When you manage a business, it can be easy to let costs snowball out of control. From buying printer paper and toner to managing the thermostat on the wall, making smart decisions now is a great way to protect your bottom line and increase your flexibility—which is important in a volatile market. Here are three ways to use less printer toner in the office, and how to get everyone on board. 

1. Teach Employees to Print Only Pages They Need

While it may be inevitable that your employees will need to print documents throughout the day, teach your workers to only print the exact pages they need instead of the entire document. Hold a tutorial in your office about how to adjust the page number at the print screen, and have employees try it out. For instance, many may find that they only need to print the first page, instead of several pages of additional content at the end. 

2. Encourage Electronic Communication

One easy, fast way to save toner is by encouraging everyone in your office to use electronic communication instead of printing out letters or other documents. Enroll in a program to allow employees to electronically send and sign documents to save on consumables, such as paper and toner. As people move forward with e-documentation and delivery, check-in to see how people are handling the changes. Offer additional tutorials to anyone who may be struggling. 

3. Save Records Online

Sometimes, offices waste a lot of paper and toner by printing out records and storing them in a physical form. However, if you really want to decrease your usage, create a way to save records online. Consider switching over to an online cloud platform to automatically save electronic files your employees create, and make sure you have enough bandwidth and internet speed to make the process smooth and easy. In addition to saving toner, you may also find that it's easier to look up old documents since they will be computerized and automatically indexed.

When you are ready to sit your employees down and talk about using less expendable resources, have great examples handy. Talk about recent print jobs, what could have been done to save paper and toner, and how to move forward with the new ideas about saving time and money. Let your employees give input about ways to save money, because they may have ideas you haven't thought of yet. 

Reach out to a local printer toner supplier to learn more.