Tips for New Entrepreneurs

There are approaches you can take to be more efficient and eco-friendly in all aspects of your office environment, including with your copiers. Here are a few ways to make sure that you save money while copying. It is, after all, one of the more resource intensive things you'll do all year.

Double-sided Printing

One approach is to use a printer that can automatically use both sides of the paper when printing copies. This means you actually save on printer paper by 50%. Paper can be expensive both for your business and for the environment, so this would be a major boon. It helps when you get a copier that can do this automatically so that you don't have to waste a lot of time flipping pages.

Recycled-Paper and Green-Paper Companies

It's also important to get the paper you use from green sources. This means making sure that the paper is either 100% recycled or derived from renewable wood such as bamboo or cedar. These trees grow back quickly, so paper that's made from them won't contribute to deforestation. The trees grow back fast enough to replenish themselves without requiring you to destroy the whole tree.

Reusable Paper and Disappearing Ink

Some copy machines can actually come with special ink that you can actually wash off. After you have a bunch of printed pages that you no longer need using the ink, you put them through a special process to make the paper ready to use again.

Considering that as much as 40 percent of all paper is only used once after being printed, this could really save you on costs, as well as help you save the environment at the same time. Generally, this uses ink that's heavily water based as well as special paper that is treated to turn back to white when it becomes wet. It's the combination of these two properties that allow the reusable paper to become clear and ready for you to put back in the copier again.

Since copiers and printers in the United States use 70 million tons of paper per year for necessary functions, making paper that can be easily reused is a good thing, and you now have access to it for your own machines.

Other Considerations

You should also look for Energy Star ratings on your copiers since this will indicate that the copier uses a smaller amount of electricity and other resources than the standard. It's important to always compare ratings when you can. 

For more information about copiers, talk to companies like Lafayette Business Machines Inc.