How to Save Money on Printer Ink with Eco Friendly Fonts

Didn’t we just replace that ink cartridge? And it’s no small investment, either. That tiny box of printer ink takes a double digit bite out of our wallets. Did you know printer ink can cost as much as $20,000 per gallon? Makes you glad your car only uses that cheap old gasoline, doesn’t it?

Unless you stop printing altogether, printer ink will be a necessary evil. But, there are ways to reduce the costs, by choosing eco friendly fonts. Save money and save the planet all at once. Who can refuse?

STEP 1

CONSIDER THE ECO FONT. The original eco font was designed by a Dutch company. The font contains tiny holes in the bold strokes of the font.  The process is indiscernible in text sizes below 12 points and the savings are significant, even after the cost of purchasing the font.

STEP 2

DOWNLOAD ECO FONT SOFTWARE. Eco font software punches tiny holes in the font of your choice. So, whatever type you use, you’ll save ink.  You may download the software for free. Search using the words ECO FONT to find sources.

STEP 3

FIND FREE ECO FRIENDLY FONTS. All fonts are not created equal, in the world of ink use.  The University of Wisconsin considered the circle punched eco font and then discovered that the widely available Century Gothic font uses less ink than the punched eco font. And, that makes Century Gothic more useful in large sizes, too. It’s already on your computer.

STEP 4

TAKE IN THE BIG PICTURE. While light on ink, Century Gothic (as an example) contains wider letters and will use more paper than the more ink hungry Arial font. Century Gothic is also considered less reader friendly. Paper is cheaper, but using more paper is not environmentally friendly. Consider that and your readers’ comfort when choosing fonts.

Comments (7)

iTony said:

	... This is a great idea but I didn't like how the fonts looked. My printer doesn't use that much ink because I have it set to fast draft print which prints very fast and with less ink.
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April 15, 2010
Votes: +2

computertech4u said:

	... I love my laser printer! 5,000 pages per toner refill. Refilled for me for $50, or I can buy the toner and do it myself easy. Enough toner to refill twice, 10,000 pages, for about $20. I can't find enough to print! However, the inital cost of the printer is higher. Black and white starts at $100-and color $300. This is a great idea, and you get 5*s!
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April 17, 2010
Votes: +2

veryirie said:

	... We all need to be more aware of the expenses on our wallets and those of the planet. Good research!
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April 21, 2010
Votes: +1

ShirleyP said:

	... I've never heard of eco fonts. I can't even imagine how much ink I've used over the years especially since I use Arial and Verdana in bold usually!
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April 24, 2010
Votes: +1

Margie Lynn said:

	... Great article, we need to save any way we can!
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September 24, 2010
Votes: +0

jswana said:

	... Wow. Never heard of this! Excellent article because it taught me something important!
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July 31, 2011
Votes: +0

DeannaLS said:

	... Excellent article - going to Tweet this to my friends.
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August 06, 2011
Votes: +1