Ask the Readers: Printing coupons inexpensively?

With all the great printable coupons which have been available recently, I thought it would be great to post this question that Andrea recently emailed and asked:

I am new to printing internet coupons and it has taken a toll on my printer cartridges. Where have you found/heard to be the cheapest place to buy/refill them? -Andrea

I'd love to hear your best money-saving suggestions and ideas for printing coupons (and everything else!) inexpensively.

Comments

[stephanie]

We have an Epson (a rather cheap printer) but the reason why we like it is because we have refillable cartridges. We buy one cartridge and the ink and then refill it when needed. It saves a ton of money.

[Mandy Ford]

I buy our printer ink from printpal.com. They have cartridges for a lot of different brands/models. I only pay $8 for color and $6 for black!

[Eryn Hall]

Our local Staples will pay you to recycle your ink cartridges thru them. Just take in the empty cartridges and they send you a check in the mail (only good at Staples) and use that check toward new ink.

[Mandy]

Office Max does refills for around $10 a cartridge and it's even less if you have a Max Perks card, which you can sign up for at the store, and earn $ towards future purchases.

[Amber Pena]

I print them on the lowest quality setting ("draft"). They still scan just fine and it uses a lot less ink. Also, when a coupon is a full page (you know, with and ad at the bottom) I cancel it before it prints the whole page so that it doesn't waste all that ink.

[Sarah @ FiddledeedeeMom]

We have our cartridges refilled, and they cost about half of what the new ones do. Some places do a better job than others, so it's a good idea to ask around for recommendations of what's available in your area.

[BeachyMum]

This plagues me as well....certainly cuts into the savings. I spent $100 (!) on cartridges at Staples yesterday.

Staples *does* rebate $3 to your Staples reward card for each cartridge that you bring in for recycling. Therefore, of the 7 cartridges I purchased yesterday I will receive a rebate of $21.

Not the scale of savings that I generally look for ;-) ~ but better than nothing. FWIW, I have tried refilled cartridges and had them RUIN a printer...I know that some people love this method, but I am leary.

Blessings to all!

[Cindy]

I print all my coupons on recycled paper. (paper that has been printed on the other side) and I print in black/white. So far no one seems to mind and I save a TON of paper that way!

Also I buy my ink in 4 packs at Walmart. It seems to be cheaper that way.

[allie z]

Watch out at walgreens. There are often refills for cheap.

Join staples rewards for free, get their "club card", and watch the savings!! For each emptry catridge you return, three dollars is credited to your account- up to 10 each month. That is $30 free each month just for returning catridges. I snag them from my office, have my kids collect them at school, etc.

Also, watch out at staples (and staples.com if there isn't one close by) for their EASY rebate program. Just last week I picked up two reams of paper for $1 each after rebate (plus free chocolate after rebate!) and two 60 ct printer 4 x 6 photo paper for $1 each after rebate.

[Nichole]

My husband works for a Computer/Printer company and he would tell you not to go cheap on your cartridges. Refilling cartridges will ruin your printer far faster than buying new cartridges.

I suggest that if you are really into couponing then buy a lazer printer. They are not cheap ($200 for a black and white) but you only have to buy new toner about once a YEAR!! So in reality you are saving major bucks!!

We own an hp LaserJet 3015 (search on eBay) and it is heavenly. If you print coupons from your inkjet printer then you will be putting the same amount of money you save back into print cartridges...so printing coupons is not worth it.

I SERIOUSLY suggest a nice LaserJet printer!!

[Becky]

I purchased a printer refill kit on Ebay. (My dad says you can get them at Walmart and other places too, but I didn't know/haven't looked.) It was about $10-14, but I've been using it for months. When the ink starts printing poorly, I take the cartridges out and use the kit to refill them. (basically syringes and ink bottles) I have an HP printer and the refills cost about $15 each for a color one and a black one. So I've really been happy with it. I usually refill over a weekend, when needed, because weekends are usually slow for new coupons/new deals. If you need perfect printing every time, it may not be for you, but it works for my coupon printing needs.

[Lisa]

Walgreens has specials periodically to refill your cartridges. I got lucky this month and when I picked up my color cartridge from there, it had a sticker that said "Didn't pass test". Apparently when they tested it out, it wasn't working properly. I brought it home, put it in my printer and after printing 2 or 3 strangly colored coupons, it began to work perfectly!!! And since I wasn't charged anything at all, I added that 15.oo back into my grocery budget!!

[Terri]

I return the empty cartridges to Staples to receive $3 back which comes on a monthly "check" towards your next purchase.
To save on paper, I bring scrap paper home from work and print coupons on the blank side. I also save any paper that comes in the mail (solicitations, etc) and print on the backs of those as well.

[Kristine]

We buy the ink ourselves and refill the cartridges ourselves. I also change the printing preferences on my printer so that it uses less ink. Another way I save money is by pressing cancel on the printer after the coupon has printed out. This avoids printing the advertisements whenever it's possible to do so. Then, I put the paper back in the tray so that the next coupon prints on the otherside. I give the scraps of paper to my son so that he can draw on them.

