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Eco-minded consumers are already well-acquainted with the impact of printing and copying on the world’s supply of trees. What’s less widely considered, however, is the ink that’s typically used. Looking beyond paper, Dutch creative agency Spranq has developed a new font called the Ecofont that’s designed to extend the life of ink cartridges and toner. Setting out to explore how much of a letter could be removed while maintaining readability, the group found that the best results were achieved using a font in which tiny circles were intentionally left blank in the middle of each line, much like Swiss cheese. The result is based on the Vera Sans, an open source letter, and uses up to 20 percent less ink than traditional fonts, Spranq says. Available for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux, it’s also free to download and use. The Ecofont works best in OpenOffice, AppleWorks and MS Office 2007 at the 9- or 10-point size, says Spranq, which invites designers from around the world to participate in its further development. Arabic and Hebrew versions are reportedly in the works as well, according to the AP. What’s even more eco-iconic than recycled paper when it comes to printing? An eco-minded font, of course. One to boost the eco-credentials of every business and individual under the sun! 😉 (Related: Free tool for DIY font design — White lines make paper stand out.) Spotted by: David Templeman