Excellent Printers for Environmentally Conscious Printing

Canon Printer on an Office Table

While certain aspects of life can be handled digitally, printing remains a necessity for many people. Educators, real estate agents, accountants, marketers, publishers, health care workers, attorneys and other professionals often rely on printers to handle different aspects of their jobs. To help reduce the impact of printing on the environment, some people are looking for eco-conscious printing options.

When shopping for a printer, you may want to keep the environment in mind. Today, a number of eco-conscious printing options exist that can help businesses and individuals make progress towards their sustainability goals and feel good about their choices. Read on to learn helpful tips on environmentally conscious printing, and how to select a modern printer that was designed with the environment in mind.

Key Considerations for Environmentally Conscious Printing

When looking for an environmentally conscious printer, there are many key factors to consider. Some questions to ask include