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Minimizing your printer's environmental impact
Lexmark is committed to environmental sustainability and is continually improving its printers to reduce their impact
on the environment. We design with the environment in mind, engineer our packaging to reduce materials, and provide
collection and recycling programs. For more information, see:
• The Notices chapter
• The Environmental Sustainability section of the Lexmark Web site at www.lexmark.com/environment
• The Lexmark recycling program at www.lexmark.com/recycle
By selecting certain printer settings or tasks, you may be able to reduce your printer's impact even further. This chapter
outlines the settings and tasks that may yield a greater environmental benefit.
Saving paper and toner
Using recycled paper and other office papers
As an environmentally conscious company, Lexmark supports the use of recycled office paper produced specifically for
use in laser (electrophotographic) printers. In 1998, Lexmark presented to the US government a study demonstrating
that recycled paper produced by major mills in the US fed as well as non-recycled paper. However, no blanket statement
can be made that all recycled paper will feed well.
Lexmark consistently tests its printers with recycled paper (20–100% post-consumer waste) and a variety of test paper
from around the world, using chamber tests for different temperature and humidity conditions. Lexmark has found no
reason to discourage the use of today's recycled office papers, but generally the following property guidelines apply
to recycled paper.
• Low moisture content (4–5%)
• Suitable smoothness (100–200 Sheffield units, or 140–350 Bendtsen units, European)
Note: Some much smoother papers (such as premium 24 lb laser papers, 50–90 Sheffield units) and much
rougher papers (such as premium cotton papers, 200–300 Sheffield units) have been engineered to work very
well in laser printers, despite surface texture. Before using these types of paper, consult your paper supplier.
• Suitable sheet-to-sheet coefficient of friction (0.4–0.6)
• Sufficient bending resistance in the direction of feed
Recycled paper, paper of lower weight (<60 g/m
2
[16 lb bond]) and/or lower caliper (<3.8 mils [0.1 mm]), and paper
that is cut grain-short for portrait (or short-edge) fed printers may have lower bending resistance than is required for
reliable paper feeding. Before using these types of paper for laser (electrophotographic) printing, consult your paper
supplier. Remember that these are general guidelines only and that paper meeting these guidelines may still cause
paper feeding problems in any laser printer (for example, if the paper curls excessively under normal printing
conditions).
Conserving supplies
There are a number of ways you can reduce the amount of paper and toner you use when printing. You can:
Minimizing your printer's environmental impact 47