2008 Woodie Awards
RSSNew software to reduce paper waste
By Sarah Freeman
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
Library and technology services is piloting new software with hopes to eliminate waste caused by excess printing, and at the same time saving the university thousands of dollars.
For the rest of the fall semester, LTS will test GreenPrint software in media centers and its offices. Staff members will provide feedback to a GreenPrint consultant on ways to improve the program. Data from the trials will be analyzed in the spring semester.
A new version of the software will be available in spring 2008. By next fall, LTS hopes to expand the program to the libraries.
GreenPrint scans a document before it is sent to a printer. The software eliminates unnecessary pages and images, which saves paper and ink. GreenPrint users can select other pages and images to eliminate in addition to the pages that GreenPrint deletes automatically. The process takes a few minutes.
The GreenPrint program allows students the option to print on regular paper or recycled paper. Students can also view their files as PDF documents.
By monitoring how much paper is used, the software can calculate the level of carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of trees and money saved.
Caitlin McCool, a sales and marketing representative at GreenPrint Technologies, said Lehigh can expect to reduce its printing by 15 to 20 percent once the program is in full effect.
Lehigh's annual cost of printing is almost $90,000. The university can save as much as $18,000 per year.
This is not Lehigh's first attempt to curb the amount of printing. In the past few years, LTS has experimented with enforcing printing quotas on students as well as changing to a duplex printing system. Both of these decreased the amount of pages printed, but they also frustrated students. The printing quotas limited the amount of pages each student could print. The duplex system filtered all printing through a central server. This system was slow and expensive. Most universities rely on these two methods.
For the rest of the fall semester, LTS will test GreenPrint software in media centers and its offices. Staff members will provide feedback to a GreenPrint consultant on ways to improve the program. Data from the trials will be analyzed in the spring semester.
A new version of the software will be available in spring 2008. By next fall, LTS hopes to expand the program to the libraries.
GreenPrint scans a document before it is sent to a printer. The software eliminates unnecessary pages and images, which saves paper and ink. GreenPrint users can select other pages and images to eliminate in addition to the pages that GreenPrint deletes automatically. The process takes a few minutes.
The GreenPrint program allows students the option to print on regular paper or recycled paper. Students can also view their files as PDF documents.
By monitoring how much paper is used, the software can calculate the level of carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of trees and money saved.
Caitlin McCool, a sales and marketing representative at GreenPrint Technologies, said Lehigh can expect to reduce its printing by 15 to 20 percent once the program is in full effect.
Lehigh's annual cost of printing is almost $90,000. The university can save as much as $18,000 per year.
This is not Lehigh's first attempt to curb the amount of printing. In the past few years, LTS has experimented with enforcing printing quotas on students as well as changing to a duplex printing system. Both of these decreased the amount of pages printed, but they also frustrated students. The printing quotas limited the amount of pages each student could print. The duplex system filtered all printing through a central server. This system was slow and expensive. Most universities rely on these two methods.
