How Students Save Money on Printing
Students can cut printing costs by choosing B&W duplex (double-sided) printing, printing 2 pages per sheet where readability allows, using 70 GSM paper, and batching multiple assignments into one order to reduce per-order overhead. Online print services like Printster are typically cheaper than campus or local shops for bulk orders.
Semester after semester, printing costs quietly drain student budgets — notes, assignments, question papers, project reports, and thesis drafts all add up. The average engineering or postgraduate student can easily spend ₹500–₹2,000 per semester on printouts if they are not thoughtful about their choices. The good news is that a few simple decisions at the time of ordering can cut that figure by 50–70% without sacrificing readability. This guide is specifically aimed at students: from choosing the right print settings to understanding when online printing beats the campus shop, every tip here has a real cost impact and is practical for everyday academic needs.
Choose B&W Over Colour Wherever Possible
Colour printing costs several times more than B&W. Printster charges from ₹3/page for colour and from ₹0.55/page for B&W. For notes, textbook excerpts, lecture slides, and most assignment drafts, B&W is completely sufficient. Reserve colour printing for:
- Final project reports with charts and diagrams that rely on colour to be understood
- Portfolio work or design submissions
- Graphs where different data series are colour-coded
For everything else, B&W is the economical and sensible choice.
Print Double-Sided (Duplex)
Double-sided printing halves your page count and therefore halves the paper cost. A 200-page set of notes becomes 100 physical pages. This is almost always the single biggest saving available. Ask for duplex printing whenever you upload to Printster — it is a simple option in the configuration.
The only exception: if you need to annotate one page while looking at the facing page, single-sided may be more useful. For passive reading, duplex is always better value.
Print 2 Pages Per Sheet for Lecture Notes
For slide printouts and lecture notes where you are capturing content rather than reading deep text, printing 2 pages per sheet on A4 is very effective. You get A5-sized slides on A4 paper, page count is halved again, and the content is still readable. Combine this with duplex printing and you are printing 4 slides per physical sheet — a 75% reduction in page count and cost.
Use 70 GSM Paper Instead of 80 GSM
70 GSM paper is slightly thinner and lighter, which reduces cost per page slightly and makes thick notes easier to carry. For reference material you will keep and bind, 80 GSM is worth the small premium. For disposable study drafts, 70 GSM is fine.
Batch Your Orders
Every time you place a separate order, there is a minimum charge. Collect all your printing needs for a week or two — multiple subjects, assignments, and question papers — and order them together. This is especially effective on Printster where you can upload multiple files in a single order and configure each file independently.
Use Online Printing for Bulk, Not for 5-Page Printouts
Online printing delivers genuine savings on medium to large orders (30+ pages) compared to campus print shops. For a 5-page printout, the campus shop is usually more convenient and comparably priced. Plan your printing: batch it, and use online services for the bulk of your semester printing.
Check the Price Calculator Before Ordering
Printster has a live price calculator. Try different combinations — B&W vs colour, single vs duplex, different paper weights — to see the exact cost difference before you commit. A few minutes of experimentation can save a meaningful amount over the course of a semester.
Upload your file & get an instant price
Frequently asked questions
- Is online printing cheaper than a campus or local print shop for students?
- For bulk orders (50+ pages), online printing is usually cheaper. Printster's per-page B&W rate starts from ₹0.55, which is competitive with or below most campus shops. For small 5–10 page printouts, local shops are more convenient since there is no delivery time.
- What is the cheapest way to print a 300-page set of notes?
- B&W duplex printing on 70 GSM paper, spiral-bound. At ₹0.55/page B&W × 300 pages = ₹165 for printing, plus binding from ₹35. Total around ₹200–250 for a complete bound notes set delivered to your hostel or home.
- Can I print 2 slides per page on Printster?
- Printster prints your file as-is. To get 2 slides per page, export your PowerPoint as a PDF in Handout layout (2 per page) from within PowerPoint or Google Slides before uploading. This is done on your device, not by the printer.
- Is COD available for student printing orders?
- No. Printster does not offer cash on delivery. Pay online via UPI, debit/credit card, or net banking. UPI (GPay, PhonePe, Paytm) is the most common payment method among students.
- How many days does it take for Printster to deliver to a college hostel?
- Delhi NCR: 4–7 working days. Rest of India: 7–10 working days, from the next working day after ordering. Plan exam-season printing at least 2 weeks ahead to avoid running out of time.
- Can I order printing for multiple subjects in one Printster order?
- Yes. You can upload multiple files in a single order and configure each file separately — different colour settings, paper weight, or binding per file if needed. This is more efficient than placing separate orders.