saving printer ink

[Andy Stockley]

There used to be a programme called something like "Inksaver" where you could specify how dark you wanted your printed page to be.  So something where the letters are big could be printed in a light shade of grey and still be legible.
Unfortunately the copy I bought wouldn't accept the serial number and I couldn't get in touch with the company.… Not pleased.
Would it be possible to write an application that sits between the spooler and the printer and reduces ink use?
Thanks for taking the time to read this 

[mrainey]

This InkSaver font was mentioned a while back.

http://www.fontcraft.com/fontcraft/?p=324

[Andy Stockley]

Ah I've found it. 
The programme was actually called Inksaver - web site http://www.inksaver.com/ which is kind of confusing as it's obviously different to the Inksaver font, which is as it says a font and so wouldn't reduce ink density on pictures etc..

I installed Inksaver as a trial and you really could "grey out" the whole page, and it gave you some indication of the percentage saved. 
Maybe I should buy it again anyway, although I'm annoyed about losing my first purchase.....  but it is an interesting concept.

[Innuendo]

What exactly is the problem with the serial number and why can't you contact the company about it? Maybe we can help without you having to re-buy it....which would be a shame as it hasn't been updated to work with MS's latest OSes last I heard so it'd be a temporary solution for you anyway if you are planning on upgrading to Windows 7.

[Andy Stockley]

The problem is unsolvable at this distance.  I bought the software from a retailer operating on eBay I think, ie not form the original company.  The registration didn't work; the retailer referred me to the Inksaver site; I had no reply to multiple emails.
The site now advises to contact the retailer for problems so obviously other people had problems too.

I got fed up with it, life was busy so I threw it away.

I have nothing to complain about really - if I hadn't wanted to get it cheaper I would have bought it straight from Inksaver and had the support.  Live and learn.

[Innuendo]

That's a shame. I guess there's a lesson to be learned that one shouldn't buy on eBay without some sort of money-back guarantee. I suppose another lesson is don't buy software products written by companies with shoddy customer service.

If I were you I'd be looking for an alternate way to get the product I paid for.