Many of us dream of the paperless office, and in today’s world of computers, tablets and smartphones, we can eliminate a ton of paper from our personal lives along with at the office by making some common sense changes. We send less snail mail, and fewer meetings require a ton of paper. Still, you have to be mindful of these things, follow best practices, and try to set standards in the workplace. Basically, more devices often lead to more printing if you don’t try to control people’s impulses. At work, you need to make conservation a priority. By doing that, workers will respond and act more responsibly. Also, in today’s environment, with all the Internet sharing tools, it’s also much easier to implement. We don’t need all of the paper, so now we just need to break bad habits.

Still, there are important uses for some paper. The key is to identify what’s important, and explain to your staff that they shouldn’t cut out necessary items. For example, brochures are very important for many businesses, particularly in consumer settings or at trade shows. So here you want people to just be better shoppers by using tools like online printing services to get better quality and efficiency by choosing services like business brochures printing at UPrinting or other great options you can find online.

But, for many meetings, the agenda can be something people refer to on their tablet or smartphone – there’s no need to print it out and send it around. The same goes for reports; do you really need to print out 10 copies for everyone at the meeting? Ask yourself these kinds of questions and you’ll save a ton of trees!

As consumers begin to understand the effect of their carbon footprint, online printing companies are introducing more eco-friendly options. From soy-based inks to recycled paper, printers have green choices designed to fit your needs and ideas. New technology has decreased the cost of eco-friendly printing, allowing more businesses to consider it. In some cases, green printing is no more expensive than any other type of printing.

Soy-based inks took eco-friendly online printing to a new level. Made from a renewable or sustainable source, the soy-based inks also have an added benefit: the ink releases less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as it dries than its predecessor, petroleum-based ink. Plus, many online printers believe that soy-based inks offer more vibrant colors than other ones.

With print on demand (POD) options, online printing companies can offer lower prices for smaller print runs. This means businesses no longer have to order over 1,000 copies of one product to get the price break. One benefit this has for the environment is it creates less waste in landfills. In the past, businesses would order more than they needed to reduce the overall cost for marketing. At the end of the promotion, they’d toss the leftover products.

Online printing companies have the added advantage of using the Internet and computer software to reduce their costs. With design software, a graphic designer can create custom marketing pieces without having to use paper. For proofs, online printers often send e-mails.

As part of their environmentally friendly efforts, online printing firms use recycling in a couple of ways. Customers who like to use printers online often appreciate the selection of recycled papers available for business cards, postcards, brochures, and other marketing material. Some recycled papers offer top-of-the-line quality, such as a 13-point matte finish. Printing companies often recycle press cuts, further reducing their carbon footprints.