Your printer is the slowest part of your office. Toner runs out. Paper jams. The walk there interrupts focus. And 95% of what you print could be handled digitally.
Here's how to break the print habit for good.
Replace print-to-sign with browser signing
The single biggest source of unnecessary printing. Sign in the browser — 90 seconds vs 15 minutes. Same legal validity in most jurisdictions.
This one change eliminates 70% of professional printing for most knowledge workers.
Replace print-to-annotate with browser annotations
If you print to mark up a document, switch to browser annotations. Highlights, sticky notes, freehand marks — all on the digital PDF, all preserved in the output.
Bonus: digital annotations are searchable, editable, and don't require re-scanning to share.
Replace print-to-share with link or attachment
If you print to hand someone a PDF, just email or share the file. The recipient can read on their screen or print themselves if they prefer paper.
For meetings, share the PDF before the meeting and let attendees view on their devices. Trees saved, time saved, paper not piling up.
When printing is still right
Documents that genuinely need paper: contracts requiring wet ink (rare, jurisdiction-specific), forms for offline submission (rare), reference material you want next to your screen during deep work (subjective).
Those are legitimate. Most printing isn't in this category.
FAQ
What about reading long documents?
Personal preference. Many people read better on paper for very long documents. If that's you, print — but for sharing, signing, or annotating, stay digital.
Do I save money by not printing?
Yes — toner, paper, printer maintenance, and the printer itself. For a small office, often hundreds of pounds per year.
Will my team adopt this?
Most do, once the time savings become visible. Lead by example; others copy.
What about contracts that come back from counterparties on paper?
Scan them in, then archive digitally. The paper original can be filed if legally required; most signed contracts are accepted as electronic copies.
The printer is a tool for the rare cases that need paper. Don't make it the default. Try Flint and stop printing the routine stuff.