This week Printing
1 Ink cartridges:Many printer manufacturers sell their printers at a loss hoping to lure you into spending ridiculous sums on their ink cartridges and much of the time it works. A good rule of thumb is "the cheaper the printer, the dearer the cartridges", so make sure to ask any salesman what the price per page of each printer is. If they don't know, don't buy it.
2 Generic cartridges:These sell for at least 20 per cent less than the more recognisable brands without any significant loss of quality. Refills are cheaper still and can shave as much as 60 per cent off the price. The quality of the ink may not be quite as good as the original cartridges but, unless you're printing high grade photographs, you're unlikely to notice the difference.
3 Buy online:Readers point towards significant savings which can be made by buying printer cartridges online, with amazon.co.uk and ebay.co.uk being two of the most promising avenues to explore, particularly now that the former has introduced free shipping to the Republic of Ireland if your spend is over £25.
4 Draft mode:Use the draft printing mode and, unless colours are absolutely essential, documents should only be printed in grey-scale.
5 Computer warnings:Take computer warnings that cartridges are running low with a pinch of salt. Keep going until the ink runs dry.
