It’s been a long time since I’ve done an “Ask DSM Readers” post. I know I’ve always found these posts valuable because I love hearing your tips, tricks, and perspectives, so this will become a regular Thursday post. If you have a question that you’d like me to share, I’d love to hear from you!
Onto the question for this week — I’d love to hear your favorite ways to save on printer ink and paper. Obviously printable coupons are a fantastic way to save on your grocery bill, but do you ever wonder if the cost of printing them is worth the savings? Printer ink and paper can get downright expensive, especially if you have kids like mine that are always walking off with paper for their “art projects”.
So how do you save on printer ink and paper? Have you tried refilling printer ink cartridges? Has anyone tried some of the downloadable software that claims to reduce the amount of ink used? Do you have any tips for recycling printer paper?
P
Staples sales for $1 or FREE reams of paper! Occasionally a cheap ink refill at Walgreen’s (but that often doesn’t work).
Heather the Designer
And Staples also gives you $ for returning empty ink cartridges :0) If that is still going on…
Kelly
Yes, it is. We take advantage of that program.
Kelly
I changed my printer settings to “Fast Draft” and it has saved me LOADS ink! I used to have to replace my ink once a month and now I replace it about every 3 months.
Kelly
I meant to write *LOADS of ink* :)
Laura
When I bought a new printer cartridge a few weeks ago, I used a rebate check I received from Staples, in the amount of $43, and that cut my cost in half.
As for paper, I always open junk mail. Many times companies will use only one side of paper, so I use the blank side to print coupons. I also check at work in the paper recycling bins for paper that’s blank on one side. As long as there’s nothing confidential on it, I use it.
Also, I do the same as P – whenever there’s a free or $1 ream of paper at Staples or CVS or wherever, I snag it.
Anna
When I print one coupon I turn the paper over and around to print the second one (from hitting my back button) on the other side on the opposite end. It’ says me tons of paper!
laura
I order Ink from a recycler online and it’s way cheaper than anywhere else I’ve found. I do the same deals at Staples previously mentioned, and try to reuse the other side or bottom of the paper!
Barbi
I have chosen to use a laser printer (black & white) over an inkjet. I purchased mine from Overstock.com aprx 6 years ago & at that time I paid $300.00. I have seen them much cheaper lately. Mine is an HP 1100 LaserJet. I use the econ-mode for printing. It uses less ink. The laser cartridge generally costs around $50.00 if you purchase it without a deal. I usually can get it for between $30 or $40. MOST IMPORTANT…this cartridge will generally yield anywhere up to 4000 copies. I never think twice about printing anything.
Paper…..I use both front and backs of my paper. The only time I use new paper is when I need to print off something special. I always print my coupons on used paper. No one has ever said a thing to me, but if they do I am so ready for them. I will respond that I am a green person….which I am. I always try to give every item I come in contact with at least 2 lives. Meaning I use a piece of paper at least twice. If not for printing then cut up for scrap paper. Some of the crazy things that show up on the backs of my coupons and no one ever says a word. Seriously who would argue with a green person. Green is everywhere. Look around, you will actually find paper everywhere. If you have kids, I’m sure the school is constantly sending home all kinds of info on paper that you discard…. my mailbox is a world of paper that I straighten and reuse. My printer will suck anything into it and print on it. It has actually become quite a fun challenge to collect paper.
Hope this helps!!!
Donna
I buy my ink when target has a sale if you buy two. When I purchased my printer I made sure that my printer would work with just black ink.
Lisa M
I have tried using refillable ink before and it screwed up my printer head. So, to save on ink I only print coupons that I know I will use.
To save on paper, I reuse whatever paper I have that I don’t need. For instance, when I make a payment online and print the receipt it only uses half the paper. I turn the sheet around and use the other half to print a coupon.
jboli
Our old printer broke awhile back and we replaced it with a kodak one. I hate to sound like the commercials, but their ink is sooo much cheaper than all the other brands. It has saved us a lot of money.
Bryan M
We switched to a Kodak printer too, I swear our previous printers ate ink like no tomorrow. That along with setting the print quality to draft copies for everything really helps.
