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?
Karen
We have a HP LaserJet 1020. My husband got it several years ago and we just had to replace the cartridge this last Feb. My dh really shopped around and finally found a place that sold refurbished cartridges for $35. It prints just as well as it did before. As for paper, I bought 10 reams super cheap at Target when they went on clearance last fall. I also turn my paper around after printing a coupon so it will be good for another printing. When i get the long ads I just cut them off and set the paper aside. If I get a pile of it then I just make a “cover page” with my daughter’s name on it, staple it to the leftover paper and she has an instant doodle pad! She loves them. I also use the left over paper for grocery lists and scratch paper.
Carrie
i rarely use my printer. after i make my grocery list, i print only the printable coupons for items that are on my list when there is a coupon for my favorite brand available.
Michelle Wong
where is the cancel button located? I have brothers printer HL-2140.
Beth
It’s usually red…not familiar with your printer though…
Abbygail
Change your print settings to draft mode, black and white. I use both sides of the paper when just by flipping it around and sticking it back in. Like someone said above, I use paper from work that is in the recycle (like fax cover sheets and confirmations). I like the idea of using junk mail paper too! When I first started couponing, I would print EVERY coupon available. (I had about 25 biscuit coupons! lol) Now that I have gotten a feel for which coupons reach their print limit, I only print out the high dollar ones and ones I’m going to use with my current grocery list. I use the scraps left over from the coupons to make my to do lists and grocery lists and I have a recycle box sitting right next to my printer for all remaining unusable scraps.
sokki
how do you set your printer to fast draft mode?
Beth
In your control panel, there should be a printer button. Select that and then click once on the icon representing your printer. Then select printing preferences and then fast draft. Hope this helps!
Emily
I know I’ve saved tons by using printable coupons, so I’m not worried about spending more on ink than I save. Then on Earth Day (in April sometime?) we refilled 3 ink cartridges at Walgreens for $1 each. Yay! Wish we had had more to refill.
Pink
Like many, I set my printer’s default print to draft, print on both sides, and only print coupons as I need them. I’ve had success with the ink refill kits, however, you still have to replace the cartridges about every 5th refill. If not, you’ll damage the print heads. They are not meant to last forever.
I love the ideas from other readers about printing coupons on junk mail. I never thought of doing that.
melissa
Office max has the refills on Black for 10.00? I think. Color is not so good. Ask how much the refill is first as it might be best to buy a whole new one. Walgreens is good for refill on color. PAPER.. If you print a coupon and it only takes up the top insert it the other way and copy on the other end. If something is expired and you printed and never cut the paper. use the other side. Always to save color turn your color off before you print coupons to just black.
Rachel W.
I always turn my aper around to use it twice, but I also stop the printer before it can print additional product information below the coupon itself. Saves a bunch!
Tricia
I change the font to fonts that use the least ink, like Garamond.
Kasey
I have a kindergartner, so he has lots of papers. I keep my favorites and then I use the backside of his papers to print coupons. Has saved me a ton!
Carolyn
NOTE: Coupons from magazines or newspaper inserts have printing on the other side of all coupons….so there is no problem using paper that is printed on the other side.
I have 2 HP printers that use #60 ink (HP F4435 and HP D1660). I purchase it from http://www.hp.com, I joined their PRINT REWARD SAVINGS program and get a discount. They have a #60XL which is a great value. I usually purchase enough to get the free shipping. (They deliver next business day) I also have a Kodak printer that I’m not using. The print head for that printer is on the printer…not on the ink cartridge….thus a less expensive way to go. (My printer heads need to be cleaned.) We have 3 computers…thus extra printers.
Check with family or friends that work for companies that change their letterhead or have fliers, etc. that they are not using. Again, use the clear side….and never have to purchase coupon paper. I have also used colored paper and have no problems with coupons unless the paper is the very deep red, purple, blue, green, etc.
Remember…..don’t print coupons until they are needed, as the coupon is good for one month from printing. High value ones that may reach print limits right away would be something you need to print as soon as they are available.
Jennifer
I use a Brother laser printer. I got it on buy.com for $50. I have to get toner once a year and it only costs me $28-32 shipped. I also use both sides of paper to make it last longer and so 3/4 of a piece of paper is not just wasted.
