Let’s be honest – most of us have printed an email we absolutely didn’t need. A flight confirmation. A meeting agenda. A quick chat thread. Why? Not because it made life easier – but because something in our heads whispered “Just in case.”
Here’s the thing: email printing isn’t really about practicality. It’s about anxiety.
Whether it’s fear that something will get lost in the inbox void, or just the comfort of a physical page, printing becomes a psychological safety blanket. But in a modern office, this blanket is dragging down your efficiency, burning through budgets, and clogging up your printers with paper no one reads twice.
So how do you stop the madness – without turning into the office killjoy? You change the environment, not just the instructions.
Why We Still Print Emails (Even When We Know We Shouldn’t)
We’ve worked with all sorts of organisations – from law firms to local councils – and one pattern keeps showing up: email printing isn’t about logic. It’s about habit and fear.
- “I like to read on paper.”
- “I need a backup.”
- “It’s just easier this way.”
Sound familiar? That’s because printing emails is an emotional choice, not a rational one. If you want to change it, you can’t just ask people to stop. You’ve got to give them a better, easier option – and permission to use it.
Better Defaults: Don’t Rely on Willpower
If printing is the easiest thing to do, people will keep doing it. So the trick is to make not printing the smoother path. That means tweaking the environment to gently steer people away from the paper pile.
The Reader Mode Nudge
One of the big reasons people print emails is because they’re hard to read on screen. Tiny text. Busy layouts. Bright white glare. No wonder people reach for the printer.
- Quick Fix: Show your team how to use tools like Immersive Reader (in Outlook) or Reader Mode (in Chrome and Firefox). These strip away the noise and turn emails into clean, easy-to-read pages.
- Bonus Tip: Set monitors to “Eye Saver” or “Warm” display modes by default. Less blue light = less screen fatigue = fewer “I’ll just print it” moments.
Make Printing Just a Bit More Annoying
You don’t need to ban printing. Just add a little friction.
- Set global defaults to duplex and grayscale. Make colour and single-sided the harder choice.
- Use secure release (a.k.a. “pull printing”). The job won’t print unless the person taps in at the machine. If they forget or change their mind, the file deletes itself after 12 hours.
This one change cuts waste by up to 30% without a single staff memo.
Update the Footer: Make It Mean Something
The old “please consider the environment before printing” footer? No one sees it anymore. Time for a sharper message:
🌲 Digital is Durable. This email is backed up securely – you don’t need a printout.
It reminds people that printing isn’t safer. Just slower.
Cultural Permission: Tackle the Fear of Going Digital
Habits are only half the story. The real blocker? People are scared. Scared of losing proof. Scared of blame. Scared of that one time IT lost a file in 2016.
To break the cycle, leaders need to speak clearly: you are allowed to stop printing.
Bust the “Paper = Safe” Myth
There’s still a belief that if something’s on paper, it’s “official.” But honestly?
- Paper can be shredded, lost, or spill-tested by someone’s morning coffee.
- Digital is backed up, timestamped, and searchable.
So make it official: get IT and Legal to issue a short, sharp message saying that digital records are the primary source of truth. Printouts don’t count more.
Have an “Amnesty Day”
Declare a “Bin Your Bin” day. Bring in shredding bins, invite everyone to dump their old email printouts, and offer a prize for the biggest stack recycled.
It’s symbolic, it’s cathartic, and it tells your team: we trust our systems – and we trust you.
Use Data, Not Shame
Want to gently call out chronic printers? Send a private message like this:
“Hi [Name], you’re in the top 5% of print users this month, with over 400 emails printed. Is there something we can help you digitise?”
No finger-pointing. Just awareness. Nine times out of ten, people had no idea how much they were printing.
Compare the Old vs. New Way of Working
| Feature | The “Madness” (Old Way) | The Modern Office |
| Storage | Filing cabinets & folders | Cloud archive & tagging |
| Security | “If I hold it, I have it” | “If it’s on the server, it’s safe” |
| Reading | Print to read | Reader Mode or tablet |
| Proof | Signed paper copies | Audit logs & digital signatures |
| Default Flow | Print → File → Shred | Read → Archive → Search |
The modern office isn’t about banning printers. It’s about making paper optional. You’re not asking people to change everything overnight – you’re just making it easier to work smarter.
Want to Stop the Email Printing Habit?
Here’s where to start this month:
- Turn on Reader Mode – show your team how to read without the clutter.
- Set global printer defaults – double-sided, black & white, secure release.
- Send the digital policy from IT & Legal – no more paper trail panic.
- Refresh your email footer – make it pop.
- Run an “Amnesty Day” – and celebrate the recycling heroes.
None of this needs a big system overhaul. It just needs a few small, smart nudges – and a clear message from the top: We trust digital. You can too.
If you’d like help rolling this out across your office, we’ve helped plenty of teams make the leap – and save thousands in the process. Just say the word.
