It is one of the most modern of dilemmas: how can I make sure I'm getting the most ink out of my ink cartridge? How can I stretch it further so I don't have to buy so much of it?
Luckily, a great number people have invested a lot of their time and money into making sure ink cartridges can last longer by figuring out solutions to things you didn't even know were problems to begin with. And now I'll lay all these solutions out for you here.
How can I get the black ink in my printer to last longer?
Even though black is the most common - and cheapest - of inks, there are a number ways to reduce the amount of black ink you use. You can write using more streamlined and smaller font, like 08-point Garamond rather than 12-point Arial Bold. You can even use a font called "ecofont", which promises to reduce toner use by up to 50%.
You can also read over your document to make sure there are no mistakes, so you don't have to print the same document more than once. You can also cut out any images, paragraphs or other elements you don't need to print. Finally, be sure to keep your printer and cartridges clean. Clogged printers don't work as efficiently, and the extra pressure caused by clogs can even result in leaks.
How long does printer ink last past the expiration date?
This depends on the manufacturer of the cartridges. For example, HP cartridges often expire after just over two years, and other manufacturers had expiration dates of one to three years.
Nonetheless, printer ink can still be used sometimes if you do the following. Turn the printer off then back on, to clear the error. Then reset your computer's date to a time before the cartridge expired, and print your document as usual. Once you have printed that one time, you can reset the computer's date to the correct date, and the printer should continue to work.
That said, cartridges have expiration dates for a reason. The tiny gaps in the plastic case allow air to get in and water to evaporate, which corrodes the ink and makes it thicker. Thicker ink is more likely to cause clogs and result in less-than-optimal print quality, less ink to use for printing or, as mentioned above, leaks.
If you leave your ink jet printer on, will it dry out the ink cartridge?
It's more likely that your cartridge will dry out if you turn off your printer incorrectly. Before you turn it off, you must make sure that the printer has completed its cycle: that is, that the cartridge slot has moved all the way back over to the side it starts on. That place where the cartridge starts from is more protected from air than the middle part where it moves from side-to-side to print something, and it also closes off the nozzle tips of the cartridges. Stopping it mid-cycle leaves the nozzles open and exposed to air, which will result in clogs, less ink and - that's right - leaks.
Likewise, you must turn the printer off by using the power button on the machine. If you turn off the printer at the power source, like the socket or the power strip, rather than on the printer itself, it won't power down and clear itself properly, which can lead to the ink drying out.
Finally, if you have an inkjet printer, make sure you use it at least once every couple of weeks. Inkjets need to be used regularly to avoid clogs, dried-out ink and other problems. If you don't need to print anything that regularly, consider just getting a new printer.
Hopefully this has answered a few questions you may have had and given you some useful tips so you can make the most of the ink you have.
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