Kaci
I have a Kodak too. $10 black ink, and $15 color, plus staples recycling rewards make printing so cheap, I don’t even think about the cost any more.
jaki
i print at work. sneakily
me in millions
I recently read an interesting article about an “ecofont” that saves money on printing documents. This isn’t the exact article, but it’s the same gist: https://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=12430989. It doesn’t help when printing coupons, but if you have to print other papers it could save on ink over time. I always set my printer to “draft” status so it uses less ink.
Heather
My husband and I got three new ink cartridges on Amazon.com for $10 each and paid for the whole order with Swagbucks, so $0 oop.
I love the suggestion of using junk mail to print coupons on!
Laura C
My husband works at a college and he can bring home paper from the recycle bins which is only printed on one side, so I print coupons on the other. I’ve had cashiers wonder why there is randomness on the back of the coupons but luckily never had to explain about dissected frogs, they were a little gross looking!
I have my printer set to B&W draft mode and a $10 black cartridge (canon inkjet) lasts me several months. I buy my cartridges on Amazon with my swagbucks, but I always recycle them at Staples to get the $3 reward back.
I spend far less on the coupons I print than on newspaper ones!
mrskbc
LOL about the dissected frogs! I’m a teacher and also grab stuff out of the recycling bin. I recently found nice bright color pictures (what a waste of ink!) that were tirections for dissecting sheep’s eyes! I passed on those.
When I print multiples of a coupon, once I see where it will print (ie, top of page, center, etc) I will turn the first coupon around and send that same paper back through the printer and print on the other end of the paper as well.
Kelly
I get my ink refilled at Walgreens. They just had a deal on Earth Day for $1 per cartridge. I also recycle paper like others.
katie
I cancel the print job once my coupon has printed at the top of the page, so it wont waste ink and paper printing a huge ad on the rest of the paper. I cut the coupons off, and use the other 2/3 of paper to print up to two more coupons.
Walgreens doesn’t refill my ink cartridges, but I dont think I would get tghe refilled even if they did. I have heard from everybody that they dont last as long, and can mess up your printer. I buy my color and b/w cartridge from Staples for $31, and get $3 in rewards for every one I turn back in. And I try to stock up when Staples has a coupon.
Elena
i’ve always thought, “what a waste of paper when advertising prints after the coupon…” idky i hadn’t thought about that one… thanks!
Lauren
We have a laser printer. The upfront cost is a little more but it saves you PILES on ink! Ours is black and white and most things you only need black and white printing from. The cartridges don’t dry out like ink jet cartridges do even if they aren’t used. Ours was around $100 with a rebate and we’ve had it for almost 3 years and have only replaced the cartridge once and I believe that is because they don’t come with full cartridges (same with the ink jets too!) It is WAY less expensive in the long run to have a laser printer than an ink jet – they just try to sucker you in with really low upfront costs!
Paper – Staples or OfficeMax where you get a rebate or 100% rewards :D
Abbygail
that is exactly why ink jet printers are so low to purchase. The company all but gives them away for your ink business! I read an article once that ink costs $9000 per GALLON! And we compain about the price of gas!
LeShelle
I print at work.
AJ
Is your employer ok with that?
Jen
I bought an ink refill kit at Drug Mart for $12 and I have used it on my HP cartridge twice now, and I love it. Walgreens did not refill my type of cartridge so I found this refill kit, and it has saved us a ton on money, at least $50 so far.
Sheryl
There’s also a Rapid Refill that I’ve used in the past. Saved me some on my ink for the Lexmark. Almost 1/2 I think it is. I just got a Kodak so we’ll see. I know it’s cheaper even for new ink though. And I reuse my paper/junk mail type of stuff for printing also.
janet
I print everything in grayscale, as not to use toomuch color. Seems cheaper.
