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New Font Uses Holes To Cut Ink Use

Posted by timothy on from the more-you-take-away dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A Dutch company has taken an open source Sans Serif font and added holes to it to try and save on printer ink costs. The Ecofont is claimed to save up to 20 percent of ink costs, but it allegedly took the firm a while to perfect the ratio of the maximum number of holes possible without sacrificing readability."

27 of 540 comments (clear)

  1. Unfortunately by brian0918 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Unfortunately, the font is only available at 120pt or higher, so it will takes twelve times the paper to print out your book report."

    I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it means saving Mother Earth!

  2. Not just for saving ink by nizo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just imagine how many electrons could be saved if people used this font in their browser.

    --
    I Am My Own Worst Enemy
    1. Re:Not just for saving ink by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Funny

      On an LCD, you should use a dark theme in the winter so that the dark pixels soak up the extra backlight photons and convert them into heat. In the summer, go with a lighter theme that will let all of the photons out before they have a chance to run up your AC bill. Oh, and make sure you set the monitor up near a window so the extra photons can just keep right on going.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    2. Re:Not just for saving ink by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just imagine how many electrons could be saved if people used this font in their browser.

      I always recycle my electrons.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    3. Re:Not just for saving ink by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 4, Funny

      You got green? Mine is black text on a black background. I have to guess what everybody is saying.

      --
      "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
    4. Re:Not just for saving ink by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bonus tip: if you put everything in quote tags, it saves on black electrons.

      --
      "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
  3. Re:This is pointless by reboot246 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ah, but lighter weight fonts don't have the magical prefix "eco" in front of their names.

  4. But how much e-ink by rolfwind · · Score: 4, Funny

    will it save while I view documents on my ereader?

  5. Re:This is pointless by bugnuts · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shouldn't they have done this with a serif font if it is meant to save ink/toner?

    They started with a serif font. What's left is sans serif.

  6. Dot Matrix Draft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I prefer to use Inverted Ecofont, in which everything else is removed and only the holes remain. This saves 80% of the ink, and it known to some people as "dot-matrix draft mode".

    This is new font is stupid and not news.

  7. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by megamerican · · Score: 5, Funny

    I agree. Their idea is redundant as most letters come pre-made with holes in them.

    --
    If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
  8. Re:This is pointless by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 5, Funny

    That said, I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about

    Don't worry, it doesn't show.

    --
    "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
  9. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 4, Funny

    f u cn rd ths u cn sv on prntg cst...

    ask me how!

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  10. Re:Here's another cleverly simple idea: cookies by Fael · · Score: 5, Funny

    You forgot the clever part.

    Poke holes in the cookies before serving. The cookies are now 20% healthier!

  11. Re:I agree many things don't need to be printed by ConfitureDeConfiture · · Score: 5, Funny

    12 * .8 = 9.6 LIAR!

  12. Re:This is pointless by genner · · Score: 5, Funny

    So "green" is the new "pink" and "eco" is the new "black"? Or is "black" the new "light"? I'm so confused.

    You are so dead at the next zebra crossing.

  13. Re:I agree many things don't need to be printed by von_rick · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or modify English spellings to conform with those used by 13 y/ olds in their text messages.

    u cn save ink n papr 2 !

    --

    Face your daemons!

  14. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by Feanturi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Go stick your head in a pig!

  15. Coming soon... by stox · · Score: 4, Funny

    The eco-boat.

    --
    "To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
  16. Mod parent down! by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 5, Funny

    Really, guys. I'm not that funny.

    --
    "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
    1. Re:Mod parent down! by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ironically, it was, then somebody modded it down.

      --
      "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
  17. A day in the font by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I read Slashdot today, oh boy
    Four thousand holes in ecofont sans serif
    And though the holes were very small
    They had to count them all
    Now they know how many holes it takes to fill "the Albert Hall"
    I'd love to turn you on

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  18. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by dargaud · · Score: 4, Funny

    At work we have one of those industrial printers that puts a header page with the name of the person doing the print job in big ahead of the job. Then we more or less 'sort' them on tables for people to come an pick up. There are users with thousands of pages accumulated over a few weeks gathering dust in a huge pile.
    Since there are printing costs overruns, I suggested we should charge people by the number of pages not picked up at the end of the month. My suggestion was quickly shot down. I'll never make it into management.

    --
    Non-Linux Penguins ?
  19. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

    Unfortunately, since you don't take ink seriously, I'm guessing you are spending too much printing your newsletter and will be out of business shortly.

  20. Re:Practicality? by Jesus_666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're not getting it. Those are speed holes. They make the font faster.

    I'm waiting for the serif version of that font; there they'll replace the serifs with spoilers. I also think they will add a special Type-R sticker glyph in a Unicode Private Use Area to make it go even faster. Then the only thing that could possibly beat the font would be drift typing - but everyone knows that technique can be handled only by the most extreme Japanese fonts.

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  21. Woohoo! by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 4, Funny

    I cal kill 20-25% more trees with one toner cartridge!

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  22. Re:What a fucking stupid idea! by biocute · · Score: 4, Funny

    f u cn rd ths u cn

    I blushed when I read this: "fxxx xxu cxnx, rxdx thxs xxu cxnx"

    --
    Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.