Category Archives: Print Supplies

5 Ways to Choose the Right Ink Cartridge for your Printer

Ink cartridges are most of the time costly especially for small businesses. Replacing ink cartridges as often as few times a month can be frustrating and adding cost to your monthly expenses. Even if you tried to lessen the printing, still it doesn’t last long and the next you know is that you’re taking off that cartridge from the printer and replace a new one again.

Here are 5 ways to choose the right ink cartridge for your printer:

Printer Compatibility

Image courtesy of TypographyImages

The first thing to consider when buying an ink cartridge is to check if it is compatible with your printer since not all ink cartridges are created equal. Different printers have different types of ink cartridges. There are those that require multiple cartridges and there are those that require individual cartridges.

XL vs Standard cartridge

There is a BIG difference between XL and Standard cartridges.

If you are into high-volume printing, then, you should opt for the XL. This gives you more printing pages and will save you not only time but money. Standard cartridge is suggested for everyday home general printing or just plain text and not with photos or photography printing.

Tri-color vs Individual cartridge

Both cartridges have its advantages and disadvantages depending on the usage and what you print. If you are using a tri-color ink cartridge, this can be costly in the long run because the cartridge won’t work when one ink cartridge runs empty. Thus, you have to replace the whole cartridge forfeiting the remaining of the other ink portion. And ditching a cartridge still with ink is really a waste of money. While with the individual cartridge, all you have to do is just replace the one that is already empty.

Recycled Ink Cartridges

For the eco-friendly consumer, using a recycled ink cartridge is not only saving you money but the environment and the earth. Recycled ink costs 50%-80% lower than the brand-name cartridges. And most often than not, it produces the same quality, yields more or less same pages as with the brand-names when used properly.

Manufacturer’s warranty

Most of the ink manufacturers have product warranty to guarantee customer satisfaction. It is best to keep the packaging in its original form (with less or no box damage), the warranty card and the receipt should your ink flunk to work as promised. You can bring the item/s to the store together with the original packaging, receipt and, warranty card for replacement or refund.

If after reading this, you’re still not 100% sure about the ink cartridge that you’re buying for your printer – DON’T PANIC! That’s what we’re here for.

Contact the Ink Toner Store team and our experts will be more than happy to give you guidance on what to buy. Who knows? Maybe you can score some BIG discounts, too!

How to Choose the Best Paper for your Photos

If you are a professional photographer or even a novice in the field of photography, I know you have invested not only money but time, effort and sweat just to get that picture perfect shot. After the grueling photo shoot comes the result of your hard work – the picture perfect images.
If you are the kind of photographer who takes the quality of his work seriously then you should take into consideration the quality of your photo paper as well. You cannot just load whatever photo paper you found at the store into your printer, isn’t it?

The choice of photo paper can make a big difference in the effect, quality and feel of the picture.

Characteristics of photo paper

Thickness – A thick paper is ideal if you want to have a photo lab like feel and result of your picture.
Opacity – If a picture is to be mounted, choose a photo paper with high opacity. The recommended one is the Inkjet photo paper because they usually have higher opacity rating.

The Finish

Gloss or Semi-gloss – First thing to consider is if you are going to mount the picture or not. If you will put it in an album or just to give away to friends and family, a glossy or semi-gloss is the best option since it gives a rich color to the picture. Although glossy papers offer higher contrast and saturation, if you are going to frame the print, then definitely gloss is not the right choice because it can create reflection and glare both from the print and the glass.
Matte – A good quality matte paper is often used when printing black since it gives more detail, contrast and, texture. This type of photo paper had more stability and can be printed on both sides.
Canvas – One great option if you want to frame your print is canvas. This kind of paper is rough but delivers a matte like rich texture, contrast, and color to your images especially when viewed from a distance. A glass cover over the frame is not necessary for a canvas.
Art paper – Art paper is more expensive than the regular matte paper because it is often thicker and heavier than the latter. Art paper qualifies as a matte paper with a reasonable amount of texture and is mostly used for landscape prints, archiving art photos in museums, fine arts, etc.

Brightness / Brilliance

The brightness of the photo paper can greatly affect the color, contrast and, hues especially the dark ones. Most of the paper reflects 60-90% of light.

Durability

Choose the right photo paper according to your or your client’s budget and needs. Purchase a photo paper with lower values if you want that image to be long lasting in terms of brightness.

Knowing When To Replace Your Printer Ink Cartridges

Printers are the pillars of office equipment in the house, schools and in every business. The cost of printer ink cartridges is part of the chunk of the monthly expenses. Since printing is used daily often to print small or large-volume printing, we should be aware when to replace the ink of the printer to ensure the quality of the print especially in colored and with images.

Pale colors – It is an alert sign that your printer ink cartridge is nearing its limit when the color of your images is not as bright and vivid as it used to be. The black color is already printing gray or very light gray. Colors are becoming very pale and very light. The dress is printing light pink instead of the bloody red color. This is a red flag that you have to replace the ink soon.

Ink Warning – Low ink warning differs from one printer to another. Most printers display warnings or indicators when the ink is low. Some printers have software installed on the computer. A notification pops up on computer screen or on the printer screen and some are flashing light reflected on the printer.

Low Ink Coverage – When you notice that your printer is not printing evenly and is skipping some parts, your ink cartridge is already running close to empty. If you are in the middle of printing high-volume prints, it’s time to replace the ink cartridge to prevent work delay.

Streaks and Spots – if your ink cartridge is nearing empty, you sometimes see horizontal or vertical streaks and spots here and there. This is because the printer head is not coated evenly during printing. It’s time for you to shop for a new ink or a new set of an ink cartridge.

