How to Reduce Paper Consumption in a Small Office

Reducing your paper consumption decrease your expenses and increases your profits. Not to mention, you will be helping to reduce your carbon imprint. A lot of small businesses print a volume that is not the same as a large financial institution or a state university. Lowering your paper consumption can be tricky when you already have a lower print volume, but the key is to eliminate the wasted processes. What can you do?

First, identify paper-based workflows that will involve copying the same document several times over. This includes customer purchases. When a customer calls you about filling out an order, the purchase will be sent to shipping, which will then create a copy for their records. If you scan this document to a document management system, however, you can speed up the time it takes to complete processing, save on space and still reduce the amount of paper consumed. Second, create a policy where employees must release their jobs from the copier. Ever had a document printed where you realized you made a mistake with the print settings. How about realizing you didn’t need the document? Creating a policy that requires employees to walk up to the copier ensures that they think through their decision before printing, meaning that it will decrease the amount of waste.