The beginning of the year is a great time to adopt new money-wise habits. If you have an inkjet printer, you know that original ink is quite pricey. One pack of 932/933 cartridges for HP OfficeJet 7612 costs around £62, so owners spend hundreds of pounds per year on original supplies. However, OEM products have competitors, and there are many ways to cut expenses.
Tip 1. Buy Cheaper Cartridges
For example, the HP 933xl and 932xl combo packs from Smart Ink cost merely £15.99. Furthermore, its capacity is enough for 850-1000 pages compared to 330-400 in the standard yield. These savings quickly add up to a substantial amount!
Compatible cartridges perform as well as their OEM counterparts. Despite the low price, they have all the necessary quality marks and guarantees. For example, you may expect a 2-year warranty, ISO compliance, testing before shipping, etc. Naturally, online stores are not created equal, so you do some research before ordering your first cheap cartridge.
Tip 2. Try Remanufactured Products
Trustworthy stores typically have one more category of affordable products: remanufactured. It includes recycled cartridges — refurbished and refilled original supplies. They work like new after reconditioning and testing.
If you care about your impact on the environment, this is the most sustainable way to replace printer ink. It reduces the amount of waste in landfills, pollution of air and water, and other negative effects associated with manufacturing. At the same time, you will still save money.
Where to Buy
Cheaper cartridges are sold in marketplaces and official stores. Some due diligence is required: check the supplier’s reputation, guarantees and return policy. The most important aspects are:
- Quality marks (compliance with ISO, CE, Reach, or STMC);
- Warranty (a two-year money-back guarantee is optimal);
- The latest version of the chip (it ensures instant recognition);
- High rating on platforms like Trustpilot;
- Excellent customer support 24/7 (phone, email, live chat).
Tip 3. Use Less Ink
Did you know that some fonts require more ink than others? Generally, Arial and any bold and flashy types are the biggest hogs. Switch to Times New Roman or Century Gothic.
Your printer probably has a special Draft note. As it uses less ink, the output is lighter than usual. This feature is suitable for any print jobs that do not require high quality.
If you have to print a web page, switch it to the Reader View first. It is not available on all websites, but you can install a special Google Chrome extension that will strip the content of ads and images.
Use electronic versions of documents whenever possible. This way, you will also save paper and decrease your impact on the environment. Note that you should still print at least twice a month to keep the cartridges in a prime condition.
