Getting the most pages out of every ink cartridge lowers your printing costs and reduces the frequency of cartridge replacements. While you cannot change the physical capacity of a cartridge, a handful of simple habits and settings adjustments can meaningfully extend how long each cartridge lasts.
The single most effective change is switching to draft mode for everyday documents. Draft mode uses less ink per page by reducing the density of ink applied to the paper. The result is slightly lighter text, but for internal notes, reference copies, and similar low-stakes printouts, the quality is perfectly adequate. Reserve normal or high-quality mode for documents that need to look polished, such as client-facing reports or materials you plan to present.
Font choice makes a difference too. Some typefaces inherently use less ink than others because of their thinner strokes and open letterforms. If your documents allow flexibility in font selection, experiment with lightweight typefaces that remain legible while depositing less ink on the page.
Printing in black and white whenever color is not needed prevents the printer from using cyan, magenta, and yellow ink on pages where they add no value. Many printers default to color mode even for text-only documents unless you manually select grayscale in the print dialog. Changing this default saves color ink for jobs that truly require it.
Proofreading on screen before printing eliminates wasted pages that end up in the recycling bin because of a typo or formatting error. Print preview is a quick and free step that catches mistakes before ink hits paper.
Finally, print regularly. Printers that sit idle for weeks at a time can develop clogged nozzles, and the cleaning cycles required to clear them consume a noticeable amount of ink. Printing at least a small job every week or two keeps ink flowing and nozzles clear, which paradoxically helps the cartridge last longer than if the printer were left dormant.