Make Printing go Further

Buying a printer can be a simple task, getting the most for your money is a different matter. With the initial cost of a technologically advanced printer combined with the recurring need for ink, the consumer is seeking out alternative ways to save money on printer usage. However, there’s no need to get caught up in the printer sales pitches if you maintain your printer properly and buy compatible ink cartridges.

What is the average life of a printer?

The average life of a printer is hard to determine. Inkjets often survive between three to four years, lasers can last a little longer but some can stand the test of time and frighteningly outlive their owners. Click the following link to browse our printer range.

How can a printer’s life be prolonged?

To maintain a healthy printer a number of different factors ought to be considered:

1. Location-if an inkjet is stuffed away in the bottom drawer somewhere and only pulled out to be used on occasion, then it’s far less likely to outlive an inkjet in a PA’s office. Much like a car, it works most effectively when treated carefully and used frequently.
2. Usage-over using a printer could cut its lifespan short. Printers often come with a ‘monthly duty cycle’, indicating how many pages the printer is designed to churn out in a month. Exceeding this amount will have a damaging effect on the machine.
3. Brand– all printer manufacturers in the current market are very dependable. It is one market that remains extremely difficult to break into because the consumer relies on trust when it comes to purchasing such an intricate machine. Still, with the market so competitive, it’s hard for manufacturers to charge what they want for a product (often printers are sold at a loss and companies make their profits on cartridges). So when it comes to printers, the consumer tends to get what they pay for- the higher the price, the higher the quality and expected lifespan.
4. Care- treating a printer with abuse will, like anything that is abused, cause problems. Take a paper jam for example. Instead of playing tug-of-war with the machine, simply opening up the printer from the back and extracting the paper smoothly is far less likely to cause damage. Also, shards of paper may be left behind after yanking the page free, which could easily impair the printer later on. Turning the printer off by the mains socket in the wall can also aggravate the machine. Equally, leaving it on while not in use has no positive effect. Turn it on and turn it off nicely.

How can I get the most out of my ink cartridges?

Obviously ink cannot be regenerated once used but the cartridge shells certainly can. Some cartridges can be refilled easily using cheaper, third-party ink, whereas the ones that can’t be refilled can be recycled. In turn, these recycled ink cartridges can be purchased by the consumer, so it’s a healthy cycle for everybody. Find the refill system to fit your printer here.