Tinker with your inkjet

• Always start by checking your paper and ink. While using the printer in draft or economy mode will use less ink, this can cause low contrast or washed-out colors. Draft mode is fine for a test print, but remember to set the printer back to normal or photo mode before making the final print.
• Be sure to install the right quality paper for your print job. For example, many printers will not produce a high-quality photo print unless suitable glossy media is loaded. In addition, make sure the paper is oriented properly in the tray so that the printing is done on the correct side.
• Also remember to check for the driver for your video card, as well as the latest printer driver (this shouldn't be overlooked because printer drivers take their image information from the video driver). Often just updating the video and/or printer drivers makes a tremendous difference in your overall color quality. For more accurate results, it'll pay to install color management software for better color matching between screen and print.
• In some cases, colors may seem off if one or more ink nozzles are clogged. If your printer supports it, run a cleaning cycle to clear out the black and color nozzles, then try printing again. If the problem persists, you may need to check the ink level(s). Replace the ink cartridge if one or more ink levels seem low.

Print speed is often dependent on the printer's driver software. It's likely that your printer came with outdated drivers because it was still sitting on a warehouse shelf when the manufacturer last updated them. Even if you're sure you have the latest drivers, you should still periodically check for updates (especially for newer models) from the printer manufacturer's Web site.

Adding more system RAM and freeing unneeded disk space, in addition to defragmenting the drive, can also improve printer performance. RAM is needed to store the image in memory, and disk space is needed for the spooling files that hold the image data as it's passed from the system to the printer. Verify that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for the printer and its applications and make sure you have enough free RAM and disk space to accommodate any images you'll be printing. Just note that this can only get worse with All-In-Ones, where the drivers contain much more functionality.

Finally, most older parallel port printers use ECP/EPP mode for fast data transfers. If your computer has an ECP/EPP parallel port, be sure the port is turned on and configured through the BIOS setup and make sure you're using a suitable ECP/EPP printer cable. For the majority of you that has moved to USB, just ensure that the proper drivers have been installed. We reckon that there's a fair number of you still running USB 1.1 drivers even though you've got USB 2.0 hardware.

First of all, you can view most documents on the computer screen without having to print them out. For example, the File menu of most Windows applications offers a Print Preview feature that gives you a glimpse of what the final printed page will look like. This allows you to proof the basic layout and composition of your work without ever actually having to turn the printer on. This will in essence help you avoid a lot of trial-and-error draft printing.

However, you'll ultimately need to commit your work to paper. If you're doing draft work, (or the final result doesn't need to be perfect, such as if you're simply printing out an emailed invitation for handy directions to the party), set the printer to use draft or economy mode--this uses far less ink than normal printing. And since black ink cartridges are typically less expensive than color cartridges, do your draft work in monochrome or grayscale mode rather than color. If your printer only uses three-color ink cartridges, try setting drafts to print in the color that gets used the least.

You should also match the paper to the job at hand. If you're running a draft print job, try recycling the clean backsides from your rejected print jobs or use regular photocopier-grade paper. When you're satisfied with the results, set the printer to normal or photo mode, load that expensive high-quality inkjet or photo glossy paper, and make your final print.

When shopping for media, opt for the high-capacity ink cartridges (if they exist for your particular printer model). High-capacity cartridges may cost more, but they often yield many more pages than ordinary cartridges. This can save a few cents per page, not to mention time spent replacing ink cartridges. Also, buying directly from the printer's manufacturer is usually just as expensive as buying retail. You may want to shop around for ink and paper at a computer or office superstores that offer better rates. But if you do find a good deal, don't stock up too much. Many ink cartridges have a shelf life of a year or so (much less once the cartridge is installed in the printer), so old ink may thicken or fade, resulting in poor print quality. If you end up with more cartridges than you think you'll use in a year, you may want to wrap the extras up tight and refrigerate them to slow down the aging process.