An Ink-Based Society - Seven Ways We Use More Ink Now

Think the Internet means we don't print as much ashome printing of that ten-page report.
we used to? Think again. Home printing is becomingPrinting cards and invitations. Planning a party or
more and more prevalent-people are just printing morewedding? You don't have to take your custom
than they used to. Here are just a few reasons whydesigned invitations to the printer. Today's printers are
people print more today than ever before.capable of high-quality graphics and printing on a
Printing tickets at home. It's much more convenient tovariety of media-including card stock. It's possible to
print tickets at home than to wait in line to pick them upprint pretty much anything from home, including those
at the counter. Travel companies are realizing this-andcards, family newsletters and invitations many families
customers love the convenience. You can now getsend out on a yearly basis. With home graphic design
e-tickets for most train and bus services-and you cansoftware making the job easier, production of these
even check in and print your boarding pass online daysdomestic direct mail pieces can be an entirely at-home
before a flight. There's plenty of printing going onjob.
among travelers-and most of us take a vacation orPrinting marketing materials. If you run a home
make a business trip once in a while.business, chances are you'll have to print marketing
Printing photos. Despite the cost of printer ink, peoplematerials. But you don't necessarily have to use the
still love printing photos at home. It's much moreprinter. Like invitations and cards for families, marketing
convenient than driving to the store to drop off,mailers, letters, card stock, and other collateral can all
develop and pick up rolls of film. You can print out anybe printed at home on a modestly-sized desktop
size picture you want, and many photo printers canprinter. Many home business owners print their own
produce pictures that are just as good quality as whatmarketing materials to save on costs.
you'd get at the store. Plenty of ink is used printingPrinting CD labels. Digital downloading may be the
photos from digital cameras these days.wave of the future, but it hasn't completely taken over
Printing tax documents. You don't have to go to aCD and DVD burning yet. Many people still burn
CPA to get your taxes done. You can go online toCD's-including bands preparing collateral for their next
TurboTax or use home tax preparation software, andgig. You can print out your own labels for discs and
many do-it saves time and the cost of hiring anjewel cases as a part of the burn process, and even
accountant, and it's less accident prone than trying todesign graphics to go with it. Small independent bands
handle the paperwork on your own. Those taxdo this, as do music and movie lovers who are
documents all have to be printed and stored,creating their own home collections.
however-and that means more printing for the rest ofPrinting at home has never been more prevalent. From
us.printing your tickets to your important tax documents,
Printing school papers. Try to hand in a hand-writtenmore and more pieces of important paper can be
final draft of a school paper, and you might get moreprinted easily rather than being mailed or picked up at
than incredulous looks from your teacher. Teachersthe counter-saving companies postage and customers
and professors at all levels of education typicallytime. In addition, with the vast array of home photo
expect final drafts to be passed in as printedprinters and machines that can handle complex
documents-even grade schoolers don't hand-write theirgraphics, more and more people can design and print
papers anymore. And with computers somailing materials at home rather than relying on a
accessible-most schools have computer labs withprinter. This is good news for printer manufacturers as
printers, and if they don't, the local library does-it's notwell as third-party ink sellers-it means business is likely
unreasonable to expect. Still, many students do theirto continue to grow.
projects at the last minute at home-and that means