Paperless
Paperless is a concept that involves the elimination of all paper use in the home, office, or school environment. While paper use has decreased, it is still prevalent, and there are not many companies that are completely paperless.
Why go paperless?
Saves trees
It may seem obvious, but the average tree produces less than 100,000 sheets of paper, which is not much. Trees produce oxygen, and although they are a vast resource, it is still a resource that can be depleted.
Saves ink and toner
Your printer ink and toner are the most expensive consumable. Limiting your printing saves ink and toner, which saves you money.
Saves space
Storing paper documents, books, magazines, and manuals take space. However, an electronic version takes no space.
Saves energy
Your printer uses energy, and if a printer is on all day, that energy use adds up.
Saves money
Not printing saves energy, paper, ink, and toner. You also save money in shipping since electronic documents cost nothing to send over the Internet. Also, in the case of books and magazines the electronic version is always cheaper than the paper version.
Saves time
When printing a document with multiple pages, it takes time to print each of the pages. Also, sending and receiving documents, e-books, or other electronic documents can be done in minutes instead of days.
Tips on going paperless
Think before you print
Before printing anything, decide if what you are printing can be used in its electronic format.
Print to PDF
Anything can be printed to a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. Printing is not always the only option to get a copy of something. Once printed, you can attach that PDF to an e-mail and save it to your computer.
Use your smartphone
If you have a smartphone, use it for your grocery lists, to-do lists, or nearly any list. It saves paper, lets you share lists with others, always available to you, and is less likely to be lost.
Save on the cloud
Documents and files can be stored in cloud tools, like Evernote, Google Docs, and Dropbox. Storing them in the cloud enables multiple people to have access and update the file from any device (e.g., computer, phone, or tablet) with Internet access.
Digital signatures
Some companies may need to print documents because they need physical signatures. However, today many companies now accept digital signatures and no longer require any of the documents to be printed.
Get an e-reader or tablet
Investing in an e-reader or tablet can save money and greatly reduce your paper use, especially if you are an avid reader or need reading material for school or work.
Make it difficult to print
Many people print because it is convenient. Make it difficult by keeping your printer off; that also saves money in energy bills and may even save printer ink.
Print two-sided
If there is no way getting around printing, print two-sided instead of one-sided.
Digitize your papers and photos
If you have cabinets of folders and papers or old photos consider getting a scanner to make digital versions of those files and photos. Digitizing older papers and photos can make it easier to share, store, backup, and search. Also, if you get rid of the old papers and photos after you're done, it can save you a lot of space.
Business terms, Electronic office, Green PC, Office automation, Soft copy