Are you looking to optimize your office to be as sustainable as possible? One of the areas that is often overlooked in this regard is printing. Yet sustainable printing practices can cut down on your carbon footprint dramatically and save you money at the same time. Sustainable printing can include anything from making sure to print on both sides of a sheet of paper to posting signs throughout the office to encourage sustainable printing awareness to using environmentally friendly HP toner cartridges

With more importance than ever being put on the future of the planet, it’s important that we do what we can to make more eco-conscious choices in the workplace. Since the average Australian office worker goes through more than 10,000 sheets of high-grade A4 paper each year, understanding the basics of promoting sustainable printing is a great way for most businesses to make the move to greener practices. Some of these strategies are simple and can be implemented immediately, while others take a little more forethought and planning. With a little forethought, you can dramatically change your office printing practices to be more sustainable and do your bit for the planet in the process

Continue reading to learn more about how you can promote sustainable printing and lower the carbon footprint of your business

Save Toner And Save The Environment

Cutting down on toner use can go a long way toward promoting sustainable printing. Indeed, there are a number of ways to save toner. For one, using so-called “eco-fonts” can save a great deal of toner by printing text with empty lines or dots rather than solid and unbroken lines. These can be easily downloaded online or at least make sure to use less ornamental fonts, such as the classic Times New Roman

Printing in fast or draft mode and in grayscale can also help to use less toner. While the quality of the print job may suffer slightly, this is completely appropriate for documents that are only intended for internal office use

Print Only When Necessary

Going electronic wherever possible can also promote a culture of sustainable printing in your office. Go paperless in meetings and have your employees bring their tablets to the table. These can be pre-loaded with any pertinent information or slides that are necessary. This will avoid wastefully printing information that may only ever be viewed once

When printing is absolutely necessary, you can make sure to use paper that is produced in an eco-friendly way. There are a number of providers out there who use biodegradable products and also ensure that the trees which are cut down in production are replanted. Finally, if your office is not already recycling discarded paper, ensure that you start now. Toner cartridges can themselves also be either recycled or even refilled in some cases

Cut Down On Power Use

Choosing an energy-efficient printer can help you to avoid a large electricity bill at the end of each month. It can also help to protect the environment. Make sure that the printers in your office are all Energy-Star certified to make sure that you are meeting the industry standard for sustainable printing practices

Purchasing a machine that can perform all basic office functions, including printing, copying, and scanning can also reduce the electricity waste that is the result of several machines sitting around on idle. As an added cost-saving bonus, these machines can also reduce the amounts of money you spend each year on components for and repairs to these machines

Sustainable Printing Is Easy

While it may not appear so on the surface, printing can be a sustainable practice with a little planning and insight. Take stock of your current printing practices and try to implement several of the strategies outlined above. Do a formal or informal print audit to assess which strategies will make the most impact in your office

Install a measurement system to track energy consumption and printing by each employee to increase awareness throughout your company. Investment in sustainable practices now can help your company, and the environment, to thrive long into the future. And, if you need to print and mail out mailers and other promotional items, consider buying the best printer for printing envelopes.