Reviewed July, 2010
| What’s It Do?
It promises to save up to 70% printer ink and toner costs without compromising print quality, and it supports both inkjets and laser printers directly connecting to the PC or via network. It's compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 and monitors ink cartridge levels and reports their cost and usage. Does it do what it promises? Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: Yes. PretonSaver Home intervenes between the software's print command and the printer to control the printing process and minimize ink/toner use. Reviewer 2 - Dana Cardwell: Yes, it does save ink and reduce the cost of printing. It also provides the user control of printing not available with the software that comes with a printer. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: Yes. I have been using PretonSaver Home for over four months during the busiest time of my "printing year." Without needing to refer to the reports generated by PretonSaver, I do know that I have saved significantly on the ink used. I have only had to change the printer cartridges once, instead of the two or three times that is usual in this time period. Although economics are important, the effects on the environment of reducing the electronic consumable stuff that we discard is even more so. In both the economic and the environmental areas, PretonSaver performs as advertised. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: Yes. The Web site claims that PretonSaver will provide "up to 70% savings" in ink or toner cost "without compromising quality." I found this not only to be true but I can also exact additional savings through the program's ability to allow me to select what portion of a page I wish to print. Was it easy to install? Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: Installation was standard and uneventful. The license agreement is somewhat legalistic, but it permits perpetual licensing on up to three computers in a home-office environment. I had more difficulty than necessary finding where to enter the license code to transition from trial mode to fully licensed. There was no clue within the program nor anything on the website about this that I could find. By trial and error I found that right-clicking on the taskbar icon was the path to the activation process. Reviewer 2 - Dana Cardwell: Yes, the 11.3 MB downloaded exe file installed without any conflicts or problems. Activation was a simple copy and paste of the license key. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: Yes. PretonSaver allowed me to put the program in the folder of my choice. It does not need any icons or shortcuts, as it installs services that need to run all the time. Notifications of these new services popped up during the installation -- a touch which I appreciated. A "Getting Started Page" opens on the Preton Web site, essentially the Help File. The EULA. (End Users Licence Agreement) is the standard and provided no surprises. In spite of the fact that PretonSaver runs as a system service, there were only two Registry entries found by the uninstaller program I used. Registration and activation was a simple copy-and-paste operation. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: No. It is moderate size 11.38MB file which took mere seconds to download on a reasonably fast broadband connection, but does require 20MB of disc space. It does list minimum requirements of at least 512MB of Ram memory and a Pentium IV or similar processor. However, it also requires installing Microsoft's .NET Framework 2.0 or newer and if not already on one's computer, it entails downloading a humongous 185MB to 245MB depending on the version. This is almost prohibitive if on a dial-up connection and, regardless of one's Internet connection, a lot to ask of a customer simply to install a 11.38MB program. Installation was fast and smooth using the now familiar and respected Install Shield Wizard. The registration/activation process was an easy and uneventful copy and paste procedure of the product key. The program seemed to integrate seamlessly into the Windows operating system. It did place an icon on my desktop without my permission and also placed itself in my auto start folder to run in background, again without my permission. Overall, it was a quick and clean installation with no immediate configurations necessary, and uninstalled easily and cleanly as well. The EULA (End User License Agreement) has the now standard notice eschewing the developer of any liability, and is for use on a single computer which I find a bit penurious since many have both a desktop and a laptop or notebook. Additionally, there is a 30-day trial period. Good points. Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: PretonSaver Home helps the ecology and the economy by minimizing the ink or toner used to print documents. Print quality requirements vary for all of us depending upon what the printed document is intended to be used for. To produce a scratch draft copy, one can get by with less "black on the paper" than when printing, for example, a resume. PretonSaver Home helps to control this quality issue to limit print quality to what is needed. The main way that it does this is by presenting a slider bar option screen when a print command is generated. Essentially, this controls how dark, or dense, ink will be on the printed document. For most documents, I found myself using a setting in the middle range. The slider bar gives both a percentage scale and descriptive notes suggesting which levels might be best suited for specific purposes. I found these descriptions to be accurate. There is also an option to print text only without graphics, most often