Ways to Cut the Cost of Printing Coupons

Love printing your own coupons but you're getting tired of spending too much money on printer ink during the process? By following these tips, you can cut your printing costs in half.

When I first started printing coupons from the internet, I over indulged. I printed almost every coupon that I thought I could possibly use. And all the coupons were in beautiful deep colors, which I thought would impress the store personnel where I was redeeming them.

Needless to say, I quickly realized that the quarter I was saving on my frozen vegetables had cost me a fortune to print. Sound familiar?

Here are 10 tips to help avoid the costly expense of printing online coupons.

1. Print only the coupons you will use. Printing the coupons on the day you plan to shop is a good strategy since online coupons often expire within 30 days from the date that you actually print them.
2. Set your printer properties to only print in black ink, not in color. It is not required by stores that online coupons be printed in color.
3. When printing coupons from Coupons.com, Redplum and Smartsource, try to print three coupons at a time. By doing so, the three coupons will print on one piece of paper.
4. Watch as the coupon prints. Once you see that the coupon has printed, pause your printer to avoid printing the ads that sometimes appear under online coupons.
5. Set your printer to print in the "fast/economical" mode. This is also sometimes called "ink saver mode" or "toner saver mode." To do this go to your printer's properties and adjust the printing preferences.
6. Look for an inexpensive laser printer that only prints in black and white. Laser printers often print over 4,000 prints per cartridge which is a real money saver. You can find this type of printer for under $50.
7. Before buying a printer, find out how much the ink or toner will cost to replace. Factor in this cost before making your final decision on which printer to purchase.
8. When printing one coupon at a time, salvage the unused portion of the paper and use it for future coupon printing jobs.
9. Find out what stores in your area offer discounts for recycling cartridges.
10. When you see paper on sale, stock up.

Local Places to Find Printer Ink for Less

If you shop at Office Depot, sign up for the Office Depot Rewards program and start earning $2 back in Rewards each time you bring in any ink or toner (up to 10 per month). Also, by being a Rewards member you earn two percent back in rewards each time you buy ink or toner.

Keep an eye on your Sunday coupon circulars for deals on printer ink at CVS and Walgreens. You can also check online at their websites for money-saving coupons for printer ink. Many times they include the purchase of printer ink in with other store rewards.

Remember, too, that Walmart will match advertised prices of its competitors. You can get the list of which stores your local Walmart considers competitors.