How To Reduce Paper Consumption

How to Reduce Paper Consumption

When you're working, do you ever think to yourself, "how can I reduce paper usage?". That question has probably never crossed our minds. This may be due to the fact that printing costs are not a priority. However, it is possible for most offices to reduce paper consumption by 20% and with today's technology, it is more beneficial for businesses to store their work digitally, rather than on paper.

Here are some simple ways you can reduce printing costs and paper wastage:

1. Save as PDF.

If you are able to save a document as a PDF rather than on paper, save it digitally. You are then able to also share and send it to remote locations. It is also more beneficial to store it on the cloud to prevent data loss.

2. Print in black and white.

It is no surprise that printing in colour is more costly than black and white. It is approximately eight times more costly to print in colour.

3. Print double-sided.

When printing out your documents, select the 'Two-Sided' option to print double-sided, reducing paper use by 50%.

4. Give staff dual monitors.

Instead of staff printing documents out, they can view and edit it on a second monitor. A study by Dell showed that dual monitors boost productivity and staff satisfaction. 

5. Reduce margins and font size.

By reducing the margins and font size of documents, users are able to fit more information on one page. According to a study by Penn State Green Destiny Council, reducing margins could decrease paper usage by 4.75%.

6. Use modern printers and copiers.

As technology is enhancing, multi-function devices have a feature that allows them to reduce paper usage through scan-to-cloud functionality, optical character recognition and more.

7. Use a Managed Print Service.

Managed Print Service providers manage devices, document and device security, printing softwares and document workflow in order to minimise downtime for your business.