Printing Paper to Save Ink

Printing costs can quickly rack up even in medium sized offices. Much of printing costs can be saved by sensible use of the print function. Paper is wasted as people print to test, print to keep copies, print stuff off the internet and so on. You can save on those trips to the ink toner store and the stationers by implementing some easy to follow guidelines on printing.

No printing Emails

In these days of limitless cloud storage, anyone printing emails should be surcharged for ignorance. Printing emails to keep a copy is rampant especially in large organizations where people feel the need to keep evidence of communication. This should be discouraged at any cost. Anyone who needs to save a copy can do it on the disk.

Know paper quality

Ink comes out differently on different qualities of paper. If you are printing on recycled paper for a client marketing pitch, the client will not be too pleased with your efforts. However, if you do it on laser or inkjet paper, the results are great. This could prompt you to be printing on this paper all time, at great damage to your pocket. Know what kind of paper to use commonly and what to use on special occasion. Photocopy paper is the best for common printing.

Printer service

Just like any other machine with moving parts, your printer needs looking into regularly. Printers using toners can accumulate toner dust which leads to paper jams and smudged printing. Blow away dust, clean print heads and electric contacts. This will make your printer more efficient, saving on paper and ink.

Tweak documents

Margins too wide, big font, double spacing, and badly done paragraphing all contribute to using more paper than necessary. Teach everyone around the office the basics of efficient document production. Print on both sides to halve the paper needed.

Ensure ink is really empty

Some printers are notorious for showing empty toner messages when the toner gets to 25%. Ensure that the toner/cartridge is really empty before throwing it away.

Go green

Recycling is a great way to save on costs. Use recycled paper for printing bulk documents for internal consumption like reports. Save more with ink toner recycling. Toner manufacturers have come around this need from customers and companies like HP have refillable toners. Use it on the printer that does most of the mundane printing.

Go paperless

This is the best way to save on both paper and ink. Printing to PDF is a better alternative to hard copy with the added advantage that your documents are more easily shareable.

3 Ways To Reduce Printer Ink & Toner Usage

Have you frequently bought ink and toners because of excessive usage?It is high time you reduced the overuse. The best part of the reduction bit is that you give your printer a longer life and save yourself some coins, killing two birds with one stone. Would you like to cut on costs this way? Well, it is very possible. Let us take a peek on the matter and see just how far you should go to achieve this kind of relief. Continue reading →

Common Mistakes in Buying Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges

After looking deep into the bulk buying of ink and toners, here we are again with the Dos and DONT’s of buying printer ink and toner cartridges. The very simple knowledge of buying ink and cartridges are what people overlook; I mean, how important can it be? It is crucial because of the cost of these products and the damage caused to the machine may be irreversible.

You may already have messed up, and you will be smiling at your once upon a time situation, those unaware will want to know; what mistakes are this? Continue reading →

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bulk Buying Ink and Toners

Are you a frequent user of ink and toners? How much do you need? These are important questions to enable you to determine just the right amount of toner and ink that you need. You may not need so much for you to purchase bulk and the reverse is also true. You also do not want a situation where you are at the peak of very crucial work and then what do you know; you run short of ink.

You need to know; just how much ink and toner do you need and is it worth it? With this in mind, we will find out the pros and cons of ink and toners in bulk. Continue reading →

A Quick Guide to Buying Printer Ink and Toner Online

Buying printer ink and cartridge toner can make some users cringe. Well, there is simply too many factors to consider. But did you know that hunting for the right toner or ink for you printer online can be a pleasant experience?

To get you started, here is a simple guide to buying printer ink and toner online. It’s poised to help even the most grounded fellow. Read on and you will thank us later.

Avoidable Buying Mistakes

Sure you can garner a high-grade toner or ink for your printer. Sure you can get a good deal at that. But there is nothing as frustrating as opening a delivery box only to unleash an entirely different cartridge from the old one. You can keep these mistakes at bay by learning a teensy bit more about your printer. What are these errors? Continue reading →

Save More Money by Using Compatible Ink and Toner

In this cash-strapped times, any practical tip on saving some of your hard-earned cash is always welcome. And with manufacturer’s ink and toner cartridges costing a fortune, you can’t seem to catch a break. Newsflash: did you know you can save a ton of money by using compatible toner and ink for your printer? Oh yeah; compatible ink and toners have gained increased traction with most printer users, giving OEM manufacturers sleepless nights.

Better Off Buying a New Printer than a Cartridge?

It’s somewhat laughable that some users are faced with this tough choice. Laugh all you want but some OEM ink and toner cartridges carry a heftier price tag than the actual printer. Lucky for you, compatible toner and ink cartridge are now available. They are cheap, robust, and uncannily superior or similar – in function and look – to their genuine counterparts. So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself compatible cartridges today to save a truckload of cash. Continue reading →

Did You Know That Ink and Toner Cartridges Contains Gold?

While companies have always purchased ink cartridges for purposes of recycling, selling these cartridges does not generate lots of cash. If you are interested in getting the most from the cartridges, you should extract the gold that is found on them. This might come as a surprise to many bur ink and toner cartridges actually contain gold. It is therefore possible to scrap ink and toner cartridges so that you remain with the gold that is found in them.

Removing the Gold Chips from the Cartridges

Firstly you have to get the gold chips removed from the cartridges. You will find them on the exterior of the cartridges. Make sure the chips are of gold and not of copper because copper will not get you a lot of money. If the cartridge is large, use a screw driver and if the cartridge is small, use a knife. Stick the screw driver under the gold ribbon and use it to pry the gold out cautiously. After it has been elevated to the right angle, peal it of carefully so that you get all the gold out. Once you have the gold, you need to extract it. Continue reading →