Coupon Tip #14 - Printable Coupon Questions?

Liz inspired me for today’s coupon tip by e-mailing me the following:

“Hey! I’m loving your 31 days of coupons tips. My friend and I are SO pumped up about coupons and saving BIG bucks we just can’t contain ourselves!!So, my question for you is on printable coupons. I seem to have trouble getting them to print off first of all. What are the best websites to get printables from? (Without jumping through tons of hoops to get them to print off!) Do stores take printables easily?”

I’m going to use this new printable coupon for Suave as an example for how to troubleshoot printing problems:

Suave Save $1 (read the details it’s a “buy 1 save $1 on 2nd product”, you can print it twice, exp. 7/22/08). Some stores will allow you to use two manufacturer’s coupons for two items, even if one is a “buy 1 get 1” coupon (or similar) and regardless of any “buy 1 get 1” sales. Every store has a different policy, so know your store’s policy!

Liz needs help: “I seem to have trouble getting them to print off first of all.” Join the club! Thanks to security features on our computer, we can not always download or run the coupon printing software we need to print the coupon (and this is a good thing because that’s the whole point of having security features). Consider changing your security settings if you are having problems, but only if you consult your family’s IT expert first and are comfortable with making those changes.

The Suave coupon is provided by Coupons.com and there are a surprising number of options to get help when you are trying to print using Coupons.com.
1. Click on “HELP” in the bottom right-hand corner and you will see some helpful options. 2. You can troubleshoot your printing problems. 3. You can get live customer support, just click on the button. 4. Request the coupon by mail.

Here are three general ways to get around printing problems for other coupons: 1. Ask a friend to print if for you (if they don’t want the coupon!) 2. Contact the manufacturer directly and ask for a coupon by mail. Many companies would love to fulfill their customers requests and will pleasantly surprise you. 3. Try printing the coupon on another day or from another computer – maybe you’ll be successful with your second attempt!

Liz asked: “What are the best websites to get printables from?” Freebies4Mom.com. Well, maybe not, but I do post some great printable coupons! I will point you in the right direction, but I have no desire to post ALL the printable coupons out there. Everyone buys different products, so it all depends on what you need. I like Coupons.com as a general coupon site with a large selection (72 coupons currently). There are tons of other sites, but in general they have many of the same coupons. The hottest coupons will be listed individually by manufacturer’s, usually on special websites that you didn’t even know existed, because they are set-up specifically for a new promotion. If you’re looking for these “hot coupons”, then you’ll find I post many of them here. If you are looking for a specific brand or type of product, just send me an e-mail and I’ll do a search for you.

Liz asked: “Do stores take printables easily?” Printable coupons are all the rage, but some companies are shying away from issuing them and some stores are no longer accepting them. Printable coupons are just harder to control the distribution of, and when they are fraudulently distributed it is detrimental to everyone, especially the stores who are not able to get reimbursed for fraudulent coupons. It is important to ask a manager at the store you shop at what their current policy is on accepting printable coupons. This policy will change from store to store, even within the same chain. Some stores will accept printable coupon, but put limitations on them like they won’t accept more than one coupon of the same type, or they will not accept any “free” coupons.

Print Once, Print Twice

Most printable coupons can be printed twice (it’s always worth trying a second, even a third print if it is a coupon you can use). When you have reached your print limit, you will see a message displayed on the screen. Sometimes you will see this message even if you’ve never printed the coupon, and it could mean that the coupon is no longer available for printing by anyone.

Move On

There are just some coupons you will never be able to print for some unknown reason. I will never be able to print SmartSource or Aquafresh coupons – oh well, on to other coupons!

Missed the previous 13 days of Coupon Tips? Click here.