How to Maximise the Lifespan of Your Ink & Toner Cartridges

Whether you're a home user printing homework and family photos, or a small business owner managing invoices and marketing materials, one thing’s certain: printer ink and toner can be surprisingly costly. That’s why making the most out of every cartridge is a smart move.

At Cartridge King, we’re all about helping you save money while still getting great quality prints. So here are some tried-and-tested tips to extend the life of your ink and toner cartridges.

1. Keep Your Printer Clean

A dusty or dirty printer can lead to inefficient printing, wasting ink or toner. Clean the print heads and rollers regularly (check your printer manual for how to do this safely). Many printers have a built-in cleaning cycle you can run.

2. Store Cartridges Correctly

If you're not using your printer often or keeping spare cartridges:

  • Keep them sealed in their original packaging.

  • Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.

  • Store upright, especially toner cartridges.

This prevents ink from drying out or toner from clumping.

3. Turn Your Printer Off Properly

Always use the printer’s power button rather than switching it off at the plug. This allows the printer to seal the cartridges properly, preventing them from drying out.

4. Print Regularly – But Not Excessively

If you leave your printer unused for long periods, ink can dry up and block the nozzles. Try to print something small every week to keep the ink flowing.

Conversely, avoid unnecessary printing — especially of high-resolution images — if you want to make your cartridge last longer.

5. Use Economy or Draft Mode

Most printers have a “Draft” or “Eco” mode you can select in the print settings. This uses less ink and is ideal for everyday printing where perfect quality isn’t essential.

6. Choose the Right Font & Settings

Believe it or not, some fonts use more ink than others! If you're printing text-heavy documents, try switching to ink-friendly fonts like:

  • Century Gothic

  • Calibri

  • Ecofont

Also, always preview before printing to avoid wasting pages due to layout issues.

7. Refill or Recycle Responsibly

Once your cartridge is empty, don’t just throw them in the bin, at Cartridge King we offer an ink and toner cartridge recycling scheme. You’ll receive a free returns poly bag with your order and can also download a return label easily from our website.

Final Tip: Always Buy High-Quality Cartridges

Low-quality, remanufactured cartridges might seem like a bargain, but they can cause leaks, clogs, and poor performance — shortening your cartridge (and possibly your printer's) lifespan.

At Cartridge King, we only sell original ink and toner, guaranteed to deliver great results and excellent value for money.

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