E-billing saves time and money, it's more secure, and it speeds up payments. It's also a greener choice. Paper currently makes up 40% of the waste stream in America, so anything that reduces paper use is going to have benefits for the environment.

 There are other ways to save paper, too, and we'd like to share some with you. If you like the reductions you've made through electronic invoicing, you may be ready for some more ideas. 

• Use both sides of all papers. Use "duplex" mode for making copies. Put paper with only one side printed into the re-use box before passing it along to the recycling box. Cut up papers you've received with one clean side to make scratch paper for the office. Half-used paper can go through your fax machine and your copier safely, as long as you're diligent about removing staples.
• Choose not to print things. Sensitive information is better off in your password-protected files than on paper. Cover sheets of faxes, agendas that can be projected rather than printed and distributed, and confirmation sheets are just a few examples of written materials that really don't need to be printed.
  
• Help people shift from paper to electronic information by making it easy. Simple things like naming files with transparent names and saving them in folders can make it easy enough to access data that people won't feel compelled to print it. Searching for a file named "something like 1136wassu, somewhere on my computer" is the kind of experience that leads people to make and file unnecessary copies.
• Use thinner paper. Paper is sold by weight. A heavy bond may be needed for certain jobs, but lighter weight paper uses less raw material. Consider switching when you can.
• Use smaller images, or a smaller font size. Your document may take up fewer pieces of paper if you simply design it to fit on one sheet.
• Try to make your decisions before you print. Some of us write a document, then print it and proofread it on paper, and then go back to make corrections and changes on the screen. Instead, email it to a colleague for proofreading, and make corrections on the screen before printing it out. If you have trouble imagining how your document will look on paper, save it as a PDF file and check the look before printing.
  
• Certainly, buy recycled paper and recycle the paper you use. But don't focus on recycling to the point where you don't feel a need to be efficient about your paper use.