5 top tips for back-to-college

Starting college or returning to college can be an exciting time. Embarking on a new adventure, meeting friends and soaking up new knowledge. There can be a lot of back-to-college preparation to ensure you’re all set up including buying new stationery supplies. Here are 5 practical tips to keep back-to-college costs down.

1. Buy an economical printer

It pays to do your research before choosing a printer. A good economical printer choice is a printer that takes high-capacity cartridges. You can view the amount of millilitres of ink in the recommended cartridges below the printer model. This will ensure you’re getting more pages printed before having to replace the cartridge. Need a hand? Read our printer comparison guide.

2. Print smart and sustainably

When it comes to printed material, it’s hard to completely digitalise the process. The printed word is often easier for many students to absorb and retain information and can be necessary when carrying out extensive research. So how can we ensure we are printing sustainably? One useful tip is to print in batches as when you have to start the printer up for every print task, it uses more power. It is best to hang on until you need to print a few pages at once, instead of one at a time. You can also take advantage of printer features such as duplex (printing on both sides of the paper), use an economical print font, and print in black and white. Interested in more tips on how to save on ink costs? Read our blog.

3. Buy own-brand ink cartridges and stationery

When it comes to ink cartridges, there’s no comparison between original and own-brand when it comes to price and the quantities of ink you receive. To get the best value, opt for 123ink own-brand cartridges. Again, look out for the amount of ml of ink you are getting for the price. There can be substantial differences. We all love the satisfaction of being prepared for college with the right stationery products. Folders notebooks, pens and sticky notes are all essential supplies to ensure our college notes are kept organised and easily accessible when it comes to exam time. Read more about tips to be prepared for exam time.

Buying own-brand stationery can really drive the costs down when it comes to stationery. We have a large range of own-brand stationery here at 123ink.ie to ensure you’re well prepared! We even have a pre-made back-to-college pack with everything you need for a discounted price.
 

4. Take advantage of bulk stationery offers

When shopping for college supplies, it’s often best to buy in bulk. Online stores can typically hold a larger range of stock, translating to lower prices. This is particularly true when you buy in bulk. You can take advantage of buying stationery in bulk and getting 1 or 2 items free for no extra cost! Buying in bulk also means you won’t have to worry about topping up your pens or notebooks when they run out as you’ll have a stash ready!

Buying a pack of notebooks will set you up in advance to have a notebook ready for every module you have so your notes are easily organised from the beginning. Likewise, it is good practice to buy a pack of folders to keep your notes from each module separate. This will save you a lot of time when exam time comes around!

5. Use less single-use products

While it’s not always easy or financially possible to be sustainable, we can all do our bit. Here are some sustainable tips that also save you money.

• Use a small whiteboard for brainstorming, planning assignments or studying instead of using paper. This allows you to stay organised without having to use more paper. It can often be more effective to visually lay out ideas while being able to remove any errors easily.
• Take a keep-cup or thermos cup with you to campus or to the library. This means fewer single-use cups for tea or coffee. Bonus tip: There is usually a reduced cost for bringing your own cup!
• Eco-friendly stationery products are becoming more accessible. Eco-friendly alternatives are made of sustainable recycled materials. Check out our range of Eco-friendly products for sustainable stationery use including folders, notebooks, pens and our own-brand sticky notes.

Useful products

Common questions