This is a system for maximizing the use of colors in cartridges of a color marking system. By controlling the amounts of each color dispensed where the least abundant color is conserved, the life of the cartridge is extended. A sensor tells the system what amounts of each colors remain in the system, and a dispenser controller uses and dispenses the most abundant colors first, preserving the least abundant color necessary to achieve a desired colored marking. GCR (gray component replacement) is used as the fundamental scheme to control the colorants. GCR-like scheme is used for interchanging a particular non-traditional colorant and multiple conventional colorants that make such color.