Environmentally Friendly Printing Practices Any Office Can Use
1: Reduce Paper Waste
Office workers create around two pounds of paper per day on average. That’s a lot of paper waste that mostly ends up in landfills unless it gets recycled. You can reduce the amount of paper your office puts out and help the environment by:
- Carefully reviewing and editing documents before printing to avoid printing too many versions
- Configuring double-sided printing settings, so you print fewer pages
- Sharing documents digitally or scanning them instead of printing copies
- Printing in black and white when color is not necessary
2: Recycle Ink Cartridges
Printers tend to go through a lot of toner and ink cartridges that require proper disposal to lessen the impact of ink on the environment. However, many of those cartridges do not get disposed of properly, and end up going straight to the landfill.
Ink and toner waste is harmful to the planet because it pollutes soil and water. To reduce ink and toner waste from your business, you can give us your used cartridges and we will recycle them for you.
3: Go Paperless
While it isn’t realistic for an office to go entirely paperless, you can still drastically reduce the amount of paper waste by switching to an electronic document management system (DMS). A DMS will keep your documents secure and much easier to find, which saves valuable time.
Storing paper files not only leads to more waste—it also takes up significant office space. Maintaining paper storage also becomes much more expensive over time, as you have to invest more in the supplies you need to store and organize it all.
4: Save Energy
Printers and copiers continue to use energy even when they aren’t fulfilling a job. Configuring a power save or sleep mode on your office equipment reduces energy costs and contributes to a healthier planet. Using less energy contributes to lower carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, which allows for cleaner air.
Another way to save energy is by powering fewer machines. If your office is crowded with too many different kinds of office equipment, it may be time to invest in a multifunction printer that combines the functions of printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machines. They take up less space and cost less to maintain than multiple single-function machines.