| Ink is expensive. It's easy to spend far more on | | | | when your cartridges are running low. Don't let |
| ink over your printer's lifetime than you spent on | | | | this inspire you to replace those cartridges right |
| the printer itself. And printer companies like it that | | | | away, though; in some cases, you still have plenty |
| way. Their business model is to sell their printers | | | | of ink left. Most printers will physically stop or |
| for a low price, then make up the profits on sales | | | | refuse to start printing when the cartridge is |
| of ink. It works out better for them, since once | | | | actually out, and people who want to conserve |
| you've bought your printer you're locked into their | | | | ink are advised to ignore those warnings and just |
| ink-or at least they make you think so-and you | | | | keep printing until they can't anymore. |
| have to keep spending more. | | | | Smart Chips. Watch out for printers with Smart |
| But in general, consumers aren't so happy with | | | | Chip technology. These tiny computer chips are |
| this arrangement. Most people try to conserve | | | | installed in some printer cartridges. They're there |
| their ink due to the expense, but there are many | | | | to stop the printer from printing after a certain |
| ways printers and manufacturer cartridges are | | | | amount of time has elapsed, forcing you to buy a |
| designed to make you use more. Here are six | | | | new cartridge whether the old one is empty or |
| ways printer companies try to foil your ink | | | | not. The printer companies claim that their ink |
| conservation attempts-and how to get around it. | | | | degrades naturally over time, and the chips are |
| Setting a default other than Economy. When you | | | | there to stop people from printing with ink that's |
| just hit the "Print" button without going into your | | | | past its expiry date. However, consumer |
| printer settings first, what happens? Your printer | | | | advocates think otherwise, and several lawsuits |
| probably doesn't print in Economy or Draft. For | | | | have been filed against companies like HP and |
| most printers, you have to physically go into the | | | | Epson claiming that the chips force consumers to |
| print settings and change to Economy before | | | | buy ink more often than needed. |
| printing. And some drivers don't let you set it as a | | | | The chips are also there to limit people from using |
| default, so you have to remember to do this | | | | third-party cartridges and refilling services. They |
| every time. This can be frustrating for those who | | | | are designed to sense when a non-brand cartridge |
| try to conserve ink by printing in Economy as | | | | is installed, and to give a warning that using these |
| often as possible. To save on ink, make sure you | | | | cartridges is dangerous and might harm the |
| don't forget to change your print settings to | | | | printer. They also make it difficult to refill |
| Economy before printing. | | | | cartridges- Smart Chip cartridges generally won't |
| Printing in colour automatically. Colour ink is more | | | | print if refilled. |
| expensive than black. And even if you're printing a | | | | When buying a printer, ask whether the chips are |
| page of black text, many Inkjet printers will | | | | installed in the ink cartridges. If you already have |
| automatically use the Colour setting-unless you | | | | a Smart Chip printer, you can still buy third-party |
| remember to change it manually each time. Other | | | | ink. Look for 100% compatible cartridges that |
| printers use colour ink for grey-scale printing | | | | have a microchip of their own installed, or use a |
| automatically-this is something you can also | | | | chip resetter to reset the chip after refilling your |
| change by going into your print settings and | | | | ink. |
| making the change to black ink. Even if you think | | | | Convincing you that third-party ink might harm |
| you're just printing a black-and-white document, | | | | your printer. Printer companies will tell you that |
| go into your print settings every time and make | | | | only their own ink is safe to use in their printers, |
| sure you're using black ink. | | | | and that third-party ink might ruin the machinery. |
| Selling printers with all-in-one cartridges. All-in-one | | | | But bear in mind that they have a financial |
| cartridges are basically one cartridge with multiple | | | | incentive to convince you of this-if they do, more |
| compartments for each different colour ink. The | | | | people will buy their expensive brand-name |
| problem with these cartridges is that you can't | | | | cartridges. The well-known third-party cartridge |
| replace different ink colours separately. If you run | | | | manufacturers are generally quite safe to use, |
| out of one colour ink, you have to replace the | | | | and produce comparable-quality prints. |
| entire cartridge-even if none of the other | | | | Printer companies will try to get even the most |
| compartments are empty. To save on ink, try to | | | | careful ink-conservers to spend more on ink. But |
| choose printers that have separate cartridges so | | | | you don't have to fall for it. Know what the pitfalls |
| you can replace them one at a time as needed. | | | | are, and you'll be better able to save on ink |
| Warning you the printer is "nearly out of ink" too | | | | despite the best efforts of printer manufacturers. |
| soon. Some printers give you a warning message | | | | |