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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
Studies show that as much as 80% of the carbon footprint of a printer is related to paper usage. You can significantly
reduce your carbon footprint by using recycled paper and the following printing suggestions, such as printing on both
sides of the paper and printing multiple pages on one side of a single sheet of paper.
For information on how you can quickly save paper and energy using one printer setting, see “Using Eco-Mode” on
page 36.
Using recycled paper and other office papers
As an environmentally conscientious company, Lexmark supports the use of recycled paper produced specifically for
use in laser (electrophotographic) printers.
While no blanket statement can be made that all recycled paper will feed well, Lexmark consistently tests papers that
represent recycled cut size copier papers available on the global market. This scientific testing is conducted with rigor
and discipline. Many factors are taken into consideration both separately and as a whole, including the following:
• Amount of post-consumer waste (Lexmark tests up to 100% post-consumer waste content.)
• Temperature and humidity conditions (Testing chambers simulate climates from all over the world.)
• Moisture content (Business papers should have low moisture: 4–5%.)
• Bending resistance and proper stiffness means optimum feeding through the printer.
• Thickness (impacts how much can be loaded into a tray)
• Surface roughness (measured in Sheffield units, impacts print clarity and how well toner fuses to the paper)
• Surface friction (determines how easily sheets can be separated)
• Grain and formation (impacts curling, which also influences the mechanics of how the paper behaves as it moves
through the printer)
• Brightness and texture (look and feel)
Recycled papers are better than ever; however, the amount of recycled content in a paper affects the degree of control
over foreign matter. And while recycled papers are one good path to printing in an environmentally responsible manner,
they are not perfect. The energy required to de-ink and deal with additives such as colorants and “glue” often generates
more carbon emissions than does normal paper production. However, using recycled papers enables better resource
management overall.
Lexmark concerns itself with the responsible use of paper in general based on life cycle assessments of its products. To
gain a better understanding of the impact of printers on the environment, the company commissioned a number of
Minimizing your printer's environmental impact
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