Get More Toner for Less: 8 Ways to Save Money on Your Toner Cartridges

Printing expenses will have a huge impact on the overall running costs of an organization. Yet, very few companies actually take the time to track the dollar amount. Add this onto the other office supplies expenses and you will get a clear picture of how much money goes down the drain.

A small business cannot afford to lose money through unnecessary expenses. If you find that you’re always buying a printer toner, it may be time to take a step back and evaluate the actual cost of printing. In that way, you’ll be able to identify what you need to stop doing.

Our article below will explore eight excellent ways to save on printing costs, keep reading.

How to Save on Printer Toner

We have a lot of technological innovations which can help a business save quite a bit of money. However, the printer does not seem to be on its way out any time soon. The cost of buying toner cartridges continues to be a must-have item on the office budget.

Many employers are looking for ways to cut down on the running costs for their businesses. Some of the measures could include recycling paper, and only printing when absolutely necessary. If you find that this is something you're currently struggling with, read on below for ways to save on toner cartridge in a business.

Let’s get into how you can save on toner in your business and cut down on office expenditure.

1. Check Your Resolution Settings

You’ll find that many of the modern printers have many features you can use to save toner. Manufacturers have default settings for optimal performance, thus requiring maximum use of resources. You’ll find that you keep replacing the toner cartridges after a short time.

For most of the office printing, you can do without the optimal performance option. Think about reducing the resolution settings so that you use less toner.

2. Think About Using Grayscale Print

You may find that you are printing in color even when you don’t need to. So even when you're printing a black-and-white document, the setting will still require the use of some of the color toner. Insist that everyone prints in grayscale, unless it is totally necessary to do otherwise.

Change the setting to ensure everyone complies.

3. Toner Saving Features

The Toner Saving features are available in modern printers. It may vary according to the type of machine you have. Choose this setting and see excellent savings with regard to the buying of the toner cartridge.

4. Lighter Print Density

In your printer settings, you’ll find the print density feature. It basically refers to how much toner will go into a specific part of the page during the printing process. Reducing the density will result in less toner usage.

The only thing you'll have to contend with is slightly lighter prints. For more official purposes, you can switch back to a slightly denser print. For the daily office functions, reduce the density so that you save on the toner.

5. Stop Unnecessary Print Commands

You want to print a document, and you send the print command. Immediately, your printer goes into action as it prepares to start the process. You will know this because the printer will start making whirring noises.

What you are hearing is the toner cartridge rotating into position as it starts to process your command. During the rotation, toner particles will go to waste. Once the job is complete, more toner particles will get lost as the printer resets.

The whole process will occur every time someone in your organization sends a print command. If you are printing a large document, don’t send the pages one-by-one. Doing this will require a start-stop process for each page. Send the document at once, and you will save on toner.

6. Your Fonts Matter

Whether you're buying toner for Brother printer or any other kind, think about the font you are using within your organization. Some fonts will use more toner than others; the friendly ones include times new Roman, and Garamond.

Adapt the use of smaller font sizes; size ten as opposed to the more popular size 12. You can do this for internal documents, and save the larger size for official communication with clients or partners.

7. Low Toner Warning; Don’t Fret About It

The normal reaction for most people is to run to the shop to replace their laser printer toner anytime they get the low toner warning. While it pays to be cautious enough to have extra stock, don’t replace the cartridge right away. You’ll find that you can still get quite a bit of usage before it totally runs out.

Shake the cartridge so that you distribute the remaining toner. You will be quite pleased with how much usage you get out of that simple action. When it is time to replace it, think about a quality compatible cartridge. You will spend less than you would on a new OEM one.

8. Stop Unnecessary Printing

Stopping unnecessary printing in your company is probably one of the best ways to save on toner. Anything that you can share over the digital space should never see the light of day on the printer. Some people just like to print because they feel that they can read better when something is on paper.

As much as it may make sense to them, it’ll not make sense on your bottom line. Put policies in place that make it clear that you will not tolerate any kind of wastage. It may require some getting used to, but, not only will you save on toner, but you'll also save on printing paper and electricity.

Ready to Stop Wastage

With very little effort on your part, you’ll find that you’ll significantly reduce your spend on office supplies. The printer toner continues to be a major culprit when it comes to office spend. Applying some of the tips we have given above will go a long way in reducing wastage.

Finding the right toner for your printer will also save you a ton of money. Contact us if you have any questions regarding toners for your printer. You’ll find that we stock a wide range of toner cartridges for the printers you have in your office.

Conclusion

Lower toner costs usually come from a few simple habits and printer settings. Start with resolution, density, and grayscale, then set clear printing rules for your team. Small changes add up quickly across a busy office.

Key Takeaways

• Lower resolution and print density settings can reduce toner use for everyday documents.
• Print in grayscale unless color is necessary.
• Send large documents as one print job, not page by page.
• A low toner warning does not always mean the cartridge must be replaced right away.
• Printing less also saves paper and electricity.

FAQs

Q1. What is the easiest way to save money on toner?

Start with your printer settings. Lowering the resolution, reducing print density, and turning on toner-saving features all reduce toner use without changing how your team works day to day.

Q2. Does printing in grayscale save color toner?

Yes. A printer set to color may still use some color toner on a black-and-white document. Setting grayscale as the default helps prevent this, and you can switch back when color is needed.

Q3. Do fonts affect how much toner I use?

Yes, some fonts use more toner than others. Times New Roman and Garamond are toner-friendly options. Using size 10 instead of size 12 for internal documents can also reduce toner use.

Q4. Should I replace my toner cartridge when I see a low toner warning?

Not right away. You can often keep printing for a while after the warning appears. Gently shaking the cartridge can redistribute the remaining toner, but it helps to keep a spare ready.

Q5. Does printing one page at a time waste toner?

It can. Each print command starts a new start-stop process, and some toner may be lost as the printer prepares and resets. Send a large document as one job instead.

Q6. How can a business reduce unnecessary printing?

Share documents digitally whenever you can, and set a clear printing policy for your team. Printing less saves toner, paper, and electricity, though staff may need some time to adjust.