The HP Guide to Greener Printing

Better for business With the move to electronic communications you would think that paper consumption was declining. If were emailing each other, using the internet and filing on our hard drives then surely were using less paper? Wrong.
But paper isnt the only culprit. Printers use energy, even when left in standby mode. Ink and toner are often wasted in poorly designed printing systems. Inferior quality cartridges print fewer pages, sometimes below the required standard, consuming more resources trying to get the job right. Cartridges and printers that have been poorly designed can be difficult to recycle. Inefficient paper, ink and energy consumption is not just bad for the planet, its bad for business too. This guide from HP is designed to give some ideas to help improve the efficiency of your printing, save money and reduce the environmental impact of your business. You might ask why one of the worlds leading printing companies is encouraging you to print more efficiently. The answer is simple. HP is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its products. We want people to achieve more with their printing. For a business, that means improving productivity and creating greater value through printing, not just consuming resources and generating waste. For more information on what HP is doing and how we could help you reduce the environmental impact of your business, visit www.hp.com/uk/environment

Increasing printing efficiency It seems unlikely that well fall out of love with paper in the near future, but people can be more efficient in the way they use paper, ink and toner.
1) Think before you print There are plenty of ways to avoid wasteful printing. People still print documents to review, but word processing programs and other software come with document-tracking features so that comments can be added electronically. You could utilise the print preview function in your software to ensure the document looks the way you want before you send it to print. It is also possible to share Excel documents so that more than one person can change the same document at the same time. Encourage employees to work collaboratively online to avoid wasting of paper and print materials. Think about how you need to deliver a document. Sometimes paper can be the best way to create impact, but other times people may prefer to have an electronic copy emailed or presented on a disc. Ask what their preference is to avoid giving them something that they may quickly throw out. People often worry about the size of files when sending them electronically and choose paper for fear of overloading email in-boxes. There are plenty of ways for people to reduce file sizes, such as compression and formats that take up less space (e.g. PDF). By helping people understand these options and providing the support needed to use them, the impact of printed documents can actually be enhanced. 2) Think about the way documents are laid out Simple choices in the way you create an electronic document can have a big impact on how much paper it requires when printed. For example: Reducing the font size by a couple of points can make documents slimmer without detracting from their quality of presentation. Reducing margin settings is another good way of using less paper. Have you seen documents produced as a set of bullet points in a ten page presentation that could have been presented as a single page? Choosing the most efficient way of presenting information can help you reduce paper consumption and have an impact on your audience, as they might prefer to receive less paper.

Increasing printing efficiency

3) Use both sides of the paper It is a simple idea that has been around since digital office printing first began, but is your business really doing all it can? Here are a few tips on how to make doublesided printing a more common feature in your business: Make it part of a policy that all staff should seek to print on both sides of paper, wherever practical. You can link this through to your environmentalpolicy commitment to save resources and reduce waste. Ensure people have the knowledge and equipment to print double-sided. Sometimes people have access to the facility, but are not confident in using it. All HP printers, for example, are capable of double-sided printing and leave the factory with this setting as standard. Other times, simply changing their default printer can actually give them access to a printer which can print double-sided. Ensure your IT department sets all printers to automatically print double-sided, wherever this is practical. They can also restrict the ability of staff to change their print settings and use software to encourage them to avoid unnecessary copies. 4) Use recycled materials Generally speaking, using recycled materials helps save resources and minimise waste. Recycled materials can be used in products themselves or in packaging. HP for example, , incorporates recycled plastics into many of its inkjet cartridges and also uses recycled material in the packaging of both its printers and printer cartridges. We also offer recycled paper as part of our range for businesses, like HP Office Recycled, a 100% post-consumer waste product. However, take care to ensure that the recycled materials you choose actually make a difference in the long run. Refilled and remanufactured print cartridges are often promoted as better for the environment. But beware; because they are second-hand there is no way of telling how reliable they are. The best way you can ensure that you are recycling responsibly is by using a manufacturers programme. For example, you can recycle HP-branded cartridges through the free HP Planet Partners scheme. None of the cartridges recycled through this programme go to landfill. Innovationstechnik, one of the worlds foremost quality assurance organisations, recently tested the performance of Original HP inkjet print cartridges vs. compatible, refilled brands. The tests revealed that Original HP inkjet cartridges deliver 34% more pages and prints than compatible cartridges and 69% more pages than cartridges refilled at refill stations. They also revealed that when you use a new, Original HP cartridge in your HP printer, theres virtually no chance it will fail; but if you use a non-HP cartridge, on average, theres a better than one-in-five chance it will be dead on arrival or fail prematurely.* Visit www.hp.com/uk/inktest for more information.
* Based on results of brands tested in 2006/2007 by Innovationstechnik GmbH. Test commissioned by HP Testing performed on HP . 45A, HP 78A, HP 56 and HP 57 Inkjet Print Cartridges. Individual results may vary. See the Innovationstechnik study for full details.