[Jennifer Muth]

We have a "quickprint" setting on our printer. That REALLY helps, and the barcodes scan fine. We refill at Walgreens.

[Keri Welch]

One recent tip I found on a blog is to print Target coupons at their kiosks. If you go the kiosk and go to Target.com, you will see the site just as you do at home. Just print as usual! FREE COUPONS!!! Also, I have found that Walgreen's has the cheapest printer refills ($10 for black, $15 for color) and they work great. Use your RR to get one of those!!!

[Roxanne]

Buy a laser printer. Laser printers have come down in price so much the last couple years. You can get one for much less than $100. And a $30 toner cartridge will last you for at least 3000 prints. The new printer will pay for itself in less very quickly.

I'm not an electronics junkie, but our (bottom of the line, cheapie) laser printer is a work-horse and worth every pennie!

[Michelle]

We are at the library at least once a week, and I try to take the opportunity to print my "10 pages per day" when I am there. That helps a bit.

[Debbie]

I'm using a Lexmark color printer w/ the All-in-One cartridge ($25). I set my printer preference to Quick Print and uncheck the Auto Image Sharpening. So far it's working out well for me, and I do print lots of coupons for myself and to give out to others.

[Karen]

In the south we have a business called Rapid Refills. It is about $10 cheaper per cartridge than any of the mass retail stores. If you take your old cartridges you get a $3 credit. I don't know if they are nationwide.

[tammy]

I have an HP printer and I buy all my ink from their company's website. They are very often running deals where you get a gift card towards your next purchase and I just keep rolling them over, it has always ended up being cheaper then any store deal. Also, I take the ink cartridges to office stores to get deals like free paper or $3 off a future purchase. I have tried refilling cartridges but have never been happy with the quality for the small amount of money saved over ordering from HP.

[Emily Stringer]

http://www.cartridgeworldusa.com/

This is usually where we get ours done they are fast and pretty cheap!

[Sha]

Library! Most likely you wont be able to print coupons like from coupons.com I think it is cause they require you to install a program and you wont be able to do that at the library but other than that I have save so much by just stopping there and printing some of my coupons.
I also refill my cartridges at walgreens when they go on special (I have two black cartridges) for that reason and I always print my coupons on black gray scale.

[Lisa]

Being new to money saving... I am not sure this will work for everyone BUT, we recently bought a Brother laser printer. The printer cost about $10 more than two replacement cartridges for our other printer (we usually have to buy a pack with one color cartridge and one black and white). My husband says that we will get thousands (yes!) more copies out of this new printer / cartridge system than we did with the old. We still have the old printer because we need to make copies sometimes and I use it to scan documents but, I print coupons to the laser printer now!

[Heather]

I don't have any great tips on ink...but, I do like to print on the back of scrap paper to save on paper...better for the earth and better for my pocketbook! Anything from junk mail to old school newsletters!

[Sylvia]

I learned a while back that inkjet printers have a higher long-term cost than lasers. Toner seems to last longer than inkjet cartridges since they don't dry up or get clogged. Nowadays, with the lower cost of technology, you can pick up a black and white laser for under $200.

[karen]

i think it all depends on what kind of printer you have, some cartridges are easier to find refills or non-OEM cartridges for less expensive prices.

one thing i do to conserve paper though, is to print my coupons on the back of old paper that i don't need any more (and doesn't have sensitive information). why kill a tree printing out all those coupons?

[Amanda]

I would suggest buying a laser jet printer. It will come with a cartridge of course and it will last 10 times longer. I was given a laser jet when I started college and even through school didn't have to replace it for 5 years!! They are probably 3 times as expensive to replace but last so much longer it is totally worth it.

[Jennifer Gould]

Well I dont know what is near you but I use the cheapest ink cartridge I can find. I get mine at Meijer, they have a meijer brand that is half the price of a HP brand. I have an old ink jet printer, and I get the cheapest off brand paper I can find too... I think with the amount of $$ saved with the coupons it is worth it, and I only print what I KNOW I will use.

[Amy]

I actually use a cheap laser printer (I think we got our for $150 a couple of years back, so they have to be cheaper then that by now) instead of an ink jet as they tend to print faster and don't use up the "ink" as fast. Yes the cartridges are a lot more expensive but they last a lot longer too. Plus a lot of times if you buy the store brand toner cartridge they will give you money towards the purchase of another if you return it to them. For me more of the issue is the paper cost as they don't exactly make the best use of a page when printing. I try to bring home my recycle paper from work and use the back side for my coupons. It doesn't matter if there is stuff on the back side when you go to scan the bar code on the front.

[Spoodles]

Get a printer with a fast draft option or set it to always print black and white. It helps if you've bought a printer that is built for economy. I love my HP c7280 All-in-One. I print a lot of coupons, plus homeschool stuff and only have to replace cartridges about 3x a year.

