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Paper Mini-Tips
Return to We Challenge You to Reduce Your Paper Use page.
Here are some quick tips that we have heard from others. If you have a tip to share, please email us or post them to our forums so that we may include them here.
ASSESS and Track Paper Use
- Try Rainforest Maker's calculator
- Create your own spreadsheet and track paper product orders each month, quarter or year. Report how much you spend and how many trees you have consumed back to management and staff.
- Use PaperCut's Print Logger to track and report on printing habits. Posted by petercheer on our forums.
CHANGE printer and copier settings and habits
- Adjust your document margins: Using smaller margins means you can fit more on the page. We recommend .7 or .75 inches all around.
- Use print-management utilities like AdBlock Plus, Aardvark, GreenPrint and FinePrint.
- Use Multi-up Printing: Print multiple pages per sheet
- Set one printer up as the recycled paper printer - print on the clean backside of paper printed only on one side. (Make sure the previously printed side is non-confidential information.) Posted by Sasha on our forums
- In libraries and schools: Encourage patrons/users to download their database search results to flash drives or e-mail the information to their home accounts. Posted by FredP on our forums.
- To save on toner and ink, which tend to be toxic, consider printing in draft mode rather than normal or best. From Maryline Daviaud Lewitt via email.
CREATE, edit, communicate and store documents electronically
- Learn to use "Track Changes" in Microsoft Word.
- Use larger monitors - Many folks have a difficult time reading on their computers, larger monitors may help. Be careful though...while this reduces paper usage, it increases energy usage.
- Read periodicals online instead of printing.
- Reduce copies of subscriptions to periodicals to one per office and share them with your co-workers.
- Use electronic fax servers or services. Posted by LisaRose on our forums.
- When presenting at conferences ask if there is a conference site where you can post materials for attendees rather than printing out boxes of handouts.
- Bring electronic copies of your presentation and other materials on a flash drives, either hand them out to participants or make them available so people can download your presentation.
- If you need to have a few handouts, try to accurately estimate the number of attendees and print out only a small number of handouts. Ask your audience to save them for those who really need them.
- Eliminate printed letterhead: If the template for official letters is, instead, stored in your computer, you can easily update it when people and addresses change. Posted by SusanKinsella on our forums.
- Review your pre-printed forms; combine those you can, store them electronically and print only as needed or allow users to complete forms online. SusanKinsella during our webinar.
DISTRIBUTE annual reports and marketing collateral in PDFs or eBooks
- Do not place paper contacts on biz cards: No fax or mailing address, only phone, email, IM, etc. - From Adam Glickman
- Track down large periodic printed reports (ex. annual, quarterly, monthly) and provide the data electronically. Posted by dwelp on our forums.
- If you must give swag, give re-usable bags instead of paper and items people just end up throwing away. (From Cameron Jones) Here are some resources for re-usable shopping bags that can be branded with your logo and message:
Budget for and BUY recycled content paper
- Choose paper products that are labeled "unbleached," "bleached without chlorine or chlorine derivatives," or "processed chlorine-free."
- It’s cheaper to buy recycled paper products in bulk.
- Green Earth Office Supply offers a wide variety of office supplies that are earth-friendly and sustainable.
- The Recycled Products Cooperative is a nonprofit organization that uses aggregated volume to increase purchasing power and reduce pricing.
- By switching from folded towels to roll towels, you can reduce restroom paper waste by 25% to 35%. (California Department of General Services)
EDUCATE
- Run a green training when new staff join and regular lunch seminars where people can learn about reducing waste, reuse and recycling. Posted by stephanie.catz on our forums.
- Make a pledge to use less paper. Go to www.shrinkpaper.org. Posted by Mandy Haggith on our forums.
Return to We Challenge You to Reduce Your Paper Use page.