Carol
I do the same things on printing and on paper. I’ve been having problems with my coupons not scanning and then either the stores not accepting them or not doubling them. I hate to increase the resolution, but get frustrated at the store. I’ve found that some stores are better than others, but it’s hit and miss. Does anyone have any ideas for me?
Christina
I took some paper from an office I used to clean. They had a ton of it.. and I buy my ink on Ebay for like $12 for all the colors and black. They aren’t “genuine” ones but they work fine..
Lalita
I use scrap paper (paper that has print only on one side) to print out stuff for myself. Staples has great deals & sales on paper. Ink too – if you recycle your old ink cartridge at Staples, they give you a $3 store credit.
As for recycling printer paper, I either take boxes of paper to my local paper recycle bins at school or use them to line my bird’s cage.
Jan
I try to print one coupon and then turn and reverse the paper to get 2 Qs on one sheet of paper. Also have my printer set to fast draft with black ink only as the black cartridges are cheaper. My printer also takes a cartridge that is suppose to print 3X the number of sheets than the reg. cartridge. Trying it the next time I have to change cartridges. Reg size is around $15 and the XL is $36. So if it does triple the prints this will save some in the long run. We’ll see.
Laura
I buy off-brand ink in bulk on Amazon.com. I’m able to get 12 cartridges for less than the price of one name brand cartridge, and I usually have some Amazon.com gift cards from Swag Bucks to use, too! The ink isn’t quite as “vivid” as the name brand ink, but that doesn’t bother me for coupon and rebate quality printouts.
For paper, I bring home non-confidential paper from our recycle bin at work and print coupons on the back side. I cut out the coupons and save the empty scraps for craps or to bind into small notepads.
When my ink is used, I bring my empty cartridges to Staples in bulk. Some people recycle them on a continual basis ($3 here, $3 there) but I prefer to save up a lot of cartridges and turn them in all at one time so I get large rewards check to use towards something substantial.
Jeff
When I print my coupons, I recycle paper from my office instead of new paper and print the coupons on the clean back of the pages.
It was funny when a Walgreens clerk said I couldn’t do that and I asked him if
his ads had anything printed on the back……He shut up pretty quick and processed the coupons.
I had about 6 cartidges saved up and was going to take them to Staples or Office max for a 3.00 credit ea. Instead, Walgreens offered refills for 1.00 each on earth day. I may save them up again and get all 6 filled up again at once next year. Good luck all
mrskbc
I have also used kids school papers to print coupons on. I save the good ones of course, but there is so much, it’s no problem to toss a few in the scrap paper bin.
I’ve ordered “off” brand ink from Amazon, and been very pleased with it. It was SOOO much cheaper than the brand name, even if it lasts only half as long (which I’m not saying it does…I can’t really tell any difference). It’s been fine, and I think I paid somewhere around $5 for 2 black, and 3 individual colors (red, cyan, magenta? whatever they are).
deb
I have tried the refillable cartridges….they only last 1/3 as long and they messed up my printer so it would not function properly. So in the long run I did not save money at all and gained aggrivation. I do return my cartrides and get a ream of paper for each 3 I return to Office max or Office depot. I also am careful to turm my paper over and run it through the printer again when I know a coupon only prints at the top of a page, therefore, giving me two coupons per page instead of just one, which would use twice as much paper.
Tara
I turn my paper over sometimes, too. But I’ve had to learn the hard way not to do that when I’m printing coupons from a brand’s own site. Often, the coupon prints at the bottom, beneath an advertisment, so I end up with a 2-sided coupon! And let me tell you from experience, NO store will take it & let you use BOTH sides! LOL
Jaime
I go to Staples to get my copy paper and only buy it when there are Staples Easy Rebates or Staples Rewards. I just recently started doing this – don’t know why I waited so long!
MaryEllen@TheDealScoop
A laser printer has proven to be a worthwhile investment for me. I print and print and print and I have only had to replace the starter toner so far (after a couple years of printing an average of 7 pages a day!) I have a Brother HL5250DN.
Jessica
I second this! I can get around 3000 pages off of one toner cartridge. I can generally get paper free at staples or for <$1. :)
Larry
Laser pritners usually are the best bang for your buck, but the up front costs are pretty high. You can usually pick up a decent black and white printer for $100-$150 and the toner cartridges are around $75-$200 per cartridge, just depends typically on the page yield of the cartridge, a cartridge that only does 2,500 pages won’t cost as much as one that does 10,000 pages(which are usually in the larger, business type printers).
