12 December 2008

Frugal living through holes

Perforations, firstly, make stamps easy to tear off. Architects and engineers employ them to create lighter and more breathable structures.

Now, graphic designers at Dutch creative agency SPRANQ re-introduce us to the cute doodads as a novel way to save ink.

Ecofont, a free sans-serif typeface, is bejeweled with circular gaps along its spines, stems, bowls, descenders and ascenders.

How much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? After extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. After lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink.

Side note: The famous Aricebo Observatory‘s reflecting mirror is made of almost 40,000 aluminum panels — all of which are perforated. (Radio wavelengths can be the size of a football field, so tiny holes in the dish don’t interfere with the capture of information.)

And as long as you’re saving ink, why not save paper too? Reduce your margins by half an inch. Also, listen to Ben Saunders share tips on getting to the North Pole, like cutting off your toothbrush handle to save an ounce of weight to carry.

(Via Lifehacker via QuickOnlineTips.)

Discuss this Blog Post

Peter Davis
Dec 12 2008
Use any font, and just set your text color to gray. That will save you about 50% on ink/toner, and still give you a choice of fonts.
TED SHARPE
Dec 13 2008
Effort is 90% perforation.

;-p
alan buchanan
Feb 15 2009
I cant see this font catching on. You never know, but somehow i just think its another case of just going to far.
Alan – my internet business
Kostas Kostiou
Jan 18 2009
Yes, but is this font available? where can we find it and use it? Then, will it be compatible with most printers?
Mike Crabe
Feb 28 2009
Well to be honest, I dont think that I might like this font, it is ugly to me.

Mike – wood splitter for sale
akshay kapoor
Apr 12 2009
thanks ben it was nice reading it , very nice article .
danny desoja
Apr 12 2009
good article , keep on writing good stuff i like it .
Dalton Kimo
Apr 12 2009
I do believe that even rich men needs to balance their checkbooks, in order to maintain well and proper accounts. Because if you don’t take steps to balance your checkbook, the results could be bad, and if you do, it could keep you from needing a cash advance. Also, we need to e more careful in handling our checkbooks because some banks are looking to sting people with overdrafts fees to make up for their investments. It would be almost worth a cash advance to figure out how to properly balance your checkbook. . And trust me in times of recession checking your checkbooks will indeed a helpful act.
Shippuuden1 Episode
Apr 18 2009
Its kinda smart idea when we get beware of AVOID WASTING. Also it will be great and useful if we could get more on it altho dunno whether this kinda fonts are available or not.
bath bombs
Apr 19 2009
The above article simply narrates the essence to avoid wastage. It looks nothing from outside but if implemented over time will unexpectedly more productive. I wish this smart idea to reach all.
Artee K
Apr 20 2009
I didn’ believe that you can save 20%. So can be used on emails to avoid unnescessary words, symbols, etc.

notebook batteries
deadseasalt salt
Apr 24 2009
Save 20% ….wooh
http://officialdeadseasalt.com
chris 121
Apr 28 2009
Common strategies of frugality include the reduction of waste and curbing costly habits. Each and every individual should learn to reduce wastage and understand that lot of effort was put behind manufacturing any product. Please make the most of the resources available to us.
raven 1
Apr 30 2009
Few years ago I would be the first oppose frugality. But some of my recent experience forced me to support the same. Now I am not just a supporter but spread frugality to people. Very nice to see an article on that topic, hope the readers would accept and appreciate this.
- steweworth worth
  Sep 3 2009
  We have lived a frugal lifestyle now for over 10 years and are still going strong. We don’t have big debts, apart from the dreaded mortgage of course and the every day bills we all have. However we still have fun and the occassional holiday and never feel that we are losing out. Nothing worong! Jack Charlton
Karen 1
May 4 2009
Frugality will not only help you save some money and make you understand the worth of the product but also will save time. People who don’t stand with me just practice this for couple of weeks and feel the difference. You will definitely ping me back to show your gratitude.
steweworth worth
Sep 3 2009
We have lived a frugal lifestyle now for over 10 years and are still going strong. We don’t have big debts, apart from the dreaded mortgage of course and the every day bills we all have. However we still have fun and the occassional holiday and never feel that we are losing out. Nothing worong! Jack Charlton
ferguson chris
Sep 4 2009
These check printing companies offer a wide selection of checks at direct pricing.
Please Click On a Company Name to Go to Their Web Site and Get More Information.