As with all social etiquette, printing at the office is no different. There is a way to be considerate and mindful when using the office printer and that includes not leaving a paper jam behind for someone else to clean up. Oddly, people do such rude things but you don’t have to be the inconsiderate sort. Keep your co-workers happy and good karma flowing your way with these simple office printing etiquette tips:

Don’t Leave Someone High and Dry - Refuel the Printer

If you borrowed a friend or family member’s vehicle, you wouldn’t return the car with an empty gas tank. The same can be said for using the office printer. Leaving someone high and dry after you’ve used the printer is bad printing etiquette. Whether you’ve used up all the paper or the ink or toner cartridges are running empty after your last print job, taking the time to rectify the issue is the right thing to do for the next person.

Restocking paper in a printer doesn’t take a lot of time, just do it. It’ll keep you on your co-workers’ good side. Also, we realize that replacing ink or toner cartridges may not be in your job description but if you can do it – do it. If you don’t know where these replacements are to be found or are scared you’ll break the printer in your attempts to replenish its stock, then let someone who is responsible for the office printer know. If someone is in a bind and needs to print something on the quick – they’ll be able to do so because the printer is good to go.

Don’t Leave a Paper Jam Behind

In line with what was previously mentioned, leaving a paper jam behind for someone else in the office to deal with is bad etiquette. We know that paper jams are absolutely infuriating and that dealing with them can be time-consuming. However, imagine going to the printer to pickup a time sensitive document that you’ve just sent to print while on your way to a meeting, only to find that you have to deal with a paper jam first. And! You didn’t even cause the paper jam. Not cool.

Exactly. Do unto others as you would wish they do unto you. If your doc has caused the printer to jam and you just walk away from not your so critical document, well you are not going to make any friends. Follow the prompts on the screen to get the bits and bites of stuck paper out of the printer. This way, the next person going to print won’t curse you because you’re a paper jammer.

Let Those with Smaller Print Jobs Go First

Isn’t it awesome when you go to the grocery to pick up an item or two and the guy in front you who is pushing a weeks’ worth of food in their cart says ‘you should go first’? Yeah! It’s considerate and kind.

The same courtesy can be given in your office printing environment. If you’ve got a 50-page doc to print and someone just needs to make a single copy, letting them go first can save them a lot of time and make you a hero.

Don’t Leave Your Prints Behind

Simple office printing etiquette includes picking up your prints in a timely manner. While this may sound intuitive, think about those times when you’ve picked up your print job only to find other people’s pages alongside yours when you’ve returned to your desk. Now you have to sort through what pages are yours and what aren’t. Plus, you have to go back to the printer and return what pages are not yours.

This is because someone didn’t pick up their prints in a timely manner. Alleviate someone else from this hassle by going to pick up what you’ve sent to print within a reasonable time frame.

Don’t Remove Someone Else’s Prints from the Tray

So, someone did what we just said you shouldn’t do – they didn’t pick up their prints! But, imagine going to the printer after you’ve sent a job to print only to find that the document has been removed by someone else. Well, they shouldn’t have taken them to begin with nor should you.

Take the time to sort through what is yours and what isn’t at the printer. And leave what is someone else’s print job in the tray for them to come retrieve. It’ll save you the trip back to the printer and it’ll save them the worry in case the doc is time sensitive. It takes seconds for you to review that you’ve gotten the right pages and it could save someone else at your office a whole lot of stress.