by: Julianne Boulton
Printing a document requires input from a number of resources. Sometimes there is no alternative to printing a document. Printing only when it is essential and practicing the most sustainable methods to print can help decrease the impact your printing has on the environment.
Before printing anything it’s always good to take a moment to think if you really need to print. Limiting what we print to a bare minimum requires little effort and can obviously reduce printing costs. If it’s something that needs to be circulated around, consider circulating it by electronic means such as email. Alternatively you can print just a few copies and ask people to pass it on after they’ve finished or put it up on one or a few notice boards. Avoiding printing draft copies of a document and printing only the final document when possible can also help reduce the amount of printing that needs to be done.
You can reduce the amount of paper you use for printing by reducing the number of pages you need to print. You may be able to reduce the number of pages that need to be printed by re-formatting your document. This works well if the document is for your personal reading and doesn’t require a specific format. Even if it’s something that requires a specific format, look for ways that won’t interfere with the required format such as decreasing the margins or reducing the spacing. Reducing the number of pages you print can significantly reduce printing costs if you are using a network printer that charges per page. Setting print preferences on your printer to duplex and printing on both sides of the paper will also help reduce the amount of paper needed. Besides having used less resources for printing, having less pages per document can be useful if you need to store or carry around the document that you have printed.
Choosing to print on recycled paper can help save on the virgin material that is used for your printing. Using an energy efficient printer and choosing to print on a networked printer rather than a laser printer can also save the amount of energy input that is required. And as always, remember to dispose of any printing waste in the most sustainable manner possible. Paper is easily recycled and all used paper can be sorted out before throwing it away. Before you throw away paper, consider if you can use the paper to print rough drafts or for scribbling notes on. Discard your old printer responsibly to reduce the risks posed by harmful chemicals from the printer. Check if your local recycling accepts printers and if they do be sure to hand-in your old printer as advised.
Always being aware of the resources you are about to use for printing can help you to identify ways in which you can reduce the resources you will you for your printing. Printing only when it’s absolutely essential, keeping what you do print to a bare minimum and making wise choices in the resources you choose to use while printing can help you to practice sustainable printing.