useful when printing pages from the Internet. There are also options to control how individual printers are managed. For example, it is beneficial for me to have print savings on my office laser printer where text documents are often printed; but I have no desire to save ink when printing photographic images on my inkjet printer. It is possible to permanently turn off PretonSaver Home's management of the inkjet printer while retaining its full features for my laser printer. Reviewer 2: Dana Cardwell: PretonSaver is a very easy to use program with very few settings. Instructions for use (Help file) are not contained in the program, but can be easily accessed online via a context menu item of the task bar icon. I do not consider this lack of a built in Help file to be a drawback as the online Help consists of two short pages with graphic descriptions, and once read will no longer be needed. PretonSaver is so easy to use that most users will find no need to consult the online instructions. Support for PretonSaver is via email through an online Web page that is accessible through the context menu of the task bar icon. My contacts to support were answered within hours with complete answers. It was also evident that the answers were not stock answers, but a personal response to my queries. One response included a graphic which demonstrated what the correct answer should look like. I was very pleased with the support that I received with this program. PretonSaver is an ink-saving program and, as such, there is a trade-off between how much ink to save versus the quality of the printed material. This trade off is user controlled for each print job. This feature allows the user to decide the level ink savings/quality each time the print button is pressed. I found this feature to be very useful as some printing needs more quality than others. I also like the ability to disable PretonSaver for some print jobs by a simple click in the preprint options. This trade-off of ink savings to quality differs depending upon the material being printed. All text documents seemed to yield the best ink savings while maintaining acceptable quality. Although I did see a decrease in darkness of text, I found the results clearly readable and soon realized that there was no reason to print such text document with the text so dark in the first place. I found that printing text documents at the suggested 35% savings level to be quite acceptable and even the fine lines of tables in Word documents still clearly visible. Photo printing showed the biggest trade-off for quality. When I placed photos printed in both no ink savings next to photos printed with the suggested 20% savings, I saw very little difference. While 20% savings of ink doesn't sound like much, one should remember a photo printing uses more ink than any other print job; thus such savings do add up very quickly. My tests of photo printing with higher levels of ink settings did result in a noticeable decrease in quality. I found the suggested savings level for the different print jobs to be acceptable and a good marker for use of the program. If PretonSaver stopped with savings on text and photo print jobs, it would be a good program to have, but PretonSaver takes these savings a step further by having different settings for text and photos (or graphics) in the same print job. Such print jobs resulted in maximum savings with very acceptable results. Ink savings are increased even more by the option to omit the graphics and print the text portion only. This is very handy when printing Web pages with text only and no ad graphics. I have practiced highlighting the text only and using the print selection option for numerous years to save ink. Sometimes this print selection method is not always successful in avoiding unwanted graphic printing. PretonSaver was very accurate in omitting graphics when this option was selected. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: PretonSaver Home integrates easily into the normal functioning of the computer and does not require any significant computer knowledge. It locates all installed printers, including those accesses through one's local network. I had to spend a few minutes setting up the printers ("Saving Settings" on the right-click menu in the System Tray), because I have some "virtual printers", such as pdf printers, installed on my computer. These are not physical machines, but use the print function to create pdf files. By checking Disable ink optimization for selected printer in the Settings, PretonSaver will not pop up each time I use these non-printer printers. Different settings can be specified for each printer, as well as defaults for text, graphics and images. A configuration page can be printed to show how each setting affects the text, colour graphics and colour photos of that printer. PretonSaver popups up a report from the System Tray when it has processed a print job, to show how much has been saved in printing costs. In order that the reports would not be exaggerated, I reduced the default per page cost of printing on one of my printers. Thus quite a few pages would cost $0.00 and the savings would also be $0.00. Even at this reduced rate, I have had significant savings for that printer over the four months, much more than enough to purchase the three-computer Household Lifetime licence. Support is provided by an online email request form. I received a courteous and complete answer to all my questions, always less that 24 hours later, And once I was given an coupon for my next purchase of PretonSaver. That is the first time that I have been rewarded for asking questions. