Five Steps to Achieve Green Printing
Jolene Yeo
12/06/2009

The environment is a hot topic these days and it is an increasing concern for companies to work smarter, faster and better in ways that are good for their bottom line and good for the environment, such that everyone wins, including Mother Earth.

Fuji Xerox Printers shares a few tips on managing printing facilities more efficiently for a “greener” world.

Step 1: Understand Your Environmental Impacts
In order to create a solid foundation for green printing within the office environment, companies should implement an environmental policy that helps the management and staff to understand the impact of their printing habits on the environment. Once the policy has been completed, the management should set targets to improve on their environmental goals that can be achieved through the use of products with lower emissions and printing technologies that use fewer chemicals.

Step 2: Utilise Soft Proofing
Reducing printing is one of the key methods to achieving green, efficient printing. One of the key methods that companies can adopt is delivering soft proofs to client using features such as Scan to Email, PC Fax Send and Fax Forward to Email that are found in multifunction printers or all-in-ones (AIO). This helps the company reduce paper usage, reduce the environmental impact of sending paper by air or ground transportation and enable a more rapid turn-around of print jobs.

Step 3: Reduce Energy Use and Making the Most of Every Sheet
Companies can reduce energy use by upgrading to newer printers or multifunction printers with more energy efficient technologies. For example, printers with power management capabilities help reduce energy consumption by powering down or entering into a Sleep Mode when not in use. In fact, the consolidation of stand-alone office products, including fax machines, copiers, scanners and printers into a multifunction printer allows companies to save up to 50 per cent of their energy costs. Companies can also save paper and costs by encouraging staff to make double-sided prints and copies, use recycled paper and utilise the scan to email feature.

Step 4: Use Good Waste Prevention and Management Practices
Recycle and reduce are the two buzzwords for implementing good waste prevention and management practices within a company. Toner cartridges and bottles can be recycled, lowering operating costs and the impact of the company’s printing habits on the environment. Companies can also reduce the use of hazardous wastes by using non-toxic toners or toners that emit less CO2 in its manufacturing process, as this helps reduce the cost of compliance and liability with managing regulated wastes.

Step 5: Seek Equipment that are Manufactured Environmentally Friendly or Designed for Remanufacturing or Recycling
The type of printing equipment that companies use is critical to the successful implementation of a green printing policy. By using printers that are built with remanufactured parts and components that have the same quality standards as new printers, companies can still maintain the quality of their printers while simultaneously eliminating waste from going to landfills. This also helps companies reduce the impact of their office processes on the environment.

- Jolene Yeo is Marketing Manager, Fuji Xerox Printers.

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