CUTTING PAPER - ACTIONS - Copiers

Copiers

Your copiers may hold significant paper savings opportunities. The most important methods are Duplexing and Image Reduction. Check out the detailed Copier Lists to find out what features your copier has. While you are reducing paper use, you can easily take the opportunity to ensure you are using all of your machine's energy-saving or power management features.

The following are some guidelines on getting more out of your copier's features.

Make good use of signs taped to the top of copiers. Experiments have shown their significant effect, so they can be an inexpensive way to get savings. To make your signs clearer and look more authoritative, copy keys or touch-screen layouts from the manual, then cut and paste them into the sign text. People get bored waiting for copies, so they are a captive audience. Nevertheless, don't be too wordy or they'll get bored with your sign too. If you find your signs effective, send them to us so we can share them with others on this web site.

Duplexing

Many copiers can be set to default to duplex so that you don't need to remember to set the duplex mode each time you use it. As mentioned on the default duplex page, good signage is vital for default duplex.

Duplex copying is usually slower than single-sided copying; if the speeds are too different, many people will avoid duplexing.

If your copier jams often when making double-sided copies (or single-sided for that matter), then keep after your service technician to do what is necessary to fix it. Copier repair people usually blame the paper for jams, and sometimes they are absolutely correct. Low-quality paper is rarely worth using, and you will usually lose any cost savings due to wasted paper and time. Recycled content paper is also often blamed, but there are good quality recycled papers available and poor quality virgin paper; it is the quality, not the recycled content, which is important. If you change paper and still get jams, consider asking that the copier be replaced (if you are leasing it), or if you own it, consider if it might be time to replace it.

Image Combination

Many copiers have features to automatically copy two pages of originals to a copied page. While most copiers can do the image reduction necessary, the powerful feature on some copiers is automatically bringing two originals from the document feeder onto the glass at the same time. Without this being automatic, few would take the time to place the originals manually. Some copiers can copy 4 pages to a page, but do this through two separate copying events. (This means you don't save money over 2 into 1, and can't duplex as the paper would get too hot by being printed on four times, so it isn't such a great feature).
Unfortunately, few people know to look for this feature and fewer yet will take the time to learn how to do it. Try placing a sign on your machine telling people about the feature and with specific instructions on how to do it.
One problem with image combination on most copiers is that they can only do it from single-sided originals. Digital copiers have the best image combination features, including the ability to deal with double-sided originals, as well as making copying 4 into 1 and higher a much better option.

Copier Lists

	Make good use of signs taped to the top of copiers. Experiments have shown their significant effect, so they can be an inexpensive way to get savings. To make your signs clearer and look more authoritative, copy keys or touch-screen layouts from the manual, then cut and paste them into the sign text. People get bored waiting for copies, so they are a captive audience. Nevertheless, don't be too wordy or they'll get bored with your sign too. If you find your signs effective, send them to us so we can share them with others on this web site.
Duplexing
	Many copiers can be set to default to duplex so that you don't need to remember to set the duplex mode each time you use it. As mentioned on the default duplex page, good signage is vital for default duplex.
	Duplex copying is usually slower than single-sided copying; if the speeds are too different, many people will avoid duplexing.
	If your copier jams often when making double-sided copies (or single-sided for that matter), then keep after your service technician to do what is necessary to fix it. Copier repair people usually blame the paper for jams, and sometimes they are absolutely correct. Low-quality paper is rarely worth using, and you will usually lose any cost savings due to wasted paper and time. Recycled content paper is also often blamed, but there are good quality recycled papers available and poor quality virgin paper; it is the quality, not the recycled content, which is important. If you change paper and still get jams, consider asking that the copier be replaced (if you are leasing it), or if you own it, consider if it might be time to replace it.
Image Combination
	Many copiers have features to automatically copy two pages of originals to a copied page. While most copiers can do the image reduction necessary, the powerful feature on some copiers is automatically bringing two originals from the document feeder onto the glass at the same time. Without this being automatic, few would take the time to place the originals manually. Some copiers can copy 4 pages to a page, but do this through two separate copying events. (This means you don't save money over 2 into 1, and can't duplex as the paper would get too hot by being printed on four times, so it isn't such a great feature). Unfortunately, few people know to look for this feature and fewer yet will take the time to learn how to do it. Try placing a sign on your machine telling people about the feature and with specific instructions on how to do it. One problem with image combination on most copiers is that they can only do it from single-sided originals. Digital copiers have the best image combination features, including the ability to deal with double-sided originals, as well as making copying 4 into 1 and higher a much better option.