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Ways to Print Responsibly

1 – Change the margin
If you have a document that almost fits on a page, why not change the margin – a little off the top, bottom and sidesĀ  can save paper. In Microsoft Office, this setting is on the Page Layout tab.

2 – Use print preview
Only print the pages you need or use the printer friendly versions of websites.

3 – Save toner
While you’re reviewing your printing preferences, check out the toner saver option on the quality tab of the Canon printers, or default to grayscale if you have a color printer but don’t need the document in color most of the time. Both of these will save toner.

4 – Save power
Turn off your computer and all peripherals at night. If you are connected to a power strip, you may want to reconfigure your power strip to be on your desk instead of on the floor to make it easier to get to. Turn off the power strip at night while you are at it.

5 – Save paper
Print on both sides of the paper. Many of the networked printers on campus have the capability of printing “duplex” or double-sided. To set this as your default on a PC, go to start, printers and faxes, right click on the Canon network printer and go to Properties. On the general tab, select printing preferences. Select “finishing” and change the print style to 2-sided printing. These directions may vary from printer to printer, but most printers have a “finishing” tab and that’s where you can change the default settings so you don’t even have to think about it. If you do want to print a single sided document now and then, change this setting back on a case by case basis.

6 – Change the font
Thanks to all of you that brought the article “Here’s a legal way to print money: change the font” to our attention.

There are two schools of thought provided in this article. By changing the font to Century Gothic the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay projects that they will save between $5,000 and $10,000 in ink costs annually. The two most economical fonts to save ink are Century Gothic and Times New Roman. However, Century Gothic is a wider font that may in the end use more paper, so at this time, our best advice is to think before you print no matter what font you use

Did You Know?

  • Three quarts of oil are burned to make one new cartridge
  • 375,000,000 cartridges are thrown away every year
  • Ink cartridges cost more to destroy than to manufacture
  • It takes over 1000 years for each cartridge to decompose

Learn more about the environmental impact of printing and copying.

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