Printing efficiently not only saves you or your business money, it also helps to save trees in the process. According to Natural Resources Canada in 2013, our country alone used 1,224,000 tonnes of printing and writing paper. To help decrease the consumption of paper and the cost of purchasing paper, here are a few tips to get you printing more efficiently:

Print On Both Sides

Copying images on both sides of a sheet of paper can save you up to 50% on your paper costs. Duplexing (i.e. printing on both sides) saves money on paper purchasing, in addition to cutting down on the bulk of excess paper. While some documents and copies do need to be single-sided; not everything does.

Reduce Your Margins

By reducing your margins in a word document, you can save on paper considerably. Compared to normal settings, you can reduce your paper consumption by 14% by doing just this.

Print Only What You Need

That’s why there’s a preview function. Instead of selecting “all” – take the time to choose the page numbers that you actually want. You end up throwing the last page with the URL away anyway, why not save yourself the hassle by preventing this from the get-go?

Practice Preventive Copier Maintenance

Keeping copiers and printers in good condition not only guarantees you good prints but it also prolongs the life of your machines. When toners are running low and you continue to ask the machine to print – it wears it down. By maintaining your printers and copiers, you are less likely to run into paper jams and thus, you’re saving paper in the process.

Fax Effectively

Most faxes incorporate the ability to fax documents directly from one’s computer. Otherwise, if you are sending a paper fax, use fax stick-on labels instead of a cover sheet. Program your fax to eliminate confirmation sheets.