Save ink by setting your printer default to draft

Reduce costs by setting your PC printer to use a lighter density (draft) mode when printing. To make this the default for your printer, follow the steps below*:

1. Click Start, then open the Control Panel (you may need to click Settings to get there)
2. Double click Printers and Faxes
3. Double click the printer you use
4. Click Printer on the top left, then Properties
5. Click Printing Preferences near bottom of General tab
6. Click Paper/Quality tab (there may be slight variations in wording for different printer manufacturers)
7. Under Color, click Black & White, or (depending on your printer brand) "print grayscale only" and the button for “black print cartridge only”
8. Under Quality, click Draft (again wording may vary)
9. Click OK to save

Now all your documents will automatically print in draft mode using black ink only. I find the quality to be acceptable for 90% of my printing. On those occasions you want a higher quality or color document, it's a simple process to override the default:

1. Click File (top left) then Print
2. Click Paper/Quality
3. Click Color and Normal (or Everyday), then click OK
4. Click Print

This override will stay in place until you either close the program or you change the override (by following steps 1-4 and substituting Black & White and Draft) for a subsequent document.

* Vista users may have to do some detective work