OFFICE EQUIPMENT | Printers

Inkjet compared to Laser
Inkjet printers use as much as 95% less energy than laser printers. They can save over $30 a year in running costs when compared to laser printers. They are also less expensive to buy and replacement toner cartridges are cheaper. High-quality inkjet printers are now available, with similar print quality to laser printers.

Set energy savings features on all printers
Printers are on for long periods of time but are actually printing for only around 5% of the time. A printer can power down to 15-45 watts when not in use. When you send a print job, it reactivates the printer automatically and the job is carried out. To find out how to set these features refer to the owners manual or ask the information technology support person for assistance.

What to do with older printers
In some cases, an older printer that does not have a sleep mode can still be power-managed using an external control device. External controls switch the printer off (rather than into sleep mode) after a preset time, and switch it on again when a "print" signal is received.

Energy saving tips for printers:

• Purchase an inkjet printer.
• Purchase a printer with double-sided printing capability.
• Introduce printer sharing to reduce the number of online printers.