Printing is not the cheapest thing in the world. After all, there is the cost of the printer itself, ink cartridges (which can cost up to £40), paper and electricity. Of course, you could always take the environmentally friendly option and avoid printing where you can. However, if you absolutely must print a document there are some simple ways to save money on printing costs.
Use your university print allowance
Many universities allocate each student a print allowance each academic year. A small amount of print credit, usually around £10, will be added to your student account at the start of each year. This is funded by the university so you don’t need to pay this back.
That works at around 100 free pages, possibly more depending on whether you print in colour or grayscale. If you run out of credit you have the option of topping it up however you should be able to make your free credit last most of the academic year.
Sell old printer cartridges online
Instead of refilling your old printer cartridges, you can sell them. There are plenty of companies that offer a recycling service for old ink cartridges. Simply contact them online and they will send you a quote. Depending on the type of cartridge you can earn up to £3 per cartridge.
Quite often they will send you a Freepost envelope to send them in so you won’t need to pay postage. As well as helping the environment you can pocket some extra cash.
Use printer ink refill services
Instead of buying new ink cartridges, it can be cheaper to have old cartridges refilled. Simply take your old cartridge to your nearest ink refill centre or use an ink refill website. Simply, send them your old cartridges and trade them for refilled cartridges (you will need to pay a fee).
Only print what you really need to
The easiest (and boldest) option is to simply refuse to print anything unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully universities and colleges are recognising that printing everything is not the most environmentally friendly (or cost-effective) way of studying and are beginning to take a paper-free approach.
Almost all universities and colleges require students to submit assignments online thus avoiding the need to print off a hard copy. Lecture slides are also made available online meaning students can use their laptops or tablets to take notes.
Share a printer with your friends
Instead of purchasing a printer and ink yourself, why not get together with your friends and purchase one together? Simply split the cost between you and chip in for the ink cartridge and paper.
This is a great idea if you are sharing a flat with other students as you can keep the printer in your flat. Otherwise, you’ll be debating who gets to keep the printer.
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