UXBRIDGE, Mass.--Jan. 16, 2003--According to an evaluation of supplies alternatives that appears in the January 2003 issue of the Color Business Report newsletter, Strydent InkSaver software strikes a nice balance between convenience and cost when trying to save money on ink jet printing. The software works in the background, intercepting print jobs and modifying them to print more economically. Test pages printed on an Epson Stylus Color 777 with Epson's original cartridges cost $.39 to print. With InkSaver software set to "30% savings," the test page cost $.29 to print, not quite 30%, but still a savings of $.10 per page. The software uses algorithms to decide where to skip dots with minimal effect on print quality. The user moves sliders on the InkSaver set-up page to "dial in" a savings rate. At 30% savings, prints are slightly less saturated than full-strength pages, but still acceptable, in the editor's opinion. In addition to InkSaver software, the newsletter evaluated replacement cartridges from Quill Corporation and ink cartridge refill kits from Repeat-O-Type. Pages printed with Quill's replacement cartridge cost $.32 each. One can save the most by refilling empty cartridges. The test page that cost $.39 with original cartridges cost only $.12 to print with refilled cartridges. The trade-off is time and convenience. Although refilling is not particularly difficult, it is a tinkerer's activity, requiring a certain amount mechanical aptitude and knack. An advantage of InkSaver software is that one has the assurance of using the manufacturer's original cartridges, especially important with printers such as Epson's, which use permanent print heads. During the evaluation of savings alternatives, the Quill cartridges and the refilled cartridges were temperamental, requiring user-induced cleaning cycles more frequently than Epson's own cartridges. Strydent's $34.99 InkSaver software now has drivers for over 200 ink jet printers from Epson, Canon, and HP. At this time, the software does not work with Lexmark printers. In its 13th year, the monthly Color Business Report provides color peripheral product coverage, case studies based on interviews with leading-edge end users, and product reviews. The newsletter is published by Blackstone Research Associates, a market research company providing document industry analysis based on in-depth end-user primary research. Cost to Print Color Business Report Test Page on the Epson Stylus Color 777 Epson ink cartridges Color Black Total $0.255 $0.139 $0.394 Quill ink cartridges Color Black Total $0.234 $0.092 $0.326 Strydent Ink Saver 1.2 Color Black Total $0.182 $0.107 $0.289 Repeat-O-Type ink refills Color Black Total $0.075 $0.048 $0.123 This information can be found in bar chart form on the Blackstone Research web site at http://www.blackstoneresearch.com.