Save Money with Smarter Printing Habits

With operating budgets being forced on a diet, every department is looking for ways to eliminate waste. Some cost-saving measures may include cutting back on purchases, but others could be as simple as changing how we use technology.

Changing our printing habits can easily reduce costs without hindering our performance. This guide will explain how you can be more aware of what and how much you are printing. By adjusting the printing habits within an office or department, the savings can easily add up and provide much-needed relief to budget concerns.

Here are some tips you can use to see quick savings:

• Be selective about your printing. Ask yourself if you really need to print the document. If you must print, print only what you need. If you have a 10-page document, but only need to reference pages 2 and 3 for an upcoming meeting, print only those pages instead of the entire document.
• Use Print Preview to avoid printing documents that aren't production-ready. By the time you figure in revisions and corrections, you may be printing a slightly different document a dozen times.
• As an alternative to printing, save the document as a PDF file.
• Use the features of your printer to save on toner and paper. Use draft, economy, or toner-saving options to save toner, and use duplex printing to save paper. These are usually available under Printer Properties.
• If you need to print from a website, select the printer-friendly option if one is available on the Web page. Using the print function in your Web browser will include unneeded images, including advertising. There are also options to reduce dots per inch when printing Web pages. In Internet Explorer, from the File menu, choose Print, then Preferences to access the Printing Shortcuts and Paper/Quality tabs.
• Ignore the low toner warnings. Chances are the toner cartridge still has 30 percent of its full ink capacity.
• Avoid buying OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products unless you have a need for high-quality production documents. You can sometimes save up to 50 percent on the cost of a toner cartridge by purchasing remanufactured toner. Contact the IT Support Center for more information on ordering remanufactured toner cartridges.