Now this is just genius. I hate buying ink as I think it is a big scheme: they get me hooked on a cheap printer only to make me a slave to ridiculous ink cartridge pricing. Who’s with me? I suspect many of you are.
How can we thwart the ink-rich likes of the ogres that would scheme us? By using Ecofont. Ecofont puts small holes in your text thus reducing the amount of ink you use while still remaining quite readable.
Hands On
I downloaded the font and installed with no issues. The printed quality of the font is very high. I have to struggle to see the holes in the text, so much so that I question how much ink is being saved. So how about some test results?
Results
The estimated saving of the Ecofont (20%) is based on research with software that compared the average black surface of the letters/signs of the Ecofont to that of the source font Bitstream Vera.
NOTE
The actual savings (the results of printing) depend on two factors:
- the tonal-value increase (TVI) causes a decrease of saving results. In short: the smaller the fontsize, the lower the saving. Paper choice (substrate) also effects TVI.
- the type and age of the used printer
The font is free and the dutch company Spranq doesn’t expect any profit from it, though they do accept donations. The company hopes you’ll use this font for daily printing needs, when appearance doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect.
Simple ideas rock, try this one out.
Product page: [Ecofont]
EcoFont is a step in the right direction. Not only ink is expensive, the printers do a great job spending it!
I recently found a software utility, PretonSaver Home, that "turns" every font to eco-font. It reduces ink consumption by up to 70% and provides excellent print quality.
I did not have to change the fonts I use or change the way I print. PretonSaver works in the background and very smartly optimizes the ink/toner used by my printers.
Try it for free. Download PretonSaver from halftheink.com (http://www.halftheink.com/index4.php)