A confession. If I have a big report to print out I usually ask the admin staff in the UKOLN office to do it for me and post it over – they can use the fast laser ones they have on-site. My inkjet is really only for small scale stuff and if I use it a lot I notice as it eats up cartridges (a reminder to me that I’m not being very environment conscious! – though I always recycle cartridges.) I have a Cannon PIXMA MP610 – which was actually bought for me as a birthday present last year. I found the one work supplied wasn’t that effective.

I’m not sure which type of printer is the most green. I’d suspect a laser printer. A laser printer uses a lot more energy but then is faster. Inkjets use more cartridges and I’ve also read that inkjet print outs are harder to recycle because the ink cannot be removed. Anyway I guess the trick is still to print out as little as possible. There are many days when I don’t switch the printer on…so I do the best I can.

Oh…and a white board. No thanks. I have my trust note pad and it’s not as if there is ever anyone in my office that I need to explain stuff to using big diagrams. Besides it would just end up being the kids new favourite toy!

Marieke

We got rid of our home printer a while back. I find most of the paper I have at work is stuff given to me by others. However, I do print stuff sometimes – and I suppose the truth is that even if you only print one document a week, you still need a printer (don’t know if laser or inkjet printers are considered greener?)

I’m finding more and more that I wish I had two screens at work, but suspect that it is a luxury I should really be able to live without (especially when you factor in the minus points on the eco front)