Photocopying and Printing
Photocopies and Printouts Examples
Actual examples of wasteful practices and recommended alternatives.
Copyzilla
50 copies of a 150-page double-sided annual report, all color … photocopied! The cost of photocopying a document like this, in color, easily exceeded $5,000.
- Good alternative: a skilled designer could have reduced the size of this report by as much as half without eliminating data. This would have also allowed it to be printed on an offset press, which would have been less expensive, saved paper and resulted in a higher quality document. Even including possible design charges, the cost would have been closer to $3,000.
- Better alternative: in publications where printed file copies are required, it is becoming perfectly acceptable to print a short executive summary – typically 6 to 8 pages, and place the remainder of the document online. In this example, the cost would have been around $250 instead of over $5,000.
- Best alternative: place the entire document online, and send links by email to the recipients explaining UF’s commitment to the environment by converting to electronic delivery.
The Solid Gold Blue Color Bar
A small blue bar was placed on each page of a 100-page document. That small blue bar changed the price-per-page from 2.6 to 39-cents per copy. $39 with the bar - $2.60 without.
- Good alternative: design the cover in color to create a quality impression, and copy the remainder of the pages in black & white.
- Best alternative: place the document online, where color is free!
The Handy-dandy Desktop Printer
We all learn to read from the printed page. So, most of us still prefer reading ink on paper rather than a computer screen, especially if we already spend a lot of time on a computer. Unfortunately, desktop printer cartridges are expensive, and most of those printouts end up in the trash after we read them anyway.
- Good alternative: If you do need a hard copy, print out one copy – then photocopy the rest. Photocopies cost less than printouts.
- Better alternative: print and copy on both sides of the sheet, which essentially cuts paper usage in half.
- Best alternative: don’t make that hard copy! You may prefer to read a printed page, but stop before you push that button and whenever possible, read, file and distribute documents by email.
