Printing Sustainability and Security Best Practices

What are the best printing sustainability practices?

Power Saving Settings
- Keep the printer off or in energy/power save mode.
- This helps to reduce energy consumption.

Only Print When Necessary
- If you can share a document electronically, it can help save paper and toner/ink.
- Ask yourself if the document is really necessary.

Print Double Sided
- The printer should have this setting by default, but it helps to check before pressing print to make sure.

Adjust Fonts/Margins
- Moving the margins out or reducing the font size can save on paper.

Reuse Paper
- If you cut up paper that is no longer needed into smaller strips, you can sometimes use one side for taking messages.
- You can also use recycled paper or "tree-free" paper for personal printers.

Print in Monochrome
- There are times when the job is in color, but printing in color is not necessary. If the job can be printed in monochrome/black and white then it could help save on printing resources.

Make sure to have an administrator password that is different from the default.
Turn off job storage or make sure that the stored jobs are encrypted.
If it is networked, make sure that the network is protected.
Disable unneeded management protocols (IPP, IPPS, Bonjour, LPD, etc.)
Complete firmware upgrades regularly
If possible, use a PIN when printing to help keep a log of who is printing.
Make sure that the printer is physically secure and not in a place that someone can access it easily.