We know that schools use a lot of paper. According to Recycle Now[1], the average secondary school pupil produces 45kg of waste per year, with a large proportion coming from paper and card. If you think about the number of pupils in one secondary school – that equates to a lot of paper.
Although some schools are making the move towards digital methods, for many schools, paper will remain a classroom essential.
With paper and card, a necessity for the majority schools in England, even small price reductions can make a huge difference – we are talking pence here! However, after 20 years in the education sector, we understand that paper prices can be volatile and have a huge number of influencing factors beyond our control. Therefore, we’ve had to find other ways to support schools in reducing their paper costs.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways to reduce your paper costs, without reducing the cost of paper… sound confusing? We assure you it’s not…
Higher Quality, Higher Price
Paper comes in a variety of weights, known as gsm (grams per square metre). Historically paper thickness was governed by the paper weight – however with today’s technology, weight and thickness are not always related. The thickness of paper is measured in microns (one millionth of a metre). Due to the construction of the paper an 80gsm sheet can be 100-110 microns thick. This is all down to the type of tree used to produce pulp which forms the base in which paper is made. Less trees, less water, less chemicals, same quality. Oh yes, and more environmentally friendy.
Nice thick paper with a higher micron count, definitely feels more luxurious… that’s because it is. It can also come with a heftier price tag.
If you’re not printing flyers or high-quality marketing literature, ditch the quality for a lower micron count on your standard paper - this will eventually lower your cost. Often standard copier paper is called PPC (Plain Paper Copier) and can come branded or unbranded.
Branded Copier Paper
It is also worth noting that if the paper is too cheap it can be inferior. Yes, it might work but often, a cheaper no-frills sheet can be dusty and in some cases, poorly cut. Both are an engineer’s nightmare. A branded sheet will carry higher credentials and will have support from the Mill if there is a problem. Brands like Mycopy and Envirocopy have been tried and tested over 15 years.
Ultimately, an unbranded paper will be cost effective in the short term – but may cause issues further on down the line.
Become Familiar with Your Printer Settings
Brush up on your printer settings. Most modern printers allow you to print on both sides of the paper or you can choose to printed multiple sheets to one page. This could save on the amount of paper you ultimately need. Make this your default setting and you’ll be saving reams throughout the year.
Also try defaulting your printer settings to Black & White. Save on the cost of printer ink!
FollowMe Printing
FollowMe Printing allows users to print to a shared print queue, roam and release their print job from any enabled output device. This ensures printing is confidential to the user and reduces printed waste from documents left uncollected at the printer.
Buy in Bulk
Most paper suppliers will offer quantity discounts. This ultimately means, the more you buy, the less you pay per ream, and the more you save.
If a supplier doesn’t have quantity discounts on their website, or in their catalogue, it’s always worth getting in contact to find out if they can offer this to you.
Call-Offs & Stock Holdings
Some suppliers offer call-off contracts for paper purchases. This means that you can purchase a supply of paper in a large quantity at a discounted rate. The paper is stored at the supplier’s facility and you can then remove your stock as and when is needed. It’s a great solution for schools looking to not only reduce their spend but lack the space to store bulk quantities of paper.
A call-off, sometimes known as a stock holding, usually has a minimum quantity commitment. This could mean you need to purchase 3-6 months’ worth of paper at a time.
If you use a call-off service, you are also fixing the price of your paper for that fixed term. That means you avoid any price increases, guarantee your supply and it makes the whole process much easier.
So, next time you’re looking at ways to reduce your paper spend, don’t just think about the cost of paper. Approach your supplier for further advice as there could be other options to help keep to tight budgets.
Paper Plus offers quantity discounts, free consultative advice and call-off contracts to new and existing customers. Get in touch today to find out more about our services and how we can help you and your school.
[1] https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/getting-started/recycling-at-school/how-much-does-your-school-waste
