# Saving ink on Lexmark printer

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 29, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697 "2004-05-29T19:56:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/1 "2004-05-29T19:56:23Z")

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Any bright ideas on how to save ink while using a Lexmark 5100 printer? My friend says he’s going through almost a printer cartridge a week. I’ve put him on draft quality, and defaulted him to black and white, but he says he’s being drained by this thing.

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/2 "2004-05-29T20:20:01Z")

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Let’s start with the basics. How much volume is he printing in a week?

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**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/3 "2004-05-29T22:37:16Z")

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He says 2-300 letters a week, mostly b/w.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/4 "2004-05-29T22:50:49Z")

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He really would be better off with a laser printer in the long run; bigger initial outlay and consumables are individually quite expensive, but they last a loooooong time and work out cheaper per copy.

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**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/5 "2004-05-30T01:04:58Z")

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OK, point noted.

What’s really weird now is that the printer, even on “clean nozzles” mode, refuses to lay black ink. I get CMY, but almost no K. There’s a very steaky, almost non-existent black bar, until the end, where there’s more ink, but still not even half of what there should be. I keep putting it back in the printer, and of course it won’t even fit the wrong direction, so it’s not that. It’s a new cartridge, too.

Other than the cartridge being bad somehow, does anyone have any other suggestions?

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-ink-on-lexmark-printer/247697/6 "2004-05-30T06:15:44Z")

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Try cleaning the opening with rubbing alcohol.