You know how much damage the making of new paper costs our environment. However, there is hardly any substance that can replace the function of paper. Even high-tech computers are not able to eliminate the need for paper. But there is one thing we can do to lessen our use of paper in our own way. You can segregate white office paper from other office trash for recycling. But with a bit creativity and effort, you can turn recycled paper supplies to a profitable business.
Paper recycling is old news, but it seems to be an on-and-off venture for most people. Making recycled paper crafts into a business provides fuel to the recycling machine. If you look at bookstore displays, you'll find coarse looking stationery and specialty papers. Even if these look old and rough, they are more expensive than those smoother and printed papers. Those coarse specialty papers are handmade and use natural fibers and recycled paper. You don't need to buy a truckload of waste paper to get started. In fact, look around your house. Sort through your old files and see if there's anything in there that you don't need anymore. White office paper like bond papers are great for this recycling project.
After sorting the white papers from the rest of your office stationery supplies, shred them in a document shredder or just tear them to little pieces. Throw in colored paper if you like a bit of color and different textures. Place the shredded papers in a blender or food processor with hot water in batches. Blend for a couple of minutes until the mixture looks fine and in one color. Add food color or dye if desired. For a touch of ingenuity, a few drops of essential oils like lavender or rose water make for lightly scented papers.
The blended pulp will be the base for your homemade paper. But to form and harden it, you must have a screen and mold. These materials are available in paper supplies stores or made at home using wooden frames and fiberglass screen. Meanwhile, soak the pulp in batches in a soaking solution made of water and liquid starch. The starch will prevent the ink from softening the paper. The amount of pulp per batch depends on the desired paper thickness. More pulp means thicker paper. Stir amd make sure that the starch is well incorporated in the pulp. Scoop the paper out using the molds and tap it to drain excess water. Level the surface of the pulp until smooth. Do this repeatedly until the right thickness and texture is achieved. Cover the mold with a fabric and invert it, making the pulp slide onto the cloth. Squeeze the pulp to remove excess water and dry it out. Stack the prepared pulp together with fabric in between in each layer. Press excess water out and separate the individual sheets. The sheets can be air-dried or laid out in newspapers to dry by sunlight.
When dried, the handmade paper can be cut into desired sizes and bound by natural fibers like hemp rope to form a journal. When cut into tiny pieces, the sheets also make lovely note cards. To add a touch of elegance, dried flowers and leaves can be added during the molding process. The use of office paper is not limited to the office. With this project, you can start your own paper supplies business.
Do file cabinets line your walls?
Paper systems need space to live - and office space is expensive, whether in file cabinets or piles on desks and floors. Paper is easily damaged by tearing, spilled coffee or sticky lunch time fingers.
Electronic files take little or no office space, are not easily damaged and documents remain in the same condition as you originally received them. By storing your files electronically, you can save money on the use of increasingly expensive office space for storing paper files.
Do you spend a lot of time looking for files?
Whether you have a strict or haphazard filing system, paper has a way of disappearing. Someone may have placed the document in the wrong file, unintentionally tossed it in the trash or just lost track of it in piles on their desk. Looking for documents can consume precious time that could have been spent on productive activities. In the unfortunate case where the document is not found, what happens next? Are you calling around hoping someone else has a copy, or are you left with a problem situation that takes even more time to solve?
By storing your documents electronically, you can access the needed document in seconds with a few computer key strokes. You also save time by not having to put the document back in the files.
Can you find your documents by more than one search criteria?
Paper files are generally managed and organized using one system. What if you need to find information using some identifier other than the one you selected for your filing system? You could make a copy of the document and create a second filing system resulting in the storage of more paper. Chances are you spend additional time searching and perhaps never locate the required information.
Many computer systems provide electronic filing of attachments with multiple search options for locating records. As an example, you could locate your document by company name, contract number, project number or contact name.
Can you control who has access to documents?
Are your file cabinets locked? If not, how do you control access from other departments, late night visitors or even outside persons such as your cleaning company? What about documents left out in the open on desks or floors? Unapproved viewing is bad enough, but there is the real possibility that documents could be removed without your knowledge - lost forever or used for unapproved/illegal activities.
Electronic files can be protected through passwords and user access rights. Many computer systems for sensitive data have audit trails indicating access activity, allowing tracking if it is necessary to monitor access to critical information.
Do you need to share documents with other departments?
Is your phone ringing with personnel from other departments asking for information or copies of documents? Perhaps they just help themselves to your files. If you allow other department personnel to remove files, do you know which files and whether they were returned? Searching, copying, sending and re-filing paper documents takes time and resources. Once the copy has been sent, how do you notify the department of any updates? Personnel within your organization may be using outdated information to conduct critical business, which might create undesirable results.
With documents saved electronically, you can provide specific individuals or departments direct access to those documents. Through the use of 'view only' password access, users can access data without the option of making any changes. Personnel in other departments can search documents themselves and have access to the latest version whenever necessary.
What would you do if a fire or flood destroyed your documents?
Crying is no longer the only option. Paper is easily destroyed and unrecoverable. Lost contracts, correspondence and other critical files can devastate a business. In addition to the enormous time it will take to reconstruct your files, there could be legal ramifications if you need the document to prove your case or enforce a policy or contract term.
Maintaining your files electronically provides a simple backup solution. Even if your computers are damaged or destroyed, your I.T. department most likely has implemented a regular backup and recovery program using offsite storage locations in case of disasters. The files are quickly restored once new computers are installed - and your critical data stays intact.
Where are your archived documents?
Inactive paper files are normally archived. This may be as simple as boxing everything up and putting them in the building basement or contracting with another company to store them for you. Some companies even go through the time and cost of putting them on microfiche for easier archival access. Imagine what happens when you need to find something in the archives for a critical audit or court case. Will you be spending the next several days going through boxes of paper or microfiche?
Most document storage software programs provide the ability to store documents by date so that you have easy access to not only the most current version, but prior versions as well - all in the same place. Consideration is needed on how to archive computer data for future retrieval. You may want to consider tagging customers and documents as inactive instead of deleting them if you believe there is the possibility you will need to access the data later.
Creating a paperless office is no longer the wave of the future, it is the current standard. Filing electronically is important and within easy reach using today's computer software. Depending on specific needs, there are software products which allow you to attach documents for historical reference, whether through direct scanning or importing. An effective electronic filing system can save resources and protect your company from a variety of hazards, in addition to dramatically improving efficiency, reducing costs and streamlining operations.
Both Miki & Phyllis Recca are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Phyllis Recca has sinced written about articles on various topics from Workers Compensation, computers and the internet and Ad Tracking. Since 1994, GG-One Software has been providing software to manage documents and insurance certificates. Their products provide the ability to attach documents for historical reference and are available in Web and Network versions. For more information, go. Phyllis Recca's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.