By Alexandra Savvides
28/05/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/digitalliving/tips/0,3800004921,62054438,00.htm

Considering the extensive range of consumables, from paper to cartridges, it's no surprise that printers are one of the big areas where environmental concerns take centre stage. So what can you do to lessen the impact that your printing has on the environment? Whether you have a laser or an inkjet printer, the principles are the same. Here are a couple of tips.

Everyday printing

Step 1: Most of the major manufacturers suggest one option, which is the simplest and perhaps most obvious--print less. Sometimes, this isn't a particularly viable option for yourself or your business, so keep reading for some more pointers.

Step 2: Look for software that manage your printer's output. Check the application that comes with your printer for a tool that helps monitor what you're printing. For example, Lexmark has a software that allows you to crop and reduce the printout from a Web page to get as much on the page as possible without wasting space.

Step 3: For non-critical documents, use draft or economy mode to save on toner or ink. Accessing this will vary with your printer, but generally you can select this option by entering into your printer preferences panel just before you output a document and choose the relevant setting.

Step 4: Print on both sides of the page. Even if your printer doesn't have an automatic duplexer, you can easily do it yourself manually. Again, check with your printer software to see if there is a tool that can guide you through this process.

Step 5: Paper choice is also an important consideration. You can choose fully recycled or partially recycled stock, or paper made from material other than good old tree. Cotton, hemp and even bamboo paper may be a little more difficult to find, but they can be used to print just about anything such as photographs. Definitely check compatibility with your printer before you use them.

Step 6: When it comes time to replace your cartridges, look for high-yield replacements--though they cost a little more than standard ones, they typically last twice as long.

Cartridge recycling

No longer the domain of the environmentalist, cartridge recycling is gaining a lot of momentum. Many of the larger printer manufacturers have policies in place to take care of cartridge waste after you have exhausted the ink.

Most offer what has now become a fairly industry-standard recycling initiative such as Australia's Cartridge for Ark which involves taking used cartridges to designated dropoff points in retail stores or post offices. Brother also has an initiative tailored for its 5R (recycle, reuse, reduce, reform and refuse) program which provides pre-paid postage envelopes to encourage users to send used cartridges back to the company for recycling.

Lexmark, Canon, HP, Epson and Brother are all involved in this project and promote it accordingly on their Web sites and/or packaging.

Lexmark, in particular, is quite proactive in this respect, packaging prepaid post bags addressed back to Planet Ark for recycling alongside some cartridges being sold. The US company also has a range of reply paid labels available from the company's Web site.

Further to this, Canon sends cartridges to a dedicated factory in Dalian, China, where each component part is dismantled and reused where appropriate, either in new products or recycled.

Packaging

The next thing to think about is the stuff that's wrapped around your cartridges when you buy them. From the box to the internal packaging, disposing of these correctly makes a difference as well.

On the manufacturer side, all the companies listed previously (apart from Konica Minolta) have signed the National Packaging Covenant, which is a government and industry initiative in Australia. This voluntary program aims to reduce packaging which shaves off a gamut of environmental concerns. By designing better and more efficient ways to pack goods, less packaging materials will be used.

Re-manufactured cartridges

In this context, the term "re-manufactured" refers to non-brand-specific (or generic) toner and ink that can be bought for a range of printers.


While not supported by printer makers, there are a number of services available that refill ink cartridges for you. Though this option usually works out cheaper than buying fresh ink cartridges every time, make sure to check that you don't void any warranty before you delve into inky waters.

A study by InfoTrends, commissioned by HP, found that in the US and Europe, 80 percent of re-manufactured toner cartridges are thrown away rather than recycled by the manufacturer. However, this doesn't stop you as a consumer from making a conscious effort to recycle these cartridges in the same manner as brand-specific ones.

Recycling your printer

While you may be tempted to throw your printer away when it fails to operate, there are a number of more viable options. Some printer manufacturers such as Canon will take back items to be broken up into component parts for appropriate recycling. Check the companies' Web site for more information on recycling hardware.

Post-consumer waste

The next big question is, of course: What happens to these products after recycling?

Some companies produce additional products from recycled end-of-life printers and copiers. Canon claims that one of its copiers can produce up to 4.7kg of recycled plastic, which goes back into making smaller products such as the top and bottom casings of several of its calculators. According to the company, 80 percent of its LS-63TG calculator are made of recycled material.

Cartridges and toners recycled through the Planet Ark initiative often end up as elements of other plastic items such as rulers, stationery items and even park benches.