Why Do My Printer Cartridges Run Out Of Ink Quickly & How Can I Fix It

Learn why your printer cartridges run out of ink quickly and what you can do to increase the lifespan of ink cartridges. Running out of ink in the middle of a critical print job may be extremely upsetting. There can be multiple reasons for the printer's low ink issue, and in this brief tutorial, we address five reasons you should be aware of and how to fix them.

Inadequate Cartridge Page Yield

Printer cartridge page yield is the approximate number of prints that can be obtained from a single cartridge. The yield varies substantially based on the cartridge series compatible with your printer. Check the printer cartridge page yield before you install a new one.

The Fix: Purchase high yield cartridges for your printer, or purchase a printer that uses cartridges that produce more pages.

Inadequate Cleaning Schedule

Proper printer maintenance keeps your equipment and printer cartridges in good working order. Most printers contain built-in software that performs scheduled cleanings on a regular basis to ensure consistent print quality, thereby extending the life of your machine. After cleaning, print a test page or diagnostic print to validate that your print quality problem has been resolved.

The Fix: Try not to run more than two cleanings in a row. If you run more than that and still don't see a change in print quality, it's time to replace your printer cartridge.

Infrequent Printer Use

The lifespan of your printer cartridges is also influenced by how often you print. When an ink cartridge has been idle for more than a few weeks, the ink may dry up and cause the printer to malfunction.

The Fix: For infrequent users, it is better to use toner cartridges or ink tank printers. The ink in an inkjet printer can dry out if it is left in the machine for long. To prevent this, remove the cartridge when not in use.

Types of Documents Printed

The type of documents you print might also have a significant impact. If you print largely in black and white, your black cartridge will naturally deplete faster than your color cartridges. Color-rich print jobs, such as pictures and multi-graphic papers, can quickly deplete ink cartridges.

The Fix: Rethink what you print more of. If you go through a lot of color ink, invest in high yield cartridges for your printer. If you're printing pages and pages of documents, it might be time to upgrade to a laser printer.

Incorrect Printer Configuration

Using the incorrect printer setting on your machine on a regular basis might slowly deplete your printer cartridge.

The Fix: You can lower your ink consumption by modifying those settings, and most printers have several of them that will adjust the print quality (and the amount of ink that is disseminated on the page) depending on what you need to print.

Now that you understand why your printer cartridges run out of ink quickly, you can optimize your printer and cartridge usage to best suit your printing requirements. For more information regarding printer cartridges, contact us today! Have fun printing!