A recent survey by YouGov calculated that households could save £440m per year by avoiding branded cartridges from printer manufacturers such as Lexmark, Epson, Canon and Hewlett Packard. Typical households consume 4.85 cartridges a year, with half of the survey respondents only ever buying branded cartridges at a typical cost of £30 each. Private label cartridges branded by retailers such as WH Smith are typically 25-30% cheaper.

The value of ink has grown to the extent that deals now exist to buy a set of cartridges and get the printer free! In such a topsy-turvy world, Matthew Bird, product researcher for printer cartridge specialist StinkyInk shares seven secrets for cheaper printing.

1. Individual cartridges

Avoid printers using tri-colour cartridges. Instead, opt for printers utilising separate cyan/magenta/yellow inks and simply replacing colours as you use them.

2. Low ink levels