printing
For those who haven't heard of duplex printing, prepare to have your mind blown. Instead of printing on a single-side of paper, duplex lets you print on both sides, thus reducing the amount of paper you use by 50%. Pretty good, right? If you think duplex printing sounds like a lot of hassle, don't worry: most modern business printers allow automatic duplex printing, so you can enjoy the benefits of double-sided printouts without the hassle. Win.
