Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Skimpy Print Default

 Use software to reduce ink on printing
  (+8, -1)
(+8, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

About once per week, I'll see someone who printed slides with dark backgrounds on the printer. Ouch! Skip that entirely, and you could print 1000x more normal pages before replacing ink cartridges.

So, here's the *new* default option I propose on all printer drivers: *Skimpy Print*:

1) All dark backgrounds (<#666666) are removed and set to white (#FFFFFF)

2) If we did #1, then take any fonts that are light (>#999999) and reverse them.

3) Take any dark fonts that are thick (>14 pt), and make them the same size, but far skinnier.

4) If the print-out is coming from a browser, assume that we're really trying print content, not graphical ads, and run the HTML through AdBlock filters. (The marketers shouldn't mind much, as they can't get a click-through on a print out anyway.)

Of course, if in the 21rst century, you still have the rare need to print high-fidelity, go ahead & override this option.

—sophocles, Mar 19 2009

[link]






       I suggest this is known as the 'Bean Counter' default setting. Run from the shadowy Finance Applications Research Tower this orgnisation only allows flights by Ryanair, cars from Lada, and meals made from rice and lard.   

       However, if its our own hard earned money paying for the prints [+].
—eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 19 2009
   

       My daughter, aged 4, has discovered printing. She printed out a picture of a princess. The bottom half was black. The bottom half was so black it was dripping ink when it came out of the printer. This is the sort of default setting we need.
—zeno, Mar 20 2009
   

       [zeno] You're screwed. Nothing can save you now, and no default setting of anything is going to help. In my experience, once a little girl has discovered how to print, she will print princess pictures until the ink cartridge runs dry AND the paper runs out. Neither condition alone will stop her.   

       God help you if you have a print queue.
—colorclocks, Mar 20 2009
   

       I wonder if it's possible to selectively not have the printer driver installed for certain accounts?
—RayfordSteele, Mar 20 2009
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

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