Would a different printer save money on ink cartridges?

[Eddas]

I am on the pre-school committee and we seem to spend a fortune on ink atm. I've said i'll look into seeing if buying a new printer would ultimately decrease the ink cost, and mn is my starting point

So, does anyone have any idea if some printers cost less to run IYKWIM.

I suppose we'd have to look into the whole cost, buying and running, to work out if it's worth buying a new printer

Basically we have to print off alot of black and white stuff for letters etc and also need to print in colour as we have to print photos of the children doing activities and things for their folders.

I'm not entirely sure exactly which printers the staff have atm, but i'd imagine they're more home office type than a business printer IYSWIM.

TIA

...

Are you using the lowest setting (it's Fast Draft on my printer) to minimise ink usage? It's fine to print b&w stuff like this.

WRT to photos - are they to go to parents? If so, why not print those off in Fast Draft or equivalent too, and offer to email the original for them to keep.

WRT which printers are cheapest to run, the computer mags run features/reviews which answer those kind of questions occasionally. May be something online?

cartridge refills

check that your printer is supported by an online refill company and if not, change your printer. I use stinkyink.co.uk and they are brilliant. Not only cheap, free and next-day delivery but they are very good at giving you info. I bet if you ask them they'll be able to tell you about which is the best printer to use.

I made the mistake of buying a printer at the recommendation of my local Cartridge World shop. Turns out most refill companies don't do the refills for this printer, but CW will do them for about £20 [wshock] and . When I buy my new printer I will be definitely checking the cartridges at stinkyink first.

lol at 'wshock'! Think I wrote 'w' for witch!

Print the black and white stuff on a laser printer. It will cost a bit more to start with, but will save a fortune in ink.

Colour lasers are probably also cheaper than the equivalent inkjet, but won't do photo quality.

When you need photo quality, use an inkjet that doesn't have a system which tried to force you to only use the manufacturers cartridges. Most do, I think Canon don't?

In summary:

Definitely buy a black and white laser printer for the black and white printing.

Look at the costing/usefulness of a colour laser printer for basic colour printing.

Keep an inkjet for when you actually need photo quality, but look into which models try to lock you in to the manufacturers' cartridges and consider changing.

wow, loads of replies I will read all later as we're off to see HSM3 in a mo!

Thank you

Agree with EvelynsDad, Mono Laser for Black and White prints. The quality is high even on cheap 80gsm paper. Ideal for letters. Also print speed is good when doing multiple copies of the same document - as is often the case with letters, colouring sheets etc.

Do colour images need to be photo quality... I doubt it, though would be nice. However you need to consider the cost - if photo quality is needed, then it may actually be more cost effective to use an online digital print company like Snapfish who do prints from 9p each, and give you freebies when you join. They can also print things larger than you could, such as poster sizes.

For more instant colour prints, consider your hardware needs - for example, having a printer with integrated scanner, so you are able to scan children's artwork to store digitally and produce copies.