Gamifying Green: How the Xerox Print Awareness Tool Can Help Reduce Paper Waste

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool is a print behavior and sustainability tool designed to help organizations better understand, manage, and improve how employees print.

Instead of relying only on print rules, reminders, or office-wide policies, the tool uses visibility and gamification to help employees see their own print behavior and make more thoughtful choices.

That matters because paper waste is not usually caused by one big decision. It often comes from small, repeated habits:

• Printing emails that could stay digital
• Printing single-sided when duplex printing would work
• Reprinting documents because of mistakes
• Printing drafts that are never used
• Printing in color when black and white is enough
• Sending jobs to the wrong device
• Forgetting to pick up printed pages
• Printing documents that could be scanned, shared, or stored digitally

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool helps make those habits visible.

For businesses in New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts, Benchmark Office Systems can help customers review print behavior, managed print needs, and Xerox-enabled tools that may support cost control and sustainability goals.

Gamification can help reduce paper waste when it makes print behavior easier to understand and easier to change.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool is designed to engage users by showing them information about their printing habits and encouraging more responsible print choices. Xerox has described the tool as using gamification technology to help enterprises reduce their carbon footprint and motivate employees to do their part.

This does not mean a tool alone will solve every print problem.

The best results usually come when print awareness is combined with good device settings, clear print policies, managed print visibility, employee communication, and practical alternatives such as scanning, digital workflows, and secure document sharing.

The value of gamification is that it turns print reduction from a vague company goal into something employees can actually see.

Most organizations know they print more than they need to. The harder question is where the waste is happening.

Without visibility, print waste can be difficult to manage because it is spread across departments, devices, habits, and individual users.

A manager may know the monthly paper order keeps rising, but not know why. IT may know which devices are busy, but not which print habits are driving unnecessary output. Employees may not realize how much they print because the cost and waste are invisible to them.

That is the problem the Xerox Print Awareness Tool is built to address.

It helps shift the conversation from “print less” to “understand how you print, then make smarter choices.”

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool is designed to make print habits more visible and easier to understand.

Depending on the environment and configuration, the tool may help users and administrators pay attention to patterns such as:

• How often employees print
• Whether jobs are printed in color or black and white
• Whether jobs are printed single-sided or double-sided
• Which types of print choices may create unnecessary waste
• Where behavior changes could reduce paper or toner use
• How individual choices contribute to broader sustainability goals

The point is not to shame employees. The point is to give them feedback.

People are more likely to change a habit when they can see the impact of that habit.

Most print reduction efforts fail because they rely too heavily on reminders.

An office may send an email that says, “Please print less.” A sign may go up near the copier. A manager may remind everyone to use duplex printing. Then everyone gets busy, old habits return, and print volume creeps back up.

The problem is not that employees do not care.

The problem is that the feedback loop is weak.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool helps strengthen that feedback loop by giving users a clearer view of how their own print behavior connects to paper use, toner use, and environmental impact.

That is more effective than asking employees to guess.

Gamification means applying game-like elements, such as points, progress, goals, or friendly comparison, to real business behavior.

In the context of printing, that can help employees stay engaged with something that is usually easy to ignore.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool uses gamification principles to encourage responsible printing behavior. The goal is not to turn the office into a competition for its own sake. The goal is to make sustainable print habits more visible, measurable, and motivating.

For example, users may be encouraged to think about:

• Whether a document needs to be printed at all
• Whether black and white is enough
• Whether two-sided printing makes sense
• Whether a document can be scanned or shared digitally
• Whether a print job is being sent to the right device
• Whether draft documents can stay digital

Small changes can matter when they happen across many employees over time.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool can support several common business goals.

1. Reducing Paper Waste

Paper waste is often a behavior problem, not just a technology problem. When employees can see their print habits, they may be more likely to print only what they need.

2. Reducing Toner Waste

Toner usage is tied to print choices. Color printing, high-volume draft printing, and unnecessary reprints can increase toner consumption. Print awareness can help users think more carefully before printing.

3. Supporting Sustainability Goals

Many businesses want to reduce environmental impact but are not sure where to start. Print behavior is a practical, visible place to begin.

4. Improving Cost Control

Paper, toner, service, and device usage all contribute to print costs. Better print behavior can support a broader managed print strategy.

5. Making Print Policies Easier to Follow

Policies are easier to follow when employees understand the reason behind them. Print awareness helps connect daily behavior with business goals.

6. Starting Better Conversations About Workflow

If employees are printing too much, the issue may not be the printer. It may be the workflow. High print volume can reveal opportunities for scanning, digital document routing, secure sharing, or workflow automation.

It is important not to overstate what the tool does.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool can help increase awareness and encourage better print behavior, but it does not automatically eliminate paper waste. It does not replace a full managed print review. It does not force every employee to print less in every situation. It does not determine whether a document legally or operationally must be printed.

Some printing is necessary.

Contracts may need signatures. Forms may need paper copies. Training materials may need to be handed out. Invoices, packing slips, labels, checks, legal documents, school records, public notices, and medical forms may all have valid print requirements.

The goal is not “never print.”

The goal is “print intentionally.”

Businesses should avoid treating all printing as bad.

That message is too simple, and it can frustrate employees who print for legitimate reasons.

A better message is:

Print what matters. Reduce what does not.

That is where print awareness fits well. It helps teams distinguish between necessary printing and avoidable printing.

