Struggling for a New Year’s Resolution? Why Not Change the Way You Print?

2012 is coming to a close and - barring any last minute Mayan apocalypses - we’re sure you’re all looking forward to a relaxing (well...hopefully) Christmas and bringing in 2013 with style.

The ushering in of a new year usually means two things; lots of people getting a little too merry for their own good and a mass of promises to change something for the better. Of course, most of these New Year’s resolutions don’t last beyond the end of January but that’s often because they’re too ambitious to stick to on a daily basis.

If you’re the type of person who struggles to keep their grand resolutions each year, it may be time to lower your sights slightly and make a commitment to change something smaller that’ll still have a benefit for both yourself and those around you - something like the way you print.

It doesn’t sound like the most exciting of resolutions, but committing to change the way you print in 2013 could save you a lot of cash as well as making a vital contribution to the ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental damage caused by waste ink and toner cartridges.

What’s more, you don’t have to change your life completely to fulfill this particular resolution; just a few little things that you probably won’t even notice have changed!

So how exactly can you change the way you print in 2013? We’re glad you asked...

Print Smarter

Are you one of those people who just hits print when they want to produce a copy? Well, it’s costing you money. Hitting print without properly setting up your document for print and previewing it leads to lots of unintended misprints and reprints, the costs of which soon mount up.

You should also start thinking about whether your print settings are as economical as they could be. For example, are you printing an internal document for which quality isn’t a key concern? Then set your printer to draft mode and save yourself some valuable ink! Little changes such as this can make a big difference in the long run.

Recycle or Refill Your Printer Cartridges

There really is no excuse for not recycling or refilling your toner and ink cartridges in this day and age, what with so much emphasis on the importance of doing your bit for the environment across society. However, a significant proportion of printer cartridges are still going to landfill, contributing to a growing mass of harmful non-biodegradable materials.

Recycling your ink cartridges is easy, so if you don’t already, make 2013 the year you commit to change. If you run a business, get in touch with Cartridge World to discuss ways we can make your business supplies more environmentally friendly. For home printers, pop down to your local store with your empty cartridges and get them refilled for a fraction of the cost of a new cartridge!

Use Less

This might sound strange coming from a company that basically makes it’s money from people printing more rather than less, but 2013 is the year we should all commit to print less and save money. Printing is often a necessity but digital sharing methods such as email and cloud sharing coming to the fore, there are plenty of ways you can share a document without hitting print. Combined with buying low-cost cartridges, you’ll find that you’ll save a lot of money.

Changing the way you print may not sound like a bold resolution in the vein of, say, quitting smoking but the consequences of making such a move could be extremely beneficial to both your wallet and the environment!