Jul 03, 2008 by Papercutter in Alternatives
Apparently the ‘paperless office’ is just not coming to pass. An analyst blames it on people not ’selling’ document management systems effectively:
In his report Document Management Solutions: What End Users Want, IDC analyst Rishi Ghai found that 60 per cent of [Australian] survey respondents said the number of pages printed or copied in their organisation had increased over the last five years. …
He says the key conclusion is that vendors are failing to convince users of the cost savings, and governance and environmental benefits document management products can deliver to organisations.
[Via : Paperless offices remains elusive dream: IDC - IT Brief - IT Brief.]
There’s some truly dreadful writing in quoted material in the rest of the article, like this:
IDC research suggests that end users’ discontentment with document management solution implementations can escalate very quickly in the absence of visible improvements in the short term. Vendors must work closely with clients to develop realistic service-level agreements and periodically measure and communicate systems performance indicators to avoid dissatisfaction build up.
After reading and re-reading that I think it says something along these lines:
Users quickly become fed up with document management systems if things don’t seem to get better quickly. People who sell the systems should be realistic about what they can do, and show users how they are making a difference.
If document management systems can in fact reduce the amount of paper being wasted, then vendors should get their act together and find ways to encourage users to use them properly. And in plain language!
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Jun 30, 2008 by Papercutter in Fun
Papiroflexia, Terra 433, is a delightful three and a half minute movie by Joaquin Baldwin:
Papiroflexia (Spanish for “Origami”) is the animated tale of Fred, a skillful paper folder who could shape the world with his hands. Joaquin Baldwin used Photoshop and AfterEffects to create this fanciful animation that may resonate with many of us who would like to mold the human world into one just a little more natural.
[Via : TERRA: The Nature of Our World *Video Podcast*.]
LIFEONTERRA is a collaborative filmspace and laboratory exploring the questions and ideas on the cutting-edge of science and at the farthest horizons of the natural world. …
This is a permanent resource for everyone: fans, educators, students, and anyone who is simply curious about the natural world. We are a worldwide crossroads, a forum for compelling issues, and a stage for the awesome diversity of our planet.
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Jun 29, 2008 by Papercutter in Alternatives
Michael Lopp laments:
At my favorite local coffee shop, Lorraine gives me shit when I purchase coffee in a paper cup, “You… are not saving the world.”
She’s right. I’m not, and it’s actually worse. Each time I reach for a sip and this sad little corpse of tree flesh greets me with its pathetic weight and palpable sense of Al Gore guilt, I’m lonely.
[Via Rands In Repose: The Coffee Mug Affair.]
He mentions that paper cups affect the taste of the coffee anyway and goes on to talk about more permanent alternatives, such as coffee mugs.
So, how many paper (or plastic) cups do we use each day anyway? Chris Jordan has a photo that shows just a few of the 4 million plastic cups used each day on airline flights in the US, as part of a Ted Talks video. Then he moves on to the 40 million paper cups used in the US each day for beverages. It’s a sculpture, a wall, a mountain.
Artist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics — like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.
[Via : Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats | Video on TED.com.]
The part of his talk that’s specifically about the cups is within the first couple of minutes of the video. But his whole talk is interesting, as he finds graphic ways to demonstrate some of the excess we indulge in as a society.
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Jun 29, 2008 by Papercutter in End of Life
It makes sense to get more mileage out of paper. Recycling is one way to do it. And when it comes to ring binders, Greenlagirl points out three, mentioned in this heavily cut quote:
TerraCycle Eco-Binders. The recycled paper cover boasts at least 75% post-consumer recycled content, and the steel rings are made of 80% recycled material.
ReBinders. These corrugated cardboard (at least 35% post-consumer recycled content) binders are assembled in Seattle by Northwest Center, which provides job services to disabled and disadvantaged people. Not only are the covers 100% recyclable, they are replaceable with new covers!
Greenback Rebinders. Also made by Sustainable Group, these Greenback Rebinders are made of chipboard (56% post-consumer recycled content) — and thus stronger than the regular ReBinders.
[Via BlogHer - Social change, Non-profits & NGOs: Three green binders for recycled organization.]
If you’re in the US and need ring binders how about looking for recycled options?
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Jun 27, 2008 by Papercutter in Production
Phone books seem to be essential. I’m not so sure that they are, but I guess a lot of people like to riffle through pages of paper to find information. They’re big books, updated each year, and presumably costly to print and ship.
You’d think anything that could reduce the amount of unnecessary paper would also reduce the whole cost of production and shipping. And you’d think that would be a good thing.
Rowan Simpson wrote about how the New Zealand Telecom Directories didn’t take up a small font change that would have saved a lot of money. Here’s what Rowan writes:
One of the examples [Kris Sowersby] showed was a font he designed for a pitch to Telecom Directories (back in the day before this part of the business was sold).
He came up with a bunch of simple design changes to improve readability and make the millions of bulky directories they print each year more efficient to produce (i.e. less paper, less ink, etc).
… it was designed to make better use of the space. In fact, it was estimated that they would be able to save between 8% - 15% on every page …
Imagine the total saving that could have been achieved in time by making this simple small change. You’ll have to, because they didn’t go for it.
[Via Rowan Simpson: Little things.]
It’s an idea though: if you’re in the business of producing books, magazines, leaflets or newspapers, is there some small thing you could do that would make a big difference? A change in font or design could be worth your while.
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