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: As we have all come to experience with today's inkjet or laser printers, often the ink replacement costs more than the printer just as one pays more for razor blades than the razor. PretonSaver Home actually helps cut these costs, potentially by a significant amount through the removal of unneeded pixels in the print and it does so without any visible change in quality. Basically, the user indicates the ink or toner savings desired - anywhere from 0% to 70% - decide whether to print everything on a page or just the text or the graphics or the images, then click print. The software will then generate a report per print job as well as monthly reports delineating savings. Initial adjustments should find the right balance between savings and print quality but that decision can be made on a on a per-print job basis. I found that on my HP Inkjet All-in-One, the setting of 35% worked best, with good savings and no noticeable loss in print quality on text, graphics, or images. Of course, one could question whether the savings shown by the program are accurate. Based on my rather unscientific study, I believe they are. I installed two brand new inkjet cartridges, one black and one color, and weighed them on a digital scale before installing. I then did my normal printing which is predominantly monochrome without using PretonSaver. After 150 pages printed, I then removed both cartridges and weighed them again, recording the differences in weight as a measure of how much ink had been consumed. I next installed two new cartridges, weighed them, and again did my normal printing for 150 pages only this time using PretonSaver at the 35% savings setting. I removed these cartridges and weighed them, again using the loss of weight as ink used. When I compared the loss of weight between the first two cartridges without using PretonSaver and the second set of cartridges I used with the PretonSaver program, the difference in weight between the two was approximately 37.4%, with the cartridges used with the program weighing 37.4% more and thus using 37.4% less ink. This is not without some margin of error; however, my type printing is fairly consistent and I feel that the test was accurate enough to validate that the setting of 35% was met if not exceeded. So, the bottom line: Yes, PretonSaver will save ink cost with no discernible loss of print quality. For that reason alone, I can highly recommend the program. In addition to the fact that it does indeed work, some other features that make it even more recommendable: 
The program will work on literally any type and brand of
inkjet or laser printer;
It installs no drivers or ghost printers but works with
installed printer and print drivers;
One can exclude certain processes from ever being
optimized, and/or choose whether to optimize and at which
settings on a per-print basis;
One can achieve additional savings by choosing to print
text only and exclude graphics or images, or print any
combination of the three. For example, ads on Web pages can be
excluded when all that is wanted is text;
The Help tab simply navigates to the online User's
Manual; however, the User's Manual is well laid out, simple to
understand with generous graphics, and more than adequate to
fully understand this program;
The program is very simple to learn and use;
Use of resources was minimal;
Support is available either through direct email or via
an online support ticket. I contacted support twice simply to
test the support efficiency and in both instances my
questions/concerns were addressed within 48 hours which, on a
non-critical software program, I felt quite adequate; and,
Cost. The program is a bargain at $19.95 per year or even
a better deal at $34.95 for a lifetime license. On my HP Inkjet
printer, I will recover the cost of a lifetime license in ink
savings in approximately 3 months.Weak points. Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: My only complaint about this program was the extra time and attention it takes to set and approve printing settings each time a document is printed. In comparing the pennies saved to the value of one's time and attention, it is usually not profitable on small printing jobs. Weighing in the environmental benefits of less consumption, it reverts back to a net positive for me. The one feature I would like to see added would be to set an ink-savings level for a specific printer and have that applied automatically to that printer without the sliding scale popup screen appearing when printing. In my case, I have a dedicated printer for printing checks, so I need the same level of print output on it each time. It would be nice to set it once and forget it without the constant "nag" of the pop-up screen. Reviewer 2 - Dana Cardwell: PretonSaver has very few weak points, but I do have some suggestions for the developer for improvement of the program. Users today are very concerned with any program that connects to the Internet on its own. Most users understand the need for a program to connect to the Internet to update the software and keep it current, but many want to control that updating if nothing more than to be sure what is connecting to the Internet and why. PretonSaver has no settings to allow the user to control its updating. This automatic updating should be a user's option. PretonSaver should have a print preview that allows the user to view and change the settings before printing. This would save ink in reprinting when too much reduction is selected and the outcome was unacceptable. The cost meters for Mono and Color are based upon costs-per-page and are adjustable by the user. Most user do not know this detail. These settings should be based on cost-per-cartridge, a known fact. