Implementing a few smart paper saving techniques is a relatively painless yet effective way to go green and save green. This post details a number of key printer settings designed to conserve paper for printed documents. Stepped instructions are provided for making these settings the default for your new documents and resource conserving ways.
Margins
Margins are set to 0.5” on all sides, to maximize available print space.
Using headers and footers: If you plan to use a header or footer for your document, you should adjust the top or bottom margin or change the header or footer distance from edge setting in the Page Layout dialog box.
To use these margins for all documents: Open a new document (which will be based upon your Normal template), and set your margins and header/footer distance as desired. Click the Page Layout tab, click the Dialog Box Launcher below the Page Setup group, and then, in the Page Setup dialog box, click the Default button.
Styles
The Traditional style set has been selected for this document, with some modifications to eliminate excess white space. There is no Widow/Orphan control set for paragraph formatting, paragraph spacing before heading styles has been decreased, and the Office theme fonts have been selected.
Line Spacing:
If you wish to adjust the spacing above headings and between paragraphs, modify the corresponding Heading and Normal styles.
Character Spacing:
If you wish to compress the spacing between characters to fit more characters per line, Word provides a kerning feature. On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher. In the Format Font dialog, on the Character Spacing tab, select the Kerning for fonts check box and set the value you want.
To use these styles for all documents:
Make any additional style changes to suit your needs. When you are happy with your settings for fonts and line spacing, on the Home tab, click Change Styles, point to Style Set, and then click Save as Quick Style Set. Type a name for this style set, then click Save. You can now apply this style set in new documents by selecting it from the Style Set list.
Save More Paper When Prinitng
Automatic Paper-Saving Adjustments:
When printing, have Word reduce the number of pages in your document by using the Shrink One Page option available in Print Preview.
Printing Multiple Pages per Sheet:
Print multiple sheets per page using the Zoom option, Page per sheet, in the Print dialog box. Many printers also offer this type of option in the printer Properties dialog box, and you may get faster output by making this choice with the printer rather than through Word. (Use the setting in Word or your printer only, not both.)
Duplex Printing:
If your printer supports this option, consider using duplex (or two-sided) printing.
Columns:
For documents with a large number of short lines, consider using table columns to place multiple columns of data across the page.
Distribute Electronically:
Consider saving your document to XPS or PDF format and distributing electronically (via e-mail, shared server, or web site) for online viewing rather than printing.
For more information on Green IT strategies view our Easy-to-GreenIT™ page or download our webinar, “Simple Green Technology for Small Business.”
Megan Meisner, Easy-to-Green Program Services Director: mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813-920-0788 x210.
