Printing in the Library consumes a tremendous amount of resources: each semester, WSU students print approximately 1.5 million pages in the Library.
This web page offers some strategies for reducing or eliminating the need to print.
save and search PDF save and search web archives
double-sided printing printing powerpoint handouts
1. Don't print that PDF - Save it and Search it instead!
Many PDF files are created using Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
which makes the text fully searchable by keyword. You could print that
thirty page article, and then read it trying to find the sections relevant to
your research, or you could save the file on your computer and search
for your key terms using the search function in Adobe Reader. This will
not work with PDFs created from images (as are all articles in JSTOR,
for example), but in many cases it will save you time and will definitely
save some paper.
See how to do this
2. Don't print that web page - Save it and Search it instead!
Rather than printing a web page or an article from a database in HTML
format, save it as a web archive, which you will be able to search by
keyword using the find function within the browser. This method works
well with Academic Search Premier and Business Source Premier.
See how to do this
3. If you have to print, use both sides of the paper.
Professors might not accept final papers printed on both sides, but
everything else you print can take advantage of the entire sheet of
paper. If you really want to cut down on paper, try printing more than
one sheet per page – more than two pages on a side remain legible,
but the print will be more readable with two pages per side.
See how to do this on a Mac
See how to do this on a PC
4. If you must print a PowerPoint presentation, print handouts.
If you print PowerPoint slides, print at least three to a page (six would
save even more paper), and print them double sided. Also, when
printing PowerPoint slides, set them to print with no color – which
will eliminate colored backgrounds that use more toner than is
necessary.
See how to do this on a Mac
See how to do this on a PC