Preventing Ink & Toner Cartridge Waste (and Saving Paper)
Printing efficiently extends the life of the ink or toner cartridges you buy and conserves trees.
- Print only when you need a hard copy. Save e-mails and other documents on your hard drive or on a diskette, and read on-line or on-screen.
- Set printer default settings to "draft." This may be described as the "faster printing" or "economy" mode. Use the highest-quality printing setting only for final copies.
- Avoid using shaded boxes and large font sizes.
- For archived hard copies, print two or more document pages per sheet. Check your manual to find out if your computer has this capability.
- Eliminate fax and printer confirmation sheets.
- Use a fax-modem program to direct faxes to your computer instead of to the fax machine. Faxes can be archived and searched on your computer, and are easy to redirect.
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Advantages of Using Remanufactured Cartridges
Remanufacturers inspect empty cartridges for damage and then repair or replace broken parts, thoroughly clean the reusable components, and refill the cartridge with new toner. Using remanufactured cartridges has significant economic and environmental advantages:
- Remanufactured cartridges save money. Recycled cartridges are from 30 to 60 percent less expensive on a cost per copy basis. King County, Washington, procured its remanufactured toner cartridges through a long-term contract at about a third the price of new, saving $350,000 on 4000 units.
- Remanufactured cartridges create jobs. Purchasing remanufactured toner and inkjet cartridges and recycling the empties are two ways to create jobs and strengthen the local economy. In 1998, there were more than 6000 remanufacturers in the US, most of which were locally owned businesses.
- Remanufactured cartridges save energy. Approximately three quarts of oil are burned in the production of a single new toner cartridge. A used cartridge can be remanufactured up to four times, depending on type and condition, saving up to three quarts of fuel each time.
- Remanufacturing minimizes waste. Remanufacturing cartridges decreases the amount of plastic, steel, aluminum, and rubber sent to landfills and burned in incinerators. According to Recharger Magazine, cartridge remanufacturing reduced municipal solid waste by almost 38,000 tons in 1998.
- This was reprinted from Recharger magazine December 2000
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