Reducing waste The best way to reduce waste associated with printing is to avoid unnecessary prints in the first place. In the real world, though, 100% efficiency is hard to achieve. This is where recycling comes in, so here are a few things to consider:
1) Reuse unwanted paper Instead of throwing away old documents that are not confidential, why not shred them and reuse as packing material? Alternatively, collect unwanted single-side prints and reuse them as internal note paper. Some companies even bind this paper into notebooks for their staff. Recycle waste paper. Whenever possible, separate white paper from mixed paper. Recycled white paper provides the highest grade recycled feed stock to the recycling stream from which recycled office paper is derived. 2) Collect paper for recycling Recycling isnt just a matter of installing recycling bins, although this is a good start. As well as providing employees with the means to recycle, companies should also encourage a culture where recycling becomes automatic. We know from our own experience that people need reminding how best to use office recycling schemes. While they should be encouraged to recycle, this shouldnt be ahead of avoiding waste paper in the first place. 3) Recycle other materials Not just everyday office paper can be recycled. Here are some other important printing-related materials that can be recycled: Many manufacturers, including HP ensure products come , in packaging that can be recycled along side normal paper. Before buying hardware or other products, check that the packaging can be fully recycled. Printer cartridges can also be recycled. HP has a free-ofcharge recycling programme called Planet Partners (visit www.hp.co/uk/recycle). If you have an HP printer, you can return your used HP cartridges for recycling by using the postage-paid labels or envelopes supplied with new HP cartridges, or by ordering them online. HP offers special programmes for customers with larger sites, including bulk return for multiple HP Cartridges, free of charge. HP LaserJet and inkjet Print Cartridge collection centres can also be set up throughout a corporate site. HP can also supply you with a collection box that we will pick up when full, or we can help to set up a company-wide collection programme. The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is now law in the UK, so this means manufacturers now have to take responsibility for printers at the end of their life. When purchasing or leasing products, check whether the manufacturer has a policy to ensure equipment is designed for recycling and has a take-back policy. Some manufacturers such as HP give credit for hardware returned from other manufacturers when upgrading to new equipment. HP has been recycling its electronic equipment since 1987 and will fully recycle your hardware at no extra cost. For further information please visit www.hp.com/uk/recycle.

Using less energy All office equipment uses energy when switched on or in stand-by mode. In the UK alone, equipment left on standby is responsible for generating over 3 million tonnes of CO2 each year, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Here are some things to think about:

1) Clock off, switch off It is good business practice for companies to encourage staff to turn off desktop printers completely when leaving at the end of the day, and ensure that equipment not used on a daily basis is switched off rather than left on stand-by. Actively encourage people to switch-off through posters in relevant places and ongoing communication. An exception is HP LaserJet printers, which can be left on in good conscience as they go into sleep mode and use less than 1 watt of energy if not used for a set period.

2) Less can be more Many companies think that providing each employee with a printer creates the most productive environment, while others believe they can cut costs with a centralised strategy using departmental copiers. HP recommends a balanced deployment strategy employing multifunction products (MFPs) and single-function devices when appropriate. This approach can improve both printing efficiency, performance and cost, while dramatically increasing device utilisation, return on investment and productivity by moving advanced functionality closer to users, helping them to achieve more with less.

3) Design for efficiency Manufacturers are finding ways to reduce the power consumption of products. For example, HP introduced instant-on fusing technology into its LaserJet printers in 1993, which means the devices use no more than 1 watt of power when left in stand-by mode. Purchasing equipment from companies who have a design-forenvironment programme can make a significant difference. People should also look out for equipment accredited to schemes that include energy efficiency standards, such as US EPA ENERGY STAR and German Blue Angel. Today, over 1,000 models of HP office products are Energy Star qualified.

five point checklist 1

Are there any documents regularly printed within my business that could be printed more effectively?

2
Do people use double-sided printing as much as they could?

3
Are there any initiatives to encourage staff to use less paper or switch off printers when not in use?

4
Are there any schemes within my business to re-use scrap paper or recycle waste paper?

5
5. Are we using manufacturers recycling programmes for our print cartridges?

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What do I do now? Hopefully this guide has given you some ideas that could help improve the efficiency of your printing, save money and reduce the environmental impact of your business. If you are looking for more inspiration, here are a few useful sources of information: Business Link http://www.businesslink.gov. uk/environment Business in the Environment http://www.bitc.org.uk/take_ action/in_the_environment/ index.html Guide to Computing http://www.environment. columbia.edu/docs-wycd/ green_guide/Facts.html HP Recycling www.hp.com/uk/recycle Carbon Trust http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/ default.ct Columbia University Green

Doodle page
We hope you found this guide useful. Once youve finished implementing all the tips, why not re-use this page for notes or doodles before recycling?