Printing quality query

[nilanko]

I have an HP DeskJet 1050 inkjet printer. It gives me 5 printing options:
1. Plain paper, Fast Draft Quality
2. Plain paper, Normal Quality
3. Plain paper, Best Quality
...and 2 others for Specialty paper and photo paper.
The printer, by default, is set to use the "Plain paper, normal quality" option.

Printing is worst and fastest in fast draft quality, faster and better in normal quality, superb and slowest in best quality option. I want to print my IP project which consists of several screenshots in best quality. But I'm am confused whether best quality would use more ink. Normal quality prints in 300x300 DPI(Dots Per Inch) and best quality prints in 600x600 DPI, means more no. of dots per inch...but does that really mean using more ink? I printed a small image in all the 3 qualities. The ink dots were large and clearly visible with the naked eye in the fast draft quality, visible with a magnifying glass in normal quality and hardly visible in best quality print. All this means that ink dots are largest in FD quality, smaller in normal and smallest in best quality. But, I think the amount of ink used is almost same in all cases. The only difference is in the size of ink dots. Since best quality print has larger DPI(600x600), therefore the ink drops are smaller and it takes more time to spray larger number of ink dots.

What do you think about the amount of ink used in all 3 cases? Is it the same?

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

The ink usage for "normal" and "best" is nearly identical, the difference is how the ink is applied and the speed of printing.  The "fast draft" setting will use about half the ink, but quality is not as good, most noticably in printing graphics. 

[jamalily]

Hi,  I want to set fast printing for all my printing and choose better quality when I want.  I still get regular printing when I print from computer.  How do I change that please?

[Bob_Headrick]

---

jamalily wrote:

Hi,  I want to set fast printing for all my printing and choose better quality when I want.  I still get regular printing when I print from computer.  How do I change that please?

---

Please read this post then provide some details.  What printer model? What operating system?   In general to change print preferences in Windows operating systems go to the printers folder, right click on the printer and select Printing Preferences, change the settings you want then Apply.