Pay attention to your printer and use the right ink – and keep your WFH costs low

The trend of working from home has put office expenses in the spotlight. And none more so than printer ink, which can cost more to replace than the printer itself! But there are plenty of ways to reduce costs says Dave Doyle. Dave, right, is the commercial manager for 123ink.ie, one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of printers, ink and office supplies.

How much can we save on printer ink?

Customers can save over 40% on the cost per printed page by using ownbrand cartridges ink and toners like those from 123ink.ie. Having the wrong printer for your needs can also cost a fortune. If you have an inkjet printer and have a high print volume, you will pay more – up to €200 per month in some cases – than if you used a more practical laser printer.

How important is it to get the right printer?

You will always pay less in the long run, especially when you also buy own brand ink and toner. You will see printers for €50, with a starter pack of ink. In many cases these cartridges contain less than a teaspoon full (5ml) of ink. Replacement cartridges can cost over €70 in many cases. If you regularly print lots of black and white pages, get a mono laser printer over a colour ink printer.

Any tips on cutting down those extortionate home printing costs?

• Choose a printer with lower ink or toner costs. Look out for a metric called CPPP – cost per printed page – in online reviews.

• Use a more economical font type. When printing documents that do not require a specific style of font, choose a more durable font. Some fonts require less ink than others. Ecofont uses less ink. It contains minuscule holes that are invisible to the naked eye.

• Choose a lower DPI or dots per inch number. This is important for photos and images but not so much for printing text for which a DPI of 300 to 600 is sufficient. You can change the DPI setting on your printer. • Look at own-brand compatible cartridges, including those by Inkjet.

• If you have an inkjet printer buy cartridges in a multipack.

• Choose ‘only use black ink’ in the printer settings. Choosing ‘greyscale print’ instead means the printer often combines the different colours of ink to produce a higher quality black.

• Print on both sides.

• Buy multipacks of paper.

Whatever happened to the ‘paperless office’ we were meant to have 20 years ago?

Our paper sales have experienced consistent double-digit growth over the past three years. Leading the way are the education and financial sectors. Many are still drawn to the tactile and tangible nature of printed materials.

What did your parents teach you about money?

We didn’t have much growing up, so I learned the value of money early on, and that it had to be earned.

Worst investment?

Cars, especially a 1993 Subaru Legacy – it cost a fortune in petrol to even start the car up.

What health insurance plan do you have?

I am on a Precision plan with Laya, I have been with Laya for over 25 years in total.

Personal financial priorities?

Clear our mortgage early, so we can enjoy our later years without worry.