What I tell my customers in my store is if you are going through a ream of paper a month(500 sheets) or more, then you should invest in a laser printer if not, I recommend sticking with a inkjet printer. The brand I always recommend is HP though.
Lisa
If I am only printing 1 coupon, I tear my paper in half, sometimes if I tear it in 3rds it is to small to feed through my printer. By doing this I save ink because I don’t have to print all the advertisements at the bottom of the page and then I use the other half when I hit the back button to print the coupon twice. I have saved tons of ink this way. You will notice how short or long to tear your paper depending on your printer. I also use left over paper that my husband brings home from work and I try to only print in black. Hope this little tip helps someone.
Don
If the coupon is a separate image, in Firefox (at least with my settings and add-ons), you can right click on it and select Same Image As. If you really want to go all the way, you can open up a word processing document and include several different images from different web pages and print them all out at once.
Of course, most word processors will let you crop an image.
Jessica-MomForHim
I have set the default on my printer to print in B&W on the draft setting. If a coupon prints only on the top of the page, I cut directly underneath the coupon, which leaves room for 2 more coupons to print off. My kids love to doodle, too, so if a “doodle” is not important to them, I’m allowed to turn it into coupons. I also use the back of junk mail (if there is nothing personal on the back). And I refill my cartridges at Walgreens when they go on sale for $10, with the exception of Earth Day when they were on sale for $1! I was able to get 3 refilled for a total of $3!
Some of my readers have said they’ve been told they can’t use B&W coupons because they could be copies. I found some copied coupons that someone left behind at the grocery store, so I grabbed them and taped them to my coupon folder. You can clearly see a difference between my printed coupons and the copied coupons. If anyone ever accuses me, I’ll politely ask them to run and make a copy of the coupon quickly (every store has a copier), and see if they look the same (there is like a “watermark” that you can barely see on a printed coupon, but clearly shows up on a copied coupon).
Amanda M
I also invested in a laser printer. Got one on sale at best buy and the remanufactured cartridges go as low as $20 and last up to 2600 pages. I buy paper in bulk. When Staples had the two boxes for a few dollars I got that so I have paper forever. But I still grab reams whenever they are free… anything free is good. If I can’t use it there is always someone who can.
Savemoki
I have a brother 490 CW wireless, all in one (printer, scanner, photocopier, fax machine w/media card plug in) which I picked up at Staples about a year ago for $89.00 (by combining a Staples coupon from their weekly insert w/price matching, Office Depot had the unit on sale that week.) As for the ink cartidges, I buy them at Fry’s Electronics, and pay $7.99 a cartridge for the G&C Eco Saver off-brand. I am a full time student so I print alot, and typically one cartridge last me 3 months. Not to bad for the price!
Leon Ink
One way of saving, which isn’t actually saving it’s more recycling and you get money for it at the end, is to sell your used ink cartridges. Paper can be made cheaper by using the stuff that isn’t made from trees.
JRS
I wait until refills for cartridges go on sale at Walgreens and get them refilled then. I’ve found the Officemax store brand not to work well on my printer. The refills seem to work just fine.
Karen C.
I have been learning a few tricks to save a little while printing coupons, some which have been mentioned here.
1. When I print a coupon and it doesn’t use the whole sheet, I reuse the 1/2 page leftover for the next coupons.
2. When on a coupon site, I try to always print at least 3 coupons at a time to use the whole sheet of paper.
3. I have just started printing coupons on the reverse side of paper already used, such as when I printed something by mistake, but not on anything that has personal information on it. Have not had a coupon turned away for this yet and most coupons you clip have something on the back, so no difference.
4. I only print my coupons in black and white, no color.
5. I use the draft (I think it’s called) option instead of high quality, which also saves on ink/toner.
6. I use ink cartridges and any time I need ink, as I do now, I try to make sure they’re on sale and also look for coupons.
7. I haven’t yet, but am going to try to start ordering my ink online if I’m able to get it at a better price.
8. Buy the cheapest paper you can find. You don’t have to have high quality paper to print your coupons.
That’s all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there are many other readers that will add to the growing list of hints. I know I am going to reread the comments again to see if I missed any helpful hints. (smile)