For example:

• A signed contract may need to be printed.
• A draft email probably does not.
• A patient form may need a paper version.
• Five color copies of an internal draft may not.
• A job packet may need to go to the field.
• A meeting agenda may be better shared digitally.

The right print strategy is practical, not extreme.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool can be part of a broader managed print conversation.

Managed print is not only about toner, service, and device uptime. It can also include visibility into print usage, device placement, user behavior, security settings, supply management, and workflow efficiency.

For many organizations, print awareness is a good starting point because it raises practical questions:

• Who is printing the most?
• Which departments rely most heavily on paper?
• Which print jobs could shift to digital workflows?
• Are employees using duplex and black-and-white settings when appropriate?
• Are devices placed where they support efficient work?
• Are print policies clear and realistic?
• Could some workflows be scanned, routed, or stored digitally instead?

Not sure where your print waste is coming from? Benchmark can help you review your print environment and identify practical ways to print smarter.

Benchmark Office Systems helps businesses in New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts with Xerox printers, copiers, managed print services, scanning, document management, and workflow solutions.

For organizations interested in reducing paper waste, Benchmark can help review current print behavior and discuss whether Xerox-enabled tools such as the Xerox Print Awareness Tool may be a good fit.

That may include:

• Reviewing print habits and current fleet usage
• Discussing print visibility and reporting needs
• Helping identify where unnecessary printing may be happening
• Reviewing opportunities for duplex printing, black-and-white defaults, or more efficient device use
• Discussing Xerox-enabled sustainability tools where appropriate
• Connecting print awareness with managed print services
• Identifying workflows that may benefit from scanning or digital document handling

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool may be worth discussing if your organization:

• Orders paper frequently and is not sure where it goes
• Wants to reduce unnecessary printing
• Has sustainability or cost-control goals
• Wants employees to be more aware of print habits
• Uses multiple printers, copiers, or multifunction devices
• Wants better visibility into print behavior
• Has departments that still rely heavily on paper
• Is reviewing managed print services
• Wants to support greener office practices without disrupting necessary work

The tool can be especially useful for organizations that want employee participation, not just top-down rules.

Before rolling out any print awareness effort, ask:

1. What are we trying to reduce: paper, toner, color printing, abandoned jobs, or overall print volume?
2. Which departments print the most, and why?
3. Which documents truly need to be printed?
4. Which documents could be scanned, routed, emailed, or stored digitally?
5. Are default print settings helping or hurting our goals?
6. Do employees understand the cost and environmental impact of printing?
7. Do we have the right devices in the right places?
8. How will we communicate the goal without making employees feel monitored unfairly?
9. What reporting do we need to track progress?
10. Which Xerox tools could support the process?

Good print awareness starts with realistic goals.

Consider a common office habit: printing a 12-page document single-sided for a meeting.

If that document could be printed double-sided, paper use is cut in half for that job. If the meeting has eight people, the difference becomes more noticeable. If similar behavior happens across departments every week, the impact grows.

The same applies to color printing. A document may look better in color, but not every internal draft needs it. If black and white is enough, that choice may reduce toner use.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool helps bring attention to these decisions before they become invisible habits.

A greener office does not require every workflow to become paperless overnight.

In most organizations, the better first step is visibility.

When employees and managers can see print behavior more clearly, they can make better decisions. They can reduce avoidable printing, preserve necessary printing, and look for workflows that may be better handled digitally.

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool supports that kind of behavior change by making printing more visible, more understandable, and more engaging.

Reducing paper waste does not have to start with a major technology overhaul.

It can start with a better understanding of how your team prints today.

Benchmark Office Systems can help your organization review print behavior, discuss Xerox-enabled print awareness tools, and identify practical ways to support sustainability, cost control, and smarter document workflows.

Interested in reducing paper waste without disrupting daily work? Contact Benchmark Office Systems to ask whether the Xerox Print Awareness Tool is a good fit for your print environment.

What is the Xerox Print Awareness Tool?

The Xerox Print Awareness Tool is a Xerox solution designed to help organizations understand and improve print behavior. It uses visibility and gamification principles to encourage more responsible printing habits.

How does the Xerox Print Awareness Tool reduce paper waste?

The tool helps users see their print behavior and understand where small changes may reduce unnecessary printing. It can support better habits such as printing only when needed, choosing duplex printing when appropriate, and avoiding unnecessary reprints.

Does the Xerox Print Awareness Tool guarantee lower print costs?

No. Results depend on the organization, print habits, device settings, employee adoption, and the broader managed print strategy. The tool can support cost-control efforts, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed savings program by itself.

Is the Xerox Print Awareness Tool only for large companies?

Not necessarily. It may be useful for any organization that wants better visibility into print behavior and wants employees to participate in reducing unnecessary printing. Suitability depends on the print environment and Xerox solution availability.

Is the goal to stop printing completely?

No. The goal is not to eliminate necessary printing. The goal is to reduce avoidable printing and help employees make more intentional print decisions.

How does gamification help with printing?

Gamification makes print behavior more visible and engaging. Instead of only telling employees to print less, it gives them feedback and motivation to make better choices.

Can Benchmark Office Systems help with the Xerox Print Awareness Tool?

Yes. Benchmark Office Systems can help customers review their print environment and discuss Xerox-enabled tools, including the Xerox Print Awareness Tool, where appropriate.

What other steps can reduce paper waste?

Organizations can also review default print settings, encourage duplex printing, use black-and-white defaults where appropriate, scan instead of copying, route documents digitally, and review managed print services.