Pimp This Printer

Tired of killing trees and guzzling ink? Try these simple steps.

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May/June 2009

STEP 1: Downsize Your Print Job
In 2006, annoyed by all the paper waste he witnessed in corporate America, ProgressiveRx founder Hayden Hamilton launched a fresh venture: GreenPrint, his Portland-based firm's eponymous software, lets you flag and delete unwanted pages from the printer queue—like those mostly blank pages of Web detritus that pile up at the office print hub. It's no joke at big companies, where the average employee prints up to 10,000 pages per year, according to a 2004 study. In large offices, Hamilton boasts, GreenPrint can reduce paper waste by 14 percent on average. He's been hitting up hardware and software makers about bundling GreenPrint with their products, and Xerox now offers it free with certain printers. If all goes as planned, the latest upgrade, specially tailored for corporate needs, will bring other Fortune 500 firms on board. Individuals, meanwhile, can download a free Windows version at PrintGreener.com.

STEP 2: Put Your Font on a Diet
Leave it to the Dutch to develop a font that uses up to 20 percent less ink—a carbon intensive commodity pricier than top-shelf scotch. On a relative's hunch, Gerjon Zomer and his partners at Spranq, an Utrecht marketing agency, began tinkering with an open-source version of the popular Verdana typeface, imbuing the letters with negative space: tiny white stripes, stars, circles, and squares. Ink conservation competed with legibility—striped letters, for instance, used just half as much ink, but appeared fuzzy on-screen; in the end, the microcircles triumphed. Ecofont has limitations. You can't blow it up much before the holes are visible, and so far, it's Swiss-cheese Verdana or bust. But it's also free, and within three months of its release, 500,000 people flocked to Ecofont.eu for a download. Its creators promise more to come. "We are working on an ingenious way to give every font its Ecofont variant," Zomer told us recently.

STEP 3: Ignore Hewlett-Packard
Not long ago, HP ink cartridges bore a chip with an expiration date, after which the ink stopped flowing. Now the company's printer software merely creates a pop-up warning that the ink is going bad and the cartridge needs to be replaced—even if it's three-quarters full. HP marketing spokesman Thom Brown says it's meant to prevent damage to the printer. But consumers who pay it heed are forced to waste ink and buy new cartridges that in some cases cost more than the printer itself. Eco- and cost-conscious folks willing to blow off the company's advice can buy refurbished cartridges or refill their own with a syringe.

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Nikki Gloudeman is a senior fellow at Mother Jones. For more of her stories, click here.

Comments

Or try giving your printer a sabbatical

Submitted by westomoon on Wed Apr. 29, 2009 1:01 PM PDT.

It's a hard shift to make -- that impulse to hit "print" gets mighty ingrained. I've been living without one for 5 years now -- it's still sitting in its box (long story, not relevant). Once in that five years I really needed a paper copy. I e-mailed it to myself as a file, and went to the UPS Store and printed it there. I remember how irksome I found it at first not to have a printer hooked up -- but now I really can't remember why. If you produce documents for a living, this printerless life would probably not be practical. But try leaving your printer turned off -- it's amazing how much senseless printing we all do. A friend of mine tried it, and cut his use of printer supplies down to about a quarter of his previous level.

NEVER refill your own....

Submitted by rm8471 on Wed Apr. 29, 2009 1:41 PM PDT.

They will LEAK on you, for sure. However, you can find companies that PROFESSIONALLY make REFURBISHED ones for a LESSER price, AND they take your OLD ones back to RECYCLE. Now THAT is ALSO ....GREEN. In fact where I and a friend go to do the above, what I've just mentioned, is here: http://www.catalog800.com/ - Robert in Loris, Goretown area, Horry County, South Carolina, USA, North American Continent, Planet Earth, Milkyway Galaxy...just in case those aliens have trouble finding me!

Refilling your own print cartridges

Submitted by David Craig Hiser (not verified) on Wed Apr. 29, 2009 2:59 PM PDT.

tagged as:

solution

It takes a little work, and its messy until you get the technique down, but its way cheaper to just buy ink. However, if you do go that route, it works much better if you refill before it runs empty. If you wait until the printing degrades, the cartridge is no longer refillable, so go ahead and listen to the print managers recommendation.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if

Submitted by Toner Recycling (not verified) on Wed Apr. 29, 2009 5:38 PM PDT.

Microsoft, Apple and Linux were to integrate paper and ink saving technology into their software as standard. Whilst they may feel obligated to keep printer manufacturers happy their greater obligation is to the planet.

PDF Printer

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri May. 1, 2009 3:05 PM PDT.

tagged as:

solution

I use a piece of software that creates a usable "printer" that instead of wasting paper creates PDF files. It's great for all of those instances where you are suggested to "print a copy for your records". Do a web search for "PDF Printer". I use the one from Bullzip and it's great. I also gave up color and got a used laser printer at a yard sale.

Print Preview

Submitted by jamfhall1 (not verified) on Tue May. 5, 2009 7:47 PM PDT.

I learned (and still have to remember) to use Print Preview. This cuts way down on the wasted paper and ink. I no longer use an entire page just to print one line of useless dribble or whatever. If I forget to hit Print Preview first to choose which pages to print, I just put the "one-liners" back in the printer print side up (or however yours works). Mostly though, I just save what might need to be printed (payment confirmations, recipies, etc...) to the desktop or on my flash drive. Speaking of payment confirmations, most companies (electric, Amazon, etc...), if not all, email you a payment confirmation anyway. All my one-sided junk mail goes in the printer too.

Find the Right Printer Cartridge

Submitted by Ink-for-printers (not verified) on Mon Aug. 3, 2009 12:54 PM PDT.

In addition to the above, look for a printer with individual ink tanks. That way if you run out of one color you just buy that color.
As opposed to some HP, DELL and Lexmark ink cartridges which have 3 colors in one cartridge. You may run out of say yellow and be still full with red and blue. It does you no good because you can't make gree (yellow and blue). You are left with throwing out an almost full cartridge and buying another one just for the yellow.
It's a total waste.
The old Canon ink cartridges which went in a i series printer were the best and they were cheap. We used to get them at this online printer cartridge store here.

Interesting...

Submitted by Generic Xenical (not verified) on Thu Oct. 1, 2009 9:07 PM PDT.

interesting info at this post thanks!! i really like it

wedding dresses

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat Oct. 31, 2009 6:17 PM PDT.

When the economy became a bit less predictable, more women started looking for ways to make their wedding dresses a little less costly. Some women opted to donate their used wedding dresses to other brides-to-be. Others still choose to cherish this garment, saving it for future daughters or granddaughters to wear in their weddings.

The new shop, designer wedding gowns, is almost directly opposite his existing ready-to-wear and couture boutique, at No. 27, which opened in 1984.

The models this week were nine divorcees who were willing to give their designer wedding dresses major makeovers! The designers had to turn old wedding dress into a hip outfit they “can wear in the next chapter of their lives.”

The Kanye West for Louis

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The Kanye West for Louis Vuitton Outlet loafer style white sneaker comes complete with laces that are finished with tassel-style detail.Speedy 30The high tops come in both colorful variations and more subtle black and white tonesLouis Vuitton Speedy 30 , making the line overall very well balanced.

Our comapny has been

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat Oct. 31, 2009 10:05 PM PDT.

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Our comapny has been providing quality luis vuitton replicas with cheap prices for more than 6 years, all our items will arrive in perfect condition to your hand and come with free hassle return and exchange policy.Your satisfication is guanrateed louie vuittonand please shop with confidence.