Green IT for Dummies®

Chapter 16. Pursuing the Less-Paper Office

In This Chapter

• Choosing a greener printer and supplies

• Considering consolidated and multifunction devices

• Digitizing documents

• Electing e-Forms

• Turning a paper-based process into a green trail

Paper for printing has yet to go the way of film for cameras, which is rapidly disappearing. But dramatically reducing printing and its associated costs is a green idea whose time has come. You can evaluate everything from the purchase of your printers, paper, and ink, to where you put your printer(s), to the reason people print, to the storage necessary for printed materials. And you can eliminate as much as 80 percent of your organization's paper and related costs by using and storing content in its original digital form.

In the sections that follow, you find information and tips to help you weigh your options and find solutions that are not only greener but also more beneficial to your operations.

Choosing Printers, Paper, and Ink

If you can avoid printing, do so. Using electronic forms and sticking with the digitized document will help. When you must print, make the greenest choices you can. Most printers come under the category of always-on devices — like network components, they're turned on and hardly ever turned off, except for changing ink cartridges, clearing paper jams, and periodic service calls.

When thinking about greening your office, you can find ways to benefit the planet and your bottom line by taking a look at what green printing might look ...