The true cost of printing extends far beyond the initial printer purchase. Ink, toner, and paper accumulate into significant ongoing expenses that many households underestimate. With ink sometimes costing more per millilitre than fine champagne, finding ways to reduce printing costs without sacrificing necessary output makes sound financial sense.
This guide presents practical, tested strategies for cutting printing expenses. From simple habit changes to informed purchasing decisions, these tips help you print smarter while keeping more money in your pocket.
Understanding Your Real Costs
Before optimising, understand where your money goes. The cost-per-page (CPP) metric reveals your true printing expenses.
To calculate CPP: divide the cost of an ink or toner cartridge by its page yield (the number of pages it can print). For example, a $40 cartridge rated for 500 pages costs $0.08 per page. Add paper costs (typically $0.01-0.02 per sheet) for total cost-per-page.
The Hidden Cost
Colour printing typically costs 3-5 times more per page than black and white due to the expense of colour ink cartridges. Many users print colour unnecessarily, dramatically inflating their costs.
Smart Printing Habits
The most impactful cost reductions come from changing printing behaviours. Small habit adjustments multiply into substantial savings over time.
Print Only What You Need
Before hitting print, ask: "Do I really need a physical copy?" Many documents can be read on screen, saved as PDFs, or shared digitally. When printing is necessary, preview documents first and print only relevant pages rather than entire documents.
Use Print Preview Religiously
Print preview catches errors before they waste paper and ink. Check for proper formatting, correct pages selected, and appropriate margins. One minute of preview saves reprinting mistakes that waste resources.
Key Takeaway
Reducing unnecessary printing is more effective than any other cost-cutting measure. Digital alternatives exist for most documents.
Default to Draft Mode
Draft or economy mode uses significantly less ink—often 50% or less compared to standard quality. For internal documents, proofs, and personal reference materials, draft quality is perfectly adequate. Reserve high-quality printing for final versions and important documents.
Print in Grayscale
Unless colour is essential, print in black and white (grayscale). Most documents—emails, articles, forms, and reference materials—communicate effectively without colour. Configure your printer's default settings to grayscale, switching to colour only when specifically needed.
Optimising Print Settings
Your printer's settings significantly impact consumption. Taking time to configure optimal defaults pays dividends.
Enable Duplex Printing
Double-sided printing cuts paper usage in half. If your printer supports automatic duplexing, enable it as the default setting. For printers requiring manual duplexing, the extra effort is worthwhile for longer documents.
Adjust Margins and Formatting
Wider margins waste space. Before printing documents you create, reduce margins to fit more content per page. Similarly, reducing font size slightly (staying readable) and line spacing can decrease total page count for longer documents.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet
For reference materials and drafts, print multiple pages per sheet. Two pages per sheet remains readable for most content while halving paper use. Four pages per sheet works for reviewing layouts or archiving documents.
Ink and Toner Strategies
Choose High-Yield Cartridges
High-capacity (XL) cartridges cost more upfront but deliver lower cost-per-page. Compare: a standard cartridge might cost $25 for 200 pages ($0.125/page) while the XL version costs $40 for 500 pages ($0.08/page). Over time, high-yield cartridges provide significant savings for regular printers.
Consider Ink Tank Printers
Supertank or EcoTank printers have higher purchase prices but dramatically lower ongoing costs. These printers use refillable ink tanks instead of cartridges, reducing cost-per-page to fractions of a cent. For high-volume users, the initial investment pays off quickly.
Break-Even Calculation
Ink tank printers typically pay for their higher purchase price after 1,000-2,000 pages compared to standard inkjets. Calculate your monthly page volume to determine if the investment makes sense for your usage.
The Compatible Cartridge Question
Third-party compatible cartridges cost significantly less than manufacturer originals—often 50-70% less. Quality varies considerably between brands. Some work excellently, while others may produce inferior results or cause issues.
If you try compatibles, research specific brands for your printer model and be prepared for occasional quality inconsistencies. For important documents or photographs, genuine cartridges remain the safer choice.
Don't Replace Prematurely
"Low ink" warnings often appear when substantial ink remains. Many cartridges continue printing dozens of pages after the warning. Monitor actual print quality rather than relying solely on alerts. Replace cartridges when output shows visible fading, not at the first warning.
Paper Cost Reduction
Paper costs less than ink but still adds up, especially for frequent printers.
- Buy in bulk: Paper is significantly cheaper per ream when purchased in cases of 5-10 reams.
- Choose appropriate quality: Premium paper isn't necessary for everyday printing. Standard 80gsm paper works fine for most documents.
- Use both sides: Beyond duplex printing, save paper printed on one side for scratch paper or draft printing.
- Recycle wisely: Paper with printing on one side can be used for notes, lists, and informal drafts.
Maintenance for Efficiency
Well-maintained printers operate more efficiently and waste less ink.
Inkjet printers run cleaning cycles that consume ink. Reduce unnecessary cleaning by printing regularly (at least weekly) to prevent clogs that require extensive cleaning. When cleaning is needed, start with the lightest cleaning option before escalating to deep cleaning cycles.
Keep print heads and paper paths clean to prevent quality issues that lead to reprinting. A few minutes of maintenance prevents wasted output.
Choosing Cost-Effective Fonts
Different fonts use different amounts of ink. While the impact per page is small, it accumulates over thousands of pages.
Fonts like Garamond, Century Gothic, and Times New Roman use less ink than bolder alternatives. Avoid fonts with heavy strokes like Arial Bold for everyday printing. Some organisations have switched standard fonts specifically to reduce ink consumption.
Calculating Your Savings
Track your printing to measure improvement. Note how many pages you print monthly, ink/toner replacement frequency, and paper consumption. After implementing cost-saving measures, compare these metrics to quantify savings.
A household printing 200 pages monthly might reduce costs from $25/month to under $10/month by combining strategies—draft mode for casual printing, grayscale defaults, high-yield cartridges, and reduced unnecessary printing. That's $180 saved annually without sacrificing necessary output.
Reducing printing costs doesn't mean compromising when quality matters. It means making conscious choices about when quality matters and optimising everything else. With these strategies, you'll maintain the printing capability you need while significantly reducing ongoing expenses.