Printing in a Greener Shade
The most obvious environmental benefit of communicating electronically is saving paper, but cutting back on printing is worthwhile too. Printer cartridges, and the ink or toner powder they contain, are mostly petroleum-based, require a lot of energy to produce, and contain harmful chemicals. Only 30 percent of ink cartridges and 50 percent of toner cartridges are recycled or refurbished; the rest—about 375 million each year—are tossed into landfills. What’s worse, research shows that ink cartridges may still contain up to 60 percent of their ink when a printer declares them empty, wasting money and contributing to groundwater and soil pollution.
Minimize your impact with these printing strategies:
- Use low-ink fonts. Thicker, “heavier” fonts (e.g., Franklin Gothic, Helvetica) use more ink than thinner, “lighter” ones (e.g., Garamond, Courier). One study from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, for example, found that Century Gothic consumes about 30 percent less ink than Arial. Minimizing the use of large type sizes and boldfaced text also saves ink.
- Try ink-saving tools. You can download fonts that leave tiny holes in printed characters instead of filling them in with ink, and programs that let you edit unwanted text and pictures out of documents and webpages before printing.
- Use ink-saving printer settings. Most printers have a “draft” or “economy” mode that uses less ink by making the print lighter.
- Consider upgrading from inkjet to laser printing. Inkjet-printed paper is harder to recycle because the ink is difficult to separate from the paper, and the ink also contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to smog formation. Laser printers are not perfect, however. According to the new UCS book Cooler Smarter, they can use almost twice as much energy in standby mode as a desktop computer, so buy an Energy Star model and turn it off when not in use. And because toner dust can cause or aggravate respiratory problems, use your laser printer in a well-ventilated room.
- Choose soy-based inks when possible. Compared with petrochemical inks, soy-based ink and toner (available for both home and office printers) spread 15 percent farther, meaning less ink is needed. They also release less VOCs, require less energy to manufacture, and are easier to strip from paper during recycling.
- Recycle cartridges. Manufacturing a new ink cartridge requires two to five ounces of oil, and a toner cartridge requires more than a gallon, but both can be recycled about six times. Many manufacturers provide prepaid envelopes to return used cartridges, and office supply stores often have bins for depositing used cartridges.
