Seven Steps to Perfect Print Etiquette in the Workplace

Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Christian Ralph

The office printer can often become the centre of a workplace tug-o-war, with many workers needing to simultaneously make use of the print, copy, scan and fax functions.

Here, we offer seven steps to help ensure an orderly queue is formed and the potential for an office-based scuffle is quickly quashed.

Change Depleted Ink/Paper

If your print job has completed by the skin of its teeth, using the last sheet of paper and the few remaining drops of ink – don’t leave the task of replacing these to the next person to use the machine. There are few things more frustrating than sending an important job to the print, only to find out there is no ink/paper. As soon as either of these two things run out, make the short trip to the stationery cupboard and pick up replacements.

Save Personal Document Printing Until Lunch

If your company permits the printing of personal documentation – it is good etiquette to wait until lunch time or when the office is quiet to complete these jobs. No one wants their important print job held up by your incredibly detailed print out of directions to a remote cottage in the Lake District.

Fix the Jams

Rather than sheepishly returning to your desk if the office printer jams, hoping no one suspects it was your paper-stuffing which caused the problem – try and fix the jam or alert someone better suited to the task. An unresolved jamming can lead to a huge back-up of print jobs so it is preferable to address it immediately and get it sufficiently sorted – lest you become the office pariah.

Select an Intelligent Printer

A printer with intelligent workflow management systems can help prevent the risk of work backing up. Helping to accommodate both large and small print jobs, workflow management systems within printers can shorten the queue of people waiting with little patience behind the printer. The Samsung Xpress M2070 incorporates an intelligent system which prioritises jobs to shorten wait times.

Invest in a Workhorse

If your office’s print jobs can be easily split into two categories: simple black and white prints and more stylised, heavily formatted attractive prints – it could be preferable to invest in a quick but limited workhorse printer for the former. Rather than wait a few minutes for a single A3 glossy page to print, workers who require a large volume of simple print outs can benefit from the speed of the workhorse.

Return to Default Settings

If your print job has required special options such as duplex, landscape or borderless printing – it is only good etiquette to reset these settings upon completion so the next print job is not subjected to the same specifications. It can be a huge waste of ink, paper and time if someone prints out a huge presentation, only to realise the orientation is wrong because of a previous user.

Speedy Pick Up

Never be the person who leaves print-outs in the printer tray for a length of time, or until you’re next passing the printer, as these are likely to end up filed in with someone else’s prints. A huge backlog of unclaimed printouts in the printer tray can be hugely annoying for someone whose single sheet has got lost amongst the various prints and copies.
For a huge range of printers to help make print, copy, scan and fax jobs more efficient, visit the Printerland homepage or give us a ring now on 0800 840 1992.