Printer cartridges are expensive and they can really drain your finances if you let them. You can save a lot of money on printing even if you do not change the number of pages that you print. Here are some techniques for saving money on cartridges. - Purchase an ink refill kit The first option is to purchase an ink refill kit that will allow you to refill your ink at home. Ink refill kits are relatively inexpensive and they cost about as much as one cartridge, put they can do multiple refills. The only thing about them is that some people find them difficult to use and they can leave behind a mess if the ink spills. - Visit an office supply store to have your cartridges refilled Some office supply stores will refill your cartridges for a price that is relatively lower than the cost of buying a new cartridge. They will take care of everything for you and it will be ready to use as soon as you leave the store, so many prefer to have a professional refill the cartridge instead of doing it themselves at home. - Buy a better printer If you have the opportunity to buy a new printer then always remember that the more expensive printers are actually much cheaper in the long run. The cheap printers are usually the ones with the most expensive cartridges, so you will eventually pay more in the future. The more expensive printers to tend to have lower cost cartridges with a higher sheet capacity and they also tend to work better and last longer in general. - Reduce the size of each page Reducing the size of each page can reduce the amount of ink used. You have the option of printing 2-4 sheets on one page without compromising the legibility of the pages. - Shut down the printer after use It is important that you shut down the printer properly when you have finished using the printer. If you just unplug the printer after use, the cartridges will not have the chance to return to their location inside the printer and they will get exposed to air that could cause them to dry out. - Use the fast draft mode Using fast draft mode is one of the best ways to save money on cartridges because it will print everything, but it will reduce the amount of ink used. Fast draft is great for printing documents, but it does reduce the quality of the print job. It is best to use the regular printing setting for more important documents. - Use a different font The font that you use can make a significant difference in the amount of ink that you use. Bold letters, underlines, and certain fonts can cause you to use a lot of ink. Some of the best fonts to use include Times New Roman, Calibri, Ecofont Vera Sans, and Century Gothic. There are plenty of ways to save money on cartridges, but you will have to be more creative when it comes to how you print your documents.