Get the most out of your printer with these simple tips | May18 Newsletter
Pointers to push your printing performance
The advent of both the smartphone and cloud storage have seen a decline in the use of printing, but hard copies of documents are still vital in any school or business, meaning a reliable printer remains a must-have.
While the inkjet printer was first patented more than half a century ago, plenty of people still fail to get the best possible use out of their device. Here are a few tips to ensure you are making the most of your printer.
See the world in black and white?
It’s no secret that while printers are relatively cheap, the cost of ink can really hit the hip pocket. So one of the most obvious ways to ensure you’re printing efficiently is to minimise your ink usage – particularly when it comes to colours.
In this 48-bit, 4K-resolution world, printers are ready to prepare documents in amazing vibrancy and definition. But do you need it?
Odds are, unless you’re really trying to impress a client, you can get away with printing in black and white most of the time. So have a play around with your print settings – ‘Draft’, ‘Economy’, ‘Grayscale’ and ‘Toner Saver’ are all settings that will make the best use of your precious ink.
Print on paper, save a tree
We’ve come a long way since ‘printer paper’ meant those horrible reams of conjoined pages with holes all the way along the edges. These days – particularly since digital cameras became ubiquitous – you’ll need high-gloss paper for printing off your snaps. When printing documents, you’ll need to consider its use. If you’re going to print on both sides, a mid-weight paper is required so the ink doesn’t bleed through, making your printout illegible.
If you’re just printing a document for internal use – i.e. if presentation isn’t really a major concern – go standard weight, as it’s cheaper and less likely to jam.
One aspect you really don’t need to be concerned with when considering paper is your impact on the environment because, contrary to popular belief, printing actually leads to more trees.
As Edward L Glaeser, Professor of Economics at Harvard, pointed out: "When people use more paper, suppliers plant more trees. If we want bigger commercial forests, then we should use more paper not less.”
Don’t get hung out to dry
Is there a more painful digital experience than going to print off a document, only to discover that your ink is supposedly out?
You know it can’t be empty – you’ve only printed one A4 document with your fresh cartridge – but it has been a while since you last used your printer.
Odds are your ink has simply dried up. Luckily, while this is a painful problem to be faced with, it’s also simple to avoid. Each time you’re done printing, just make sure you turn the printer off. Don’t just press the ‘power’ button, hold it down until all the lights go off – that will ensure the cartridge is capped internally.
Despite so many elements of our lives going digital, the printer has been – and still remains – a staple of modern business.