[Swap Savers]

I list savings tips here
http://www.swapsavers.com/group/savingsswappers/forum
Here is one related to printing
Set Printer Preferences to Draft
Your cartridge could last 50% longer by changing the printer settings. When the ink cartridge is empty bring it to an office supply store (like Staples or Office Max) and you will get a $3 coupon off your next purchase or refill it.

Also Walgreens will refill your ink for around $10 but only certain cartridges (mine wasn't listing)

Good Luck!

[amanda]

I have about 10 ink cartridges. I usually wait for an amazing sale at walgreens. Last time I got for 30 using a mixture of rebates, sale and a 5/20 coupon or something like that. I'm running out again though as I use these for my business as well.

Good luck!

[melissa french]

at target you can print the latest ones from their kiosk. Takes a few seconds at the customer services center but does save ink/paper.

Also if you only print one coupon flip the paper and put it in the tray and print a coupon on the back to save paper.

Print in black and white - saves ink.

Minor things but they do help.

Also always use your ink cartridges to save money toward your next cartridge purchase or submit them to places like walgreens for free photos.

[Mary]

I replace all my cartridges at Cartridge World. They have sites all over the country. You turn in your old, used one and they give you a refilled one. I've been using them for several years. They have worked great. The only caveat is that they dry out quicker than those sealed in plastic, so don't buy a bunch of extras and have them sit around for months. They will dry out. that being said, I highly recommend them.

[Alice]

I also have a question on how to get the coupons to scan at the register. I print with an ink jet printer, and my coupons won't scan at the stores. Any advice?

[Shell]

I've heard coupons do not need to be printed in color - if you can set your printer to print only in black then you only have one cartridge to replace.

Recycle paper - printing coupons on the back of used paper is a great way to keep paper cost down. I've never had problems using Q's with something printed on the back - clipped Q's from inserts do. I always re-use paper that does not contain personal information.

I don't remember where, but I read this tip when I was new to couponing - If you have the space, money(can find a good deal) or need a new printer, a laser printer can help cut cost. A refill cartridge can be $50 but will print 3000 pages.

[Lorrie]

I have set my printer to default to black and white prints on the grayscale or lowest quality of prints I can. If I need to print something at another time in color or of higher quality, I select it via my preferences for that particular print. I also refill my ink cartridges at Walgreens. They charge $10 for black and $15 for color and sometimes they have free refill days or coupons off for refills. FYI-My printer often says that my cartridges are empty after refilled but they really are filled. Hope that makes sense and helps.

[WV]

Only one way: get a laser printer.

Rather than $30/500 sheets (many ink printers), you'll pay $25-$35 for 3500 sheets (especially if you buy remanufactured toner cartridges). Brother is recommended.

* Low cost printing.
* Better quality.
* Faster.
* Often have network connections, so easy to put on the home network.

Enjoy.

[Crystal]

I've recently discovered that Walgreen's will refill most any printer cartridges. It's $10 for black and $15 for color. Way cheaper to refill my Dell cartridges there than to have to order online.

[Paula]

I have a HP Laserjet 1020. It only prints black and white...no wasting color ink. Toner cartridges are more expensive but you get significantly more pages out of 1 toner cartridge than 3 ink cartridges.

They are usually about $100 or so. Here is a link for one that is $100 after rebate: http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/printer/laserjet/1/storefronts/CB411A%2523ABA

[Lura]

I have tried and used a Walgreens refill and they are fairly inexpensive. Last month they had a rebate which made it almost free and other months they have days or weeks when it is $5. If you can figure out a way to print your coupons just in black ink and not color, that will save you money too as black ink is generally cheaper to refill or buy.

[Dawn P]

You could set your printer to draft mode and black only to save ink. I used to do that with my old Brother printer and I saved about 75% on ink. Depending on your cartridge Walgreens does ink refills for a decent price (at the photo counter) and I'm almost positive you can use your Register Rewards for it.

[Heather Urbaniak]

123inkjets.com

[Lura]

Also forgot to add that many coupons print out a recipe or ad after the coupon, if you see this is happening (and some brands you will just learn have these), you can hit the stop print button on your computer and save some ink. Just be careful if you are printing more than one coupon because if you stop printing it will cancel the rest of your coupons and you will not be able to print them again if there is a limit.

[Jillian Suarez]

I just refilled mine at Costco for the first time and it was super cheap! I use the HP 92 and HP 93 and it was 7.99 for each, so around 16 something total. They have a list of all the cartridges they refill. I have heard Walgreens does refills too.

[Jannel]

I am glad you asked this, because I was wondering the same thing.

[Patti]

Thanks for posting this question. I am also on a mission to find inexpensive toner. I have an HP Laserjet 1012 and the toner seems to run around $70-$80. Recently, I found that Amazon.com offers refurbished toner. At $28 a cartridge, I am tempted to try. Of course, the HP toner would print better quality pages. But, for coupons, I think I can make the sacrifice :)

[Amy]

We find that Cartridge World is a great place :) Half the price and they work just as well!

[Lauren]

We buy our ink in bulk on ebay. We're able to get alot of ink really cheap. We bought about 20 cartridges for around $20.