Earth Day Tips to Reduce Paper Usage
Two years ago I wrote an article on how to reduce paper usage from your computer. The full article is posted at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/articles/reducepapertips.htm. In addition to the tips it contains, here are a couple more on Earth Day 2007.
Print four slides per page in PowerPoint
The common way to print slide handouts in PowerPoint is to use the three slides per page layout with lines beside each slide. This format forces your audience to take notes on the lines, which not everyone prefers and in general is too visually dense. My suggestion is to print four slides per page instead. The actual size of the slide is the same on the page, but four slides per page allows people to take notes wherever they want and it uses less paper. On a 40 slide presentation, your handout would be 10 pages instead of 14 pages. If 10 people in the office did that for two presentations per week, it would add up to 4,000 sheets of paper saved each year!
Print on both sides of the page
You already know about printing handouts on both sides of the page to save paper. But what about printing your speaking notes or your copy of the slides on the back of paper that has been previously printed on? I started doing this last year. When I am finished with a document that has only been printed on one side, I save it for printing documents that aren't going to others. If it for my own use only, it is perfectly fine to print on the other side of the paper. Before doing this yourself, check the documentation for your printer to make sure its OK. I have noticed a definite decrease in the amount of paper we buy, which is a bottom line savings for me.
Have a great Earth Day today and by everyone chipping in a little bit, we can all help protect our home planet.
Print four slides per page in PowerPoint
The common way to print slide handouts in PowerPoint is to use the three slides per page layout with lines beside each slide. This format forces your audience to take notes on the lines, which not everyone prefers and in general is too visually dense. My suggestion is to print four slides per page instead. The actual size of the slide is the same on the page, but four slides per page allows people to take notes wherever they want and it uses less paper. On a 40 slide presentation, your handout would be 10 pages instead of 14 pages. If 10 people in the office did that for two presentations per week, it would add up to 4,000 sheets of paper saved each year!
Print on both sides of the page
You already know about printing handouts on both sides of the page to save paper. But what about printing your speaking notes or your copy of the slides on the back of paper that has been previously printed on? I started doing this last year. When I am finished with a document that has only been printed on one side, I save it for printing documents that aren't going to others. If it for my own use only, it is perfectly fine to print on the other side of the paper. Before doing this yourself, check the documentation for your printer to make sure its OK. I have noticed a definite decrease in the amount of paper we buy, which is a bottom line savings for me.
Have a great Earth Day today and by everyone chipping in a little bit, we can all help protect our home planet.
posted by Unknown at 6:02 AM
2 Comments:
I'm a little late with this, but here's a tip for those who haven't upgraded to digital presentations.
Instead of throwing away those misprinted transparencies, just flip them over and print on the other side. This will cut your transparency expenses in half! :)
Great article! I would also suggest using Electronic Signature devices since they allow you sign things electronically instead of heaving to print them out!
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