Amy-Cutting Coupons in KC
I purchased a Kodak printer several months ago and the ink refills are cheap and they last just as long as the more expensive ones. The black ink costs $10 & the color is $15.
https://cuttingcouponsinkc.blogspot.com/2009/11/frugal-friday-saving-money-on-printer.html
I also try to print on scrap paper to save money on paper. I take paper that only has 1 side printed out of recycle bins at church & my husband’s office or print on the back of worksheets my son brings home. I had some resume paper stored in the basement and it got wet. I layed it out to dry and used it to print coupons.
Amy
The best computer thing I ever discovered is the “continuous ink supply system” for printers with the individual color cartridges. Before hearing about this, I thought those kinds of printers were a rip off—-so expensive, but now I’m jumping for joy! It cost me around $35 for the system with enough ink to last me over a year, including black. They are sooo easy to install, and you can print coupons and photos all day long and never fret about the cost. I wish I could make a commission on these babies, because I can tell from other comments, nobody seems to know about them. Look them up on ebay. You’ll not be sorry!!!
Evan
Go with a laserjet. I also have an older model and the toner cartridges can be bought from surplus sites off of Ebay for around $25 which lasts for 3000 pages. Less than a penny a page for the toner.
If you don’t have a laserjet, also search ebay for older model auctions which you can often get fairly cheap.
One more hint, if you buy a HP laserjet which has its own network card and also have an itouch or iphone, you can download a free coupons.com app to the itouch/iphone and print coupons directly to the printer from your itouch/iphone. Acts essentially as another computer and therefore gives you another couple prints for those hot printables.
John
To save on ink get a laser printer. I bought a LJ 4P used from an electronic surplus sale at a college campus (most colleges sell of their old electronics in sales open to the public) 5 years ago for $20. Even if i was buying a new printer each time i need ink (i don’t) and off-loading the old on Craigslist it is a lot cheaper than most other printers just for ink refills. I even had an option to buy extra toner cartridges for it at $5 each. College Electronic Surplus Sales have saved me a ton on my printer ink.
As for paper i buy it from OfficeMax/Stapes/Office Depot when they have free reams.
Brandy
Once the warranty on my printer (Epson) expired I started buying refurbished cartridges from inksmile.com. They work great and are way cheaper than buying new ones! My husband digs through the paper recycling bins at his office and brings home useable paper. I print on the blank back of the sheets and recycle the scraps left from cutting out the coupons.
Em
I use the “fast draft” option for most of my printing. It uses a lot less ink, but still prints great. If you’re printing important documents/assignments/work stuff, then use a higher quality print setting. But for everything else, including coupons, use the fast draft option! Just go to your printer’s setting and set it as the default method so that you don’t have to change it every time.
Also, I find that refilled cartridges don’t work as well (and they leak!) so I just buy manufacturer ink that lasts a long time with the fast draft print setting.
Mitchell Wischmann
I use the fast draft option on my printer to save on ink. Also, when I print one coupon on a piece of paper, I cut the coupon out and put that remaining paper back in the printer.
I’ve also found that ink refills do not work!
Breezy
Walgreens refill program isn’t it for me. I’ve NEVER been able to have one of my ink cartridges refilled. They won’t even attempt to fill it if it doesn’t pass some sort of electrical test. What that electrical test is for is beyond me. The darn cartridge worked just fine before I took it to them. Can’t they just refill it and give it back to me? Forget the stupid electrical test! Grrr…… way too frustrating. I have a Lexmark and new cartridges are ridiculously expensive! Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated! Thanks
Stephanie
My husband is a teacher and has tons of leftover worksheets and notes pages at school. He brings them all home and I print coupons on those. So almost every coupon has physics problems on the back of it when I turn them in at the store! I’ve never once had a problem from cashiers about it, and would never even think about printing coupons on fresh paper!
For the ink, we bought a laser printer when it was really cheap one time, and then I have my settings on “grayscale” and “fast draft” to save on how much ink comes out.
twitch
I was seduced by the cheap price of a HP deskjet F4435 and am so ashamed of myself for not doing research first! even on draft settings, printing coupons on recycled paper , this thing EATS ink! I have already spent more on ink in a few months than I did on the damn printer. Learn from my mistake!