Sustainable printing: 10 steps that will cut costs, reduce waste
and increase Productivity
Sustainable printing balances
operational needs against their environmental footprint. In this guide, we’ll
show you how to implement sustainable printing practices within your business.
The print industry has been
conscientiously pursuing green printing techniques and there has been a real
push in recent years to look at more sustainable printing techniques. While
there is a drive for digital innovation, it’s a fact that for many businesses
it’s not possible to just stop printing and go completely paperless.
Ricoh is often asked by
companies and large organizations how they can introduce more sustainable
printing practices. It’s no longer surprising but heartening that our customers
are very aware and even passionate in their quest to embed sustainability into
their company’s vision.
The key to sustainable
printing is integration into the larger business strategy
When sustainability is
integrated into your company’s mission statement or Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) plan, this allows all stakeholders (management teams,
employees, board of directors, even suppliers and customers) to be better
aligned with broader corporate goals – both environmentally and economically.
Implementing sustainable
programs takes teamwork and experience. Our guide gives you 10 initial steps
you can take, based on environmental best practice in document processes and
printing, which will contribute to a larger corporate sustainability strategy.
And it can do more than just
conserve energy: it can help control costs, increase productivity and reduce
material waste.
Your 10-step guide to
sustainable printing
1. Think e-documents over
paper
Electronic document workflows
reduce the amount of hard copy output. Use scan-to-email technology to
distribute documents electronically, and store scanned documents in an
electronic repository. If you do need to print, switch to use recycled paper.
2. Analyze and optimize the
number of printers you need
By assessing usage patterns
and where devices are placed in the office, you could minimize redundant or
under-utilized copiers, fax machines and printers. Introduce more energy
efficient multifunctional printers (MFPs) that copy, fax, print and scan
wherever possible and limit the use of single function devices.
3. Asset management, recycle
and responsible disposal
With good asset management
processes in place, you can easily keep track and identify equipment that needs
upgrading. Always look for environmentally friendly ways to dispose of
printers, fax machines and MFPs, including recycling toner cartridges and toner
bottles.
4. Encourage sustainable
habits
Employee behaviour is perhaps
the single most important factor in successful environmental sustainability
practices. A training and education program will familiarize your employees
with procedures to improve processes, eliminate waste and ultimately achieve
performance targets.
5. Redirect printing to the
most cost-effective device
Rule-based printing
automatically redirects print jobs to the most suitable output device to
optimize energy consumption, ensure use of resource-saving features and control
access to colour output. Maybe it means employees have to walk a few extra
steps to collect their printing, but perhaps that not a bad thing either.
6. Minimize power consumption
Purchase or lease devices that
exceed ‘Energy Star’ and other industry ratings. Most modern printers and MFDs
have energy saving modes and ‘Quick Startup’ technology, which means they are
put to sleep when they’re not being used. When set up correctly, this helps to
reduce the amount of energy used and reduces costs.
7. Reduce paper usage
Turn on the paper-saving
features in the hardware/software of your device – the user manual often
explains what’s available but, in most cases, you can choose
duplex/double-sided printing, combining print, lock printing and scanning. When
you encourage electronic sharing of documents and document previewing, this can
prevent unnecessary reprints.
8. Print on-demand
Use digital print technology
to print corporate and marketing materials on-demand – where and when they are
needed – instead of printing large volumes to then find something has changed
and it’s redundant.
9. Re-set settings and save
High-speed duplex printing,
toner saving modes, ‘print selected text’, even default toner selection
settings can have a surprising impact on your paper, toner cartridges, and
carbon footprint.
10. Measure, manage, optimize
Environmental initiatives,
such as carbon offsets, cannot be implemented without accurate measurement and
reporting. When it comes to print, the environmental program must be designed
for document processes that not only address reduction of overall energy
consumption, hard copy output and CO2 footprint, but also include future
recommendations.
Integrated real-time data
reporting and monitoring tools that provide enterprise-wide visibility on
sustainability performance are critical for documenting success and reinforcing
achievements with stakeholders.
Scripted by:-
Nandini Ramesh
Marketing Manager
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