If you print anything to paper, you inevitably end up with wasted pages such as those with only a graphic, legal jargon or the annoying “nothing but a URL”. Additionally, if you print maps and other one time use items, once you are done using it what now?
Here are some suggestions:
- Don’t print in the first place… use a PDF printer where you can.
- Print on the back. Just load the paper used paper into your tray upside down and the printer won’t know the difference.
- Recycle it.
- Use it for ‘quick notes’. For example, I use the back of printed pages at work to scribble down phone messages or for taking notes on a call. This beats using a notebook.
- If it is important, file it away.
These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I would love to hear them.
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This is a great idea. I’ve been printing on the back of things for a while now. Then I realized that I didn’t really have to buy that much paper at all. My local public library has plenty of paper that get’s printed on by mistake by their patrons using the public access computers. When I go in, they’ll give me a stack of hundreds of sheets. Paper that for example, has only a website header printed on it, or 20 abandoned pages of research on the ming dynasty. As long as I don’t need to print on a fresh sheet of paper, I use library leftovers.
While it doesn’t help use up excess paper, here’s another method I use for reminders – well I did until I installed the calendar in Thunderbird.
Write myself a reminder and save it as a file – say reminder.txt. Then go into Control Panel and create a scheduled job – and when you have to specify what program you want to run, browse to the reminder.txt file and select it. Then schedule it for the time you want the reminder.
Then when the relevant time comes around, up pops Notepad with the reminder. Assumes you PC will be on at that time of course!