Joined on 09-19-2000
San Francisco
TechSoup Member
Our
GreenTech Blog posts contain some tips for reducing paper use. This week we recommend
multi-up printing or printing more than one page per sheet of paper. We include some links so readers can learn how to do it in a few different software programs.
We have been collecting
mini-tips from readers like you and re-publishing them in our
Challenge pages.
What are ways you've found to reduce the paper use in your office? Let us know here.
Our incoming faxes are received electronically via our networked copier and sent to the server. The folder where they are stored is checked several times daily and faxes are then emailed to the recipient instead of being printed out.
The recipient then has the option of printing out only the pages s/he needs, including the option of printing double-sided. Typically, the cover page is unnecessary and there is often an unnecessary "final" page. Sometimes, there's no need to print the fax at all--just having the information and storing it electronically is enough. A lot of pages are being saved not printing unnecessary faxes.
Hi folks. Great to see this topic being discussed. For loads of paper saving tips and an opportunity to make a pledge to use less paper please go to www.shrinkpaper.org. This website is a project of a coalition of more than 50 environmental organisations and part of a global effort to persuade paper consumers, big and small, to use less. We are also looking for companies who have made paper savings to tell us about them and we'll feature case studies of these on the website. So if you've got something to boast about, or know of a company we should be featuring, please email me at hag@worldforests.org. Meanwhile, please make a pledge at www.shrinkpaper.org
One of the things that I urge people to do is to use video on websites to reach the world. You can reach ten people or tens of millions of people anywhere around the globe by posting your video on your website or on youtube or vimeo.
Videos can get your message across with emotion and impact and can help lead the people you are trying to reach to action. Videos can show color and texture, and can invite people into your world.
Here is an example that we did for the Hispanic Scholarship Fun. :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGzmMgUhavY
Joined on 11-06-2008
TechSoup Member
We have
lists of tips on our website. Many seem obvious and some are from the early days of attention to this topic, but each one helps.
One of my favorites is eliminating printed letterhead. If the template for official letters is, instead, stored in your computer, you can easily update it when people and addresses change, rather than having boxes and boxes of unusable printed letterhead.
There also are
factsheets about Paper Use Efficiency and Understanding Recycled Fiber at the Environmental Paper Network's website, where Conservatree is on the steering committee.
Joined on 05-14-2008
TechSoup Member
Make sure people know how to use the copier. I cannot tell you how much paper gets burned because of printing errors- usually in multipage reports, often not caught until 30of them have been printed!
Joined on 09-19-2000
San Francisco
TechSoup Member
What do you recommend to make sure people know how to use the copier? What do you do to train them or make them aware?
Joined on 08-20-2001
San Francisco, CA and the web
Most organizations have some kind of orientation process for employees--perhaps how to use printers could be part of this. I think also having a sign or brief reminders on the printer itself would be helpful.
One thing I know that helps is that at TechSoup, the computers are set up w/ printer default i for double-sided printing which is great b/c then I don't have to remember to set this every time I print. And be sure there's a paper recycling bin by the printer as well.
Best,
Megan
Joined on 03-27-2007
Mass Audubon
TechSoup Member
Although I am sure this has been mentioned at some point during TeckSoup's month-long event, one easy way to reduce paper usage is to narrow your margins--by default.
Also, always preview before you print--this helps avoid printing errors and gives you an opportunity to reformat to save paper.
Use the automated tools in most office production software to "shrink to fit" when appropriate.