Discover All Your Printer’s Capabilities
If you primarily stick to one setting on your printer, you’re not alone. But doing so may leave you unaware of all its other capabilities. So, have you ever wondered what else this piece of equipment can do?
Some of these features can drastically cut down the use (and cost) of consumables like ink and toner. In addition, exploring these capabilities also lets you reap the full benefits of your printer. Let’s dive into the world of features your printer has in store.
Hidden Gems
- Grayscale Printing: Tired of doling out money to purchase expensive color ink cartridges? Then utilize your printer’s grayscale feature. These pieces of equipment typically include grayscale mode, which only utilizes black ink but does so in varying levels and amounts to produce images with depth and character using only black ink. As a result, you’ll save your precious color ink cartridges and save a fortune.
- Duplex Printing: You may already know about this feature, but not everyone does. Duplex printing, also known as double-sided printing, involves printing documents on both sides of a sheet of paper. This cuts paper consumption in half, which keeps the environment (and your pockets) happy.
- Draft Mode: Draft mode prints documents quickly, but the quality is slightly diminished compared to the standard printing process. This is because the feature uses less ink than it does for normal prints for each copy. With that in mind, you should only use this setting for documents made for personal use.
Settings You Should Change
- Print Quality: You can adjust to a lower print quality to save ink. However, we recommend doing so for everyday printing, as more important documents should be printed in the highest possible quality.
- Paper Type: Many printers have different settings that adjust to the type of paper you’re printing on. Ensure that you’re using the correct setting to avoid wasting ink. If you’re using regular paper, you obviously don’t want your printer to be set to accommodate glossy photo paper.
Money-Saving Maintenance
- Clean the Printhead: This section collects debris over time, which leads to low-quality prints. Cleaning the printhead regularly ensures each print is clean and crisp, and lets you avoid reprints that end up costing you quite a bit of money.
- Replace Ink Cartridges: You should replace ink cartridges before they’re completely empty to avoid any damage to the printhead. Typically, your printer will flash a notification that warns you when a cartridge needs to be changed.
How to Save Money on Consumables
- Third-Party Cartridges: Third-party suppliers typically offer much cheaper cartridges than printer manufacturers.
- Refill Cartridges: Specialty print stores let you bring in used cartridges to have them refilled, which is a cheaper option compared to buying new ones.
- Use the Right Fonts: Certain fonts, like Times New Roman, use less ink than others during the printing process. Consider using these fonts to extend the life of your ink cartridges.
Copylite: Printing Experts
Copylite has provided some of the country’s best printer supplies for decades on end. Our team of helpful experts will happily guide you through your purchasing process, from finding the best products for your printer to answering any questions you may have.