The use of draft printing will extend the life the cartridge immensely, as this option allows you to print with minimal ink. This also speeds up the printing, as well, so you get the paper in half the time as you would have, printing it in the best quality mode. Save the best or top quality for your final print.

You can choose this option from the file tab and choosing the print option. This will open the box for printing and print choices. You will want to choose the paper/quality tab and select the setting for printing such as the draft quality. Your file will print at a lower resolution allowing you to save on the ink.

If you’re dealing with a long document, print two sheets to a page if you can. Your printer may allow you to print two pages side-by-side in ‘landscape’ orientation — and you’ll save on paper costs, too. Reduce your inkjet costs by economizing on ink when you are able to do so. Make sure to keep your ink cartridge supplies ready for when you need to do high resolution printing.

You may want to consider out-sourcing your big printing jobs as it may be cheaper to have a print shop print your big jobs than it is to buy a new cartridge to get the job done at home. Many places will allow you to place your order online, allowing you to pick up at your convenience or you can even have them mailed to you.

If you are not using your ink often, you may want to consider an ink cartridge case. This will keep the cartridge from drying out and will keep it free from dust and particles that can clog when it sits too long.

Stretching your ink doesn’t have to be difficult. Just use the ink wisely and follow a few simple guidelines to help you get the most out of your ink.

Often when you are working on your computer you must print several drafts before you complete and are ready to print your final product. Be sure to use the draft print option to reduce the amount of ink you are using. This will not only save ink but time because drafts print much faster. Use draft print whenever high quality is not important and this will make your ink cartridge last a lot longer.

How do you change your print quality to draft? There is an option under the file tab labeled print options. In the print option box you will see another tab entitled paper/quality. Click this and set the quality to draft. Your print will not be as brilliant but you will use less ink. Paper can also be a big expense and there are ways to save here as well. You will use less paper if you change your page layout to landscape and print to pages on each sheet of paper. This is especially useful if you are printing a huge file that would use a lot of paper.

There are more economical inks available as an option as well. It may be beneficial to purchase cheaper ink to be used on a daily basis. Of course you will want to have high quality ink cartridges available to use when you need high quality prints.

It may be most cost effective to have a print shop handle your large files. You may be surprised at how much money you will save. It is very easy to do. Some companies allow you to e-mail your job to them and they will either send the prints to you in the mail or you can come to their store to get them when ready.

Most color print projects use either spot colors or process colors. In every project, budget plays a large role in the decision as well as the printing method and the design elements used in the layout. As a rule of thumb, a couple of spot colors will definitely cost less than a four-color or process color printing. However, when you use full color photos, a more expensive color process may be your best option.

What are spot colors? As I’ve said before, spot colors are cheaper than the full color ones. When do you use spot colors? Well, there are several guidelines to determine whether spot colors would do the trick. Here are a few:
- If your publication has no full-color photographs.
- If your publication needs a color that cannot be accurately reproduced. This includes CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) inks which are often used for precise color matching of a corporate or logo color.
- If you’re printing a specific color on something that requires page to page color consistency.
- If you’re using a much larger space such as that of your poster, spot color can provide that even consistency look in your marketing ad.
- Spot color can give you a more vibrant color than the CMYK can produce in your color printing ad.
- Or if your ad needs special effects that requires producing inks such as metallic or fluorescent ones.

On the other hand, you’ll definitely need to apply process colors, e.g. CMYK inks, when…
- Your ad has full color photographs in it.
- Your ad has graphics that require producing multi-color inks.
You’ll then have to produce many color inks if you use spot color instead of the process colors.
- And if you need more than two spot colors in your ad, it is better to apply process color instead. Most of the time, you can save on costs with process colors than using four or more spot colors to produce your shade.

And if you have an ad that has photographs that integrates both spot colors and process colors, you can always use both applications. This is especially true in your logo color. For better results, ask your color printing company so you’ll be sure to have the best application to produce the colors you need for your marketing campaign.

Four-color process
The four-color process is used to print items that have a full spectrum of colors, such as a color photograph. The four colors include three primary colors – cyan, magenta and yellow, along with black (known as CMYK for short). Another full-color printing method, the six-color process, is newer and adds orange and green to the CMYK palette, which provides a bigger and brighter color range. The colors produced are known as process colors.

Spot-color process
Whereas the four-color process mixes four colors together in different combinations to produce different colors, spot color ink is used alone, rather than mixed, to make various colors. This can be used in combination with four-color inks if needed. Spot color inks are nearly unlimited in range and can be more varied than the color produced by the four-color process. Spot color inks can print colors from pastels to metallics and other finishes. The colors produced are known as spot colors.

Spot printing is generally cheaper to produce than process color printing, but spot colors are not appropriate for any material that includes a photo or a wide range of colors.
So how do you know which process to use when?

Use process colors if:
-you are using full color photos
-you need more than two spot colors (otherwise, your printing cost could get more expensive than process color printing)
-your document includes many different graphics with many shades

Use spot colors if:
-You have no full color photos – your photos only include one spot color and black
-you repeatedly need a color that CMYK can’t produce properly (for instance, if your logo is going to be printed over and over)
-you need colors that are more vibrant
-you want to use metallic or fluorescent colors
-you have a large printing area, such as a poster (spot colors cover well than process colors)

In addition, sometimes you need to use spot colors and process colors together, such as when:
- Your document has full-color photographs and you have your logo on the page, which includes a color that cannot be properly produced by CMYK
- You need to increase the intensity of a process color – adding a spot color ink will deepen the process
- Your full color publication is coated with varnish, and varnish is designated as a spot color.

One of the most common questions is whether to use color printing for your job. Your printing firm would definitely be asking you if they are going to use color for your print job. This is because if color is one of your requirements, then there is a whole busload of details that they would need from you.

So let us first define what color printing means

Obviously, when you say color printing there is definitely the application of color in your print job. According to Wikipedia.org, it is the method of reproducing your image or text in color. It is not application of black and white or even monochromatic scheme but an infusion of most of the colors you see in the spectrum. When you use a full range of colors to reproduce a color image or picture, then what you have is a four-color process printing. It usually applies the CMYK as its primary ink colors. CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Then there is the six-color process printing that applies a system that adds the colors orange and green to the CMYK for a wider range of shade.

You also have the ‘spot color’ inks, which you can use either alone or in combination with the four-color printing process. Spot color is so termed because you do not have to mix different shades and hues to create a particular color. The spot color inks can be printed on their own. Printers frequently use spot color compared to the four-process printing because of its unlimited and varied color inks that are available.

Therefore, the next question from your commercial printer would be whether to use spot color or the process colors, or even a combination of the two. As color is one of the essential elements to be considered in the reproduction of your marketing collateral, you need to decide which among the three would be appropriate for your needs, and more importantly, to your budget.

Do you need process colors? Alternatively, spot color would be suitable to bring out the brilliant shade of your images. On the other hand, would you prefer to use both?

Knowing the answers to the above questions would definitely save you money and time for your next marketing collateral.