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:
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/m2 [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:
Use both sides of the paper
If your printer model supports duplex printing, you can control whether print appears on one or two sides of the paper by selecting 2-sided printing from the Print dialog or the Lexmark Toolbar.
Place multiple pages on one sheet of paper
You can print up to 16 consecutive pages of a multiple-page document onto one side of a single sheet of paper by selecting a setting from the Multipage printing (N-Up) section of the Print dialog.
Check your first draft for accuracy
Before printing or making multiple copies of a document:
Use the preview feature, which you can select from the Print dialog or the Lexmark Toolbar, to see how the document will look before you print it.
Print one copy of the document to check its content and format for accuracy.
Avoid paper jams
Carefully select and load paper to avoid paper jams. For more information, see Avoiding jams.
Saving energy
Adjusting Power Saver
Increase or decrease the number of minutes before the printer enters Power Saver mode.
If your printer is connected to a computer by a USB or parallel cable, use the Local Printer Settings Utility for Windows or Printer Settings for Macintosh.
Click Setup.
Ensure that the Power Saver check box is selected.
Clicking the small arrow buttons, increase or decrease the number of minutes before the printer enters Power Saver mode. Available settings range from 1–240 minutes.
From the menu bar, click Actions 
Apply Settings.
Recycling
Lexmark provides collection programs and environmentally progressive approaches to recycling. For more information, see:
Recycling Lexmark products
To return Lexmark products to Lexmark for recycling:
Visit our Web site at www.lexmark.com/recycle.
Find the product type you want to recycle, and then select your country from the list.
Follow the instructions on the computer screen.
Recycling Lexmark packaging
Lexmark continually strives to minimize packaging. Less packaging helps to ensure that Lexmark printers are transported in the most efficient and environmentally sensitive manner and that there is less packaging to dispose of. These efficiencies result in fewer greenhouse emissions, energy savings, and natural resource savings.
Lexmark cartons are 100% recyclable where corrugated recycling facilities exist. Facilities may not exist in your area.
The foam used in Lexmark packaging is recyclable where foam recycling facilities exist. Facilities may not exist in your area.
When you return a cartridge to Lexmark, you can reuse the box that the cartridge came in. Lexmark will recycle the box.
Returning Lexmark cartridges for reuse or recycling
The Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program diverts millions of Lexmark cartridges from landfills annually by making it both easy and free for Lexmark customers to return used cartridges to Lexmark for reuse or recycling. One hundred percent of the empty cartridges returned to Lexmark are either reused or demanufactured for recycling. Boxes used to return the cartridges are also recycled.
To return Lexmark cartridges for reuse or recycling, follow the instructions that came with your printer or cartridge and use the pre-paid shipping label. You can also:
Visit our Web site at www.lexmark.com/recycle.
From the Toner Cartridges section, select your country from the list.
Follow the instructions on the computer screen.