How to Reduce Office Printing Costs by 50%

Printing is one of those office expenses that seems small on a per-unit basis but adds up dramatically over the course of a year. A typical 5-person office spends $2,000 to $5,000 annually on toner and ink cartridges alone—and that does not include paper, maintenance, or printer depreciation. The good news is that you can cut your printing costs by 50 percent or more with a few strategic changes. Here are the most effective strategies, ranked by impact.

1. Switch to Remanufactured Toner (Biggest Savings)

The single most impactful change you can make is switching from OEM toner cartridges to remanufactured alternatives. OEM toner is priced at a premium because printer manufacturers use a razor-and-blade business model—they make their real profits on consumables, not the printer itself. Remanufactured toner cartridges from suppliers like Re-Ink Online deliver identical print quality at savings of 50 to 78 percent per cartridge.

For a practical example: if your office uses an HP LaserJet Pro M404dn and prints 3,000 pages per month, an OEM HP CF258X cartridge costs about $180 and yields 10,000 pages. A remanufactured CF258X from Re-Ink costs about $65 for the same yield. That is $115 saved per cartridge, or roughly $400 annually on just one cartridge type. Multiply that across all the cartridges in your office and the savings are substantial.

2. Use High Yield Cartridges

If your printer supports high yield (XL) cartridges, always buy them. High yield cartridges cost more upfront but have a significantly lower cost per page because you get more prints per cartridge. The cost per page for a high yield cartridge is typically 20 to 40 percent less than the standard yield version. Combined with remanufactured pricing, high yield cartridges offer the absolute lowest cost per page.

3. Enable Duplex (Double-Sided) Printing

Duplex printing cuts your paper consumption in half and reduces toner usage by printing on both sides of each sheet. Most modern laser printers have automatic duplex capabilities. Set duplex as the default in your print driver settings so every print job automatically uses both sides of the paper unless specifically overridden. Paper savings alone can be $200 to $500 per year for a typical office.

4. Choose Laser Over Inkjet for Office Use

If your office is still using inkjet printers for regular document printing, switching to a laser printer will save money in the long run. Laser printers have a lower cost per page, faster print speeds, and toner cartridges that do not dry out if left unused. Inkjet printers can make sense for low-volume color printing, but for the bulk of office document work, laser is the more economical choice.

5. Consolidate Your Printers

Many offices have more printers than they need—sometimes one per desk when a single networked multifunction printer could serve the whole team. Consolidating to fewer, higher-quality printers reduces the number of different cartridges you need to stock, simplifies maintenance, and often reduces total printing costs. A good multifunction printer can handle printing, scanning, copying, and faxing for an entire small office.

6. Implement Print Policies

Simple print policies can make a meaningful difference. Set default print settings to black-and-white and draft mode for internal documents. Require color printing approval for non-client-facing materials. Encourage digital document sharing instead of printing whenever possible. Use print management software to track usage by user and identify waste.

Annual Savings Calculation for a 5-Person Office

Here is a realistic savings estimate for a typical 5-person office printing 5,000 pages per month:

• Switch to remanufactured toner: Save $1,200–$2,400/year
• Use high yield cartridges: Save $300–$600/year
• Enable duplex printing: Save $200–$400/year on paper
• Consolidate printers: Save $100–$300/year on maintenance
• Total estimated savings: $1,800–$3,700/year

Getting Started

The easiest first step is switching to remanufactured toner—it requires zero changes to your workflow, your printers, or your print quality. Use Re-Ink's cartridge finder to look up your printer model and see the remanufactured cartridges available. With free 1 to 2 day shipping, a lifetime guarantee, and savings of up to 78 percent, it is the simplest cost-cutting decision your office can make.