Anyone who works in an office has experienced frustrating scenarios with the work printer. Sometimes this is a sign of carelessness, but it's also a sign of poor etiquette. Now, that doesn't mean you should blame the person, because they may not know office printing etiquette. That's why we're introducing this guide to office printing etiquette.
Remember to fill the paper if it's empty
Chances are, we've all had this experience; you click print and you walk to the printer to find that someone used the last of the paper and didn't refill it. Now, it's not that big of a deal, but it's common courtesy to restock it. It's like renting a car—you don't return it with an empty tank, and you shouldn't do that with the office printer either. This is one of the most common etiquette issues throughout most offices, and it's the easiest to fix. So, don't be the person in the office that leaves printer without paper.
This goes for printer ink and toner, too
Additionally, don't ignore the prompt that the printer is out of ink or toner. Now, some offices have designated people that have access to the replacement cartridges, so you should let them know to replace the printer ink. However, if your office doesn't have that team, then it's your responsibility to replace it.
Print with the environment in mind
Unfortunately, there's still a need for paper copies in certain cases. However, that doesn't mean we should neglect our eco-friendly responsibilities. Here are a few ways your office can become greener when it comes to printing.
Avoid printing more than you need
The first and most straightforward way to do this is by reducing the amount you print. Ask yourself, do I need this as a paper copy? If the answer is still "No," then avoid printing extra copies.
Recycle paper and cartridges
Secondly, always recycle damaged paper from paper jams or any paper that's no longer needed. Also, offices should always recycle ink or cartridges and not throw them in the trash. In addition, you can help the environment by using our remanufactured ink and toner cartridges.
It saves your office money
By using remanufactured printer ink and toner cartridges and reducing the amount you print, your office can save a substantial amount of money in the long term. Every office that prints a lot knows how expensive paper can be, and especially how expensive brand name ink and toner cartridges are. As we discussed, printing isn't completely avoidable—printing is still an essential part of the office. So using remanufactured cartridges from 1ink.com will significantly reduce your replacement costs without sacrificing quality.
Don't walk away if there's a paper jam
This is undoubtedly the most frustrating situation to walk into. Don't ever be the person that leaves a paper jam in the printer. If you're unsure on how to fix it, or you've followed directions but it's still not cooperating, just ask for help. Like we mentioned before, your office may have a designated team that alleviates these issues, in which case you should contact them immediately.
Never take someone's finished prints out of the tray
We all know that work is busy and sometimes we're called away from our tasks at hand. So, if someone leaves their prints in the tray, you shouldn't remove them, and you certainly shouldn't throw them away.
Avoid leaving finished prints in the tray for extended periods
If you're called away when you're printing, or you're not able to finish your task, try not to leave the finished prints in the tray. At least grab them and bring them to your desk and finish what you were doing there. That way, there isn't a mountain of prints to sort through, and you don't lose anything in the chaos of the printer room.
Don't mess with the settings
In almost every office printing scenario, the default settings will be fine. So, don't make changes to the printer settings that will mess with everyone else's print jobs later. That will not only waste paper and ink or toner, but it will frustrate the other person who has to set it back to the default mode. So, if you need to change the settings, change them back to default when you're finished.
Let the person with the smallest print job go first
In some scenarios, you may have more pages to print than others. For example, if you're the office's HR coordinator, you may have to print several documents such as W-4s, I-9s, benefits information, and employee handbooks for orientations or onboarding. This can add up to hundreds of pages quickly, so if that's you, let the person that needs to print a few pages go before you.
Don't walk away from the printer when you are printing
Like we mentioned before, someone may summon you away from the printer in the middle of your print job. It happens; however, you should try your best to stay with the printer for a few reasons. First, you may need to feed it more paper. Secondly, paper jams can happen and ruin the whole print job if it's not fixed quickly. Additionally, if someone else walks into the printer room and sees the printer finishing copies but no one's there, they may think it's printing by mistake and cancel it.
Several factors go into office printing protocol. The most common issues within offices are workers not refilling paper, not replacing ink or toner cartridges, or walking away from a paper jam. In general, you shouldn't walk away from the printer if something is wrong. Do your best to wait until your printing finishes to avoid someone canceling your print job. Another thing that everyone in the office can do is allow the person with the smallest print job to go before those with larger ones. Also, it's encouraged to adopt an eco-friendly mindset when it comes to printing. This includes recycling paper and cartridges and then using remanufactured cartridges. For example, Lexmark printers are among the most common in many offices, and here at 1ink.com we offer remanufactured Lexmark toner cartridges among other major brands. 1ink.com provides remanufactured printer ink and toner cartridges that don't sacrifice print quality or break the bank.
