Spill the beans... on cheap printing

Former_MSE_Debs · 25 June 2012 at 5:39PM

Spill the beans... on cheap printing [IMGRIGHT]http://images.moneysavingexpert.com/images/spillthebeans2.gif[/IMGRIGHT]

Printing can be costly , so we want your top tips on cutting the cost, from where to buy ink to making your printer more efficient, or printing at the library.

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ironlady2022 · 26 June 2012 at 10:18PM

I use old letters/scrap paper that I take home to work to print off irrelevant stuff. I hardly need to buy anypaper, as most of the stuff I print out I don't need anyway.

BlueC · 26 June 2012 at 10:29PM

Simple really. Don't buy an inkjet printer - they break and the ink is expensive. Buy a mono laser printer for home - they cost buttons to run and last forever. If you need colour printing for photos use an online print and delivery service, or your local ASDA/Boots. If you really must print colour at home, buy a colour laser printer, but remember that colour printing at home is not going to be economical.

macman · 26 June 2012 at 11:19PM

The budget Samsung mono lasers are excellent as home or home office printers, starting at about £50 upwards.

Steve_xx · 26 June 2012 at 11:58PM

I have a Brother DCP340CW wireless printer that uses inkjet technology. I've had it for a few years now and I have never bought fresh ink cartridges for it. When it first needed new ink I bought some 100ml bottles of ink and a syringe and drill kit. I drilled the cartridges and I use the syringe to fill them with ink when they need it. It's perfectly satisfactory for what I need.

toastiest · 27 June 2012 at 12:01AM

My other half has an Epson and Canon both kitted out with continuous ink systems - both from City Ink Express. It's generally straight forward to set up - just make sure that the tubes match the cartridge and there are plenty of videos online. You can get these ink systems for even older style printers from what I understand.
Once you set it up, this will last you a very very very long time without you having to think of it again - it will just work :j. The downside is you may have to leave the lid of the printer open somewhat for the tubing.

I have previously always purchased third party refilled cartridges and used the cartridge resetters (tells the computer that the cartridge if full again - loads of these on ebay etc), which make it cheaper and your cartridges last longer.
Down side is there is a risk of the ink running out and blocking up the print head especially if the printer has fine nozzles.

In regards to third party ink, you may choose to refill the cartridges yourself also. This can be messy (wear gloves!), but a very cheap option. Somewhat risky also as air bubbles can cause big problems.

Last tip, Martin the Awesome from Octoinkjet have waste ink kits. This is quite important as each time you start up your printer or run a nozzle clean, huge amounts of ink are being expelled into a deep dark corner of your printer, which eventually fills up and stops your printer working completely.
You may find youtube videos of people opening up their old printers to find sludge piles of ink inside. Getting a waste ink kit will extend the useful life of the printer and you wont have to pay e.g. £50 to canon to clean and empty it for you.
Downside is you have an extra little box with a tube sitting next to the printer -not the prettiest sight.

I just wanted to share this with you as I have always disliked the way manu branded ink is so expensive and wasteful on the environment and on our wallets. If more people become aware that continuous ink systems are possible and show that there is a demand, we may see this feature fitted as standard to home printers in the future.
Ultimately you just need to squirt ink from a bottle once a year or two and printers can last a very long time without ending up on the landfill!

ammiLy · 27 June 2012 at 2:04AM

Still have my Epson inkjet (more than 5 years old!) and it is in a good working order. Unfortunately the age of my printer means original ink is hard to find and very pricey (£60 and ore for full set). Luckily I have recently discovered (or rather decided to try) non-branded ink. Works just fine and at £4 (full set) is a bargain!! Now can delay buying new printer (wanted a 3in1 with wireless connectivity) and print for a fraction of the price I used to

Wherever I can, print double sided and multiple pages per sheet (so can fit 4 pages of a document on one sheet). Also good idea to print on already used paper.

philcrock · 27 June 2012 at 4:05AM

i use both of these for cheap printer ink always had good service
do a search on google for cheap printer ink, but always look at atleast 5 different shops for the best price
ukdvdr
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pipsqeak · 27 June 2012 at 5:48AM

I have been using compatible cartridges in my HP Photomart ink jet for years and find those from Choice Supplies(Guernsey)Ltd 100% reliable, fantastic value and quality. Register for their regular emails offering fab discount deals.

judenchris · 27 June 2012 at 6:53AM

just about to install a continuous ink supply system (ciss) to my canon printer. I'll let you know how it goes!

PM1 · 27 June 2012 at 8:37AM

Don't print at the library. Print it to a file, or 'save' the page to the desktop, and then email it home.

At home I use CutePdf to print things like on-line bills to a file. It is much easier to find past bills that way, and does not fill a filing cabinet.

I have an HP Deskjet D1660 and I have had mixed results refilling cartridges with a syringe. A MUST is to have multiple sheets of newspaper on the table while you are doing it.

Spill the beans... on cheap printing

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