STACK #219 January 2023

TECH FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

Recycling your used ink cartridges

PERFECT PRINTING continued

Ink cartridges contain plastic and petroleum-based products that can

continued

take a millennium to decompose. And with an estimated 18 million cartridges used in Australia each year, responsible disposal is paramount. Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is a recycling initiative that provides an easy solution to getting rid of your empties, with participating JB Hi-Fi stores serving as drop off points nationwide. Simply visit recyclingnearyou.com.au/cartridges to find the closest one and reduce your carbon footprint.

Think Ink I nk and toner is a printer’s fuel, and JB has you covered for inkjet, laser, and photo models. Always check you have the right type for your printer, and consider value packs and tops ups for additional savings and back-up cartridges. Ink cartridges A staple of standard printers, cartridges contain liquid ink in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMYK) that’s sprayed as a mist directly onto the page. They are simple to install and replace, and the ink also dries quickly, reducing smudges. Toner cartridges Used in laser printers, toner cartridges contain powder that is quickly transferred to the paper using heat. They have a long life, making laser printing the way to go for high volume jobs. Ink Tanks Ink tanks deliver ink in bulk for continuous supply and are more economical than single use cartridges as they can be topped up, thus reducing cost and waste. Unlike cartridges, ink tanks don’t contain a built-in print head, so aren’t prone to clogging.

HP Instant Ink An important thing to factor into printer use is the ongoing cost of replacement ink cartridges, which of course will vary depending on the volume of printing. Then there is the possibility of them running out at an inconvenient moment. If printer use is consistent in your household and you’re printing a decent amount of pages every month, it could be worth looking into an ink and toner subscription service. HP, a trusted name in the printing world, has a cost-saving initiative called Instant Ink for those who print frequently. The monthly subscription fee includes delivery of ink or toner cartridges and postage-paid return of empties for recycling. It’s based not on the amount of ink or toner used, but on the number of pages printed per month. When the ink supply is running low, subscribers are automatically sent more. How? Well, these are ‘smart’ cartridges. All you need to do is ensure your HP printer is continually connected to Wi-Fi, and HP will know when the ink supply is running low based on your page count. Most Wi-Fi-enabled HP printers will be compatible with the subscription service, but you can confirm your printer’s eligibility on the HP site prior to signing up. HP Instant Ink offers five subscription plans – light, occasional, moderate, frequent

Plans are flexible, too, should you wind up printing more pages than your monthly allocation. And if you’re suddenly printing less, unused pages are rolled into the following month. HP Instant Ink takes the hassle out of shopping for cartridges, and you won’t run dry in the middle of a printing job again. And importantly, there are no contracts with HP Instant Ink – you can change or cancel your existing plan at any time.

Ink savers 1 Always preview a document before printing. 2 Check print settings for any ink saving measures, like using draft mode if you don’t need a high quality document. 3 Bold text and big fonts require more ink. Be conservative with text size where possible. 4 Select monochrome if a document doesn’t require colour printing. 5 A low ink alert doesn’t necessarily mean the printer is running on empty. Depending on the model, a cartridge can still contain a small percentage of ink for printing, but fading and banding indicates it’s time for a replacement. 6 A printer heats up when left on for long periods. Turn it off when you’re done printing to avoid excessive heat drying out the ink cartridge.

and business – beginning at ten pages a month, right up to 700 pages for high volume printing. Toner plans start at 50 pages up to 1500.

20 JANUARY 2023

jbhifi.com.au