Did you know that printer ink is (purportedly) one of the most expensive liquids on the planet? Luckily, University of Connecticut students have access to printing resources on campus through multiple easy to access WEPA stations. But printing costs can quickly add-up, especially for students on a budget. Fortunately, there are several tools that can help you print smarter, saving both paper and ink. Here’s some tips to get the most out of your printing experience while minimizing waste.
Print Only What You Need
Before hitting “Print,” take a moment to review the document. Most programs, including web browsers, offer a print preview to ensure you’re not printing unnecessary pages. You can also usually choose a range of pages to print — separated by commas or using a dash for a range. For example, if I wanted pages 1, 3, 4 and 5, I could type “1,3-5” in that field. If you’re printing a webpage, consider highlighting only the portion you need and choose “Selection” under the Print options.
Adjust Layout and Scale
Printing in landscape mode or reducing the scale can help fit more content on a single page. Use the scale setting in the Print menu to shrink content — it’s usually a percentage, so don’t make it too small for yourself! This can reduce total pages without compromising clarity in many cases. You can usually also adjust the margins here — because some printers cut off the edges, you don’t want to have margins less than about half an inch.
Change Color and Quality Settings
For non-essential prints, switch to “black and white” mode instead of color. Not only is it cheaper, if the text or images don’t have color the printer won’t use any color. (Yeah, even if it’s all black, they still use color ink!) Additionally, selecting “draft” or “eco” mode in your settings, if it’s offered, will use less ink while keeping text legible.
Save as PDF Instead of Printing
If what you need doesn’t need to exist on paper, opt for “Save as PDF” instead of actually printing. Every computer now has this cool feature — it may appear to be a printer, but once you click “Print” it will open a “Save As” window. This allows you to keep a digital copy, especially as a way to archive things more efficiently than screenshots or photographs of your screen. You can also annotate PDFs digitally using apps like Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Office. If I am printing a “perishable” type resource, I will often save a PDF first and then print that copy to paper.
Printing Extensions
Chrome extensions like “Print Friendly and PDF” can help format web pages for efficient printing by removing ads and unnecessary images. You can delete individual items and text, adjust the font size and edit the print preview. Using extensions can ensure you print only the most important content, reducing paper and ink usage.
We’ve all been there: the printer spits out a blank page, or the “footer” of a webpage with those unnecessary copyright notices and social media icons. When it comes at a cost, like at UConn, it can add up. But printing efficiently isn’t just about saving money — it’s also an environmentally responsible habit. By using these printing tips and strategies, you can significantly reduce waste while still getting the hard copies you need for studying. Next time you hit “Print,” take a moment to optimize your settings and make the most of your resources! Thanks for reading — until next week, I’m going back “Under the Rock”.