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: I hesitate to put complete faith in the dollar amounts of savings that PretonSaver reflects from the System Tray icon when I am printing, or in the savings posted in the Reports items. To have total confidence in their calculations, I would have to track the number of pages that each printer produces, and cost out the amount I have had to spend annually in cartridges, toners, and drums, etc. On the other hand, I have set one printer as costing $0.01 per page. The reports do show that figure per page, and the percentage of savings does equal the percentage that I have set for that printing job. I do not find the graphs on the report summaries to be very attractive. I am monitoring three printers, so have three sets of graphs across the page. Instead of having them go right across the page, I would prefer more "normal" sized graphs for each printer, even if the rest of the page is white space. After all, apart from looking better, it would save printer ink if I did have to send them to one of the colour printers. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: I found no weak points in the program. In fact, the only suggestion I might even make would be to offer a turnaround time with the support. Since support is this quick, why not let customers know? My only other suggestion is to allow me to decide whether or not I want the program running in the background and on startup. For me, this was no problem as I use my printer constantly; but for those who only occasionally use their printer, there is no need for it to be running in background all of the time. Developer's Web site. Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: The Web page gives a good description of the capabilities of this and related programs without being excessively commercial. There is a good technical discussion of how the technology works at www.preton.com/tech.asp. Reviewer 2: Dana Cardwell: The Preton Web site is easy to navigate with clearly marked links to the various Web pages. I found the customer reviews to be quite honest by including quotes and names of those who provided the review. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: The Web site is easy to navigate, although somewhat cluttered. I disregard the Awards and 5- or 10-star compliments from Download sites, but I did find the Case Studies from recognized institutions to be interesting although sparse on supporting documentation and analysis. I also liked the technical explanations of how PretonSaver works, and comparisons with other methods of trying to save ink. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: This is one of the cleanest, most attractive, and easiest to negotiate Websites I have seen. It is marred only by the placement of those fake five star reviews listed on the side panel. And I say "fake" because if anyone bothers to look at these same companies that so many developers like to paste all over their Web sites, they will quickly see that there is no review; there is only the same PR from the developer found on the developer's Web site, only with five stars plastered on as if this means something. You have an excellent product and thus do not need to rely on this sleazy marketing ploy that is really more of a scam than it is marketing. If I were a consumer visiting your site, I would have left it immediately without even bothering to look further at your product because of these notorious type of "reviews." Other comments. Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: Customer support answered my email inquiry in less than 24 hours. Reviewer 2 - Dana Cardwell: PretonSaver is truly a program that will pay for itself in savings in ink. It is a program that a user will want to use year after year. The decision a user faces is a yearly or lifetime subscription. Lifetime would be the wise choice if the lifetime is cross platform and the license covered a user's upgrade to a newer, yet released version of Windows. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: The licencing options , ranging from $19.95 for a single computer licence for a year to a lifetime licence for up to 3 computers for $54.95, is certainly reasonable, considering the program's benefits. Any way that we can find to reduce the mountains of toxic trash created by our used cartridges and toners has to be at least as important as the technical and economic benefits that a program such as PretonSaver brings to us. We do need to cut down our environmental footprint on the planet. On this basis alone, I would recommend PretonSaver. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: I have one concern that I suspect may be nothing serious but has to do with the privacy statement. Under the heading "Use of personally identifiable information" is the statement We may also use personally identifiable information to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems and enforce our agreements with you. Under the heading "Legal disclosures" is the statement Preton may disclose personally identifiable information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith believe that such action is necessary to prevent injury or property damage. I wish the developer would rethink or further clarify these statements. As written, they are far too loose for my comfort. Will you continue to use it? Reviewer 1 - Name Withheld By Request: Yes. Reviewer 2 - Dana Cardwell: Yes, definitely. Reviewer 3 - Peter Royle: Yes. It will be installed on all the computers in my household that have access to printers. Reviewer 4 - Mark Snyder: Yes. |
OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home and Media Center Edition
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