As printers and copiers consume in order to create, they are often seen as the bane of sustainability. The reality, however, is that once the image is printed, it no longer takes anything, electricity or otherwise, to view it. In this way photocopiers and printers can be seen as a way to increase the sustainability of your office, if used correctly. Make sure your employees are asking themselves these questions before they print. Is It Worth Printing? Most things are not. In fact, the vast majority of things that a office worker will look at on his monitor will either be subject to change, or only need to be seen once. Printing a document should be the exception, not the rule. An example of something worth printing would be schedules, which may change from week to week, but are looked at repeatedly by many different people while they are valid. Would It Be Simpler To Just Write Down? When looking at a line or two of text that needs to be posted somewhere that others will see, many people will reflexively hit the “print” button, without thinking about the fact that they do have access to a pen an paper. In fact, if the office worker is printing something as a reminder or note to themselves, writing it down may help them remember it without having to go searching for the piece of paper. There is a reason teachers made us write so much in school. Should I Modify This Before Printing? Is there a more efficient way that the information could be displayed that would still convey the same message? If so, use it. Sometimes simply copying text off of a web page and onto a text file will save a ton of ink and paper. This is especially true if the page has either color, or large amounts of black on it.

Related articles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocopier