Ways to Cut the Cost of Printing Coupons

The following couponing article is for all of the frugal spenders that are tired of spending too much money on printer ink when printing coupons. 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 was costing 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 days 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.

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 it the ink or toner will cost to replace. Factor in this cost before making your final decision on what 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 Staples sign up for the Staples Reward 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 10 percent back in rewards each time you buy ink or toner. For more details, visit Staples Rewards online.

Office Depot has similar programs called Worklife Rewards and StarTeachers that also offers $2 back for each cartridge you recycle.

With both programs make sure to read the fine print. A purchase may be required.

Keep an eye on your Sunday coupon circulars for deals on printer ink at CVS, Walgreens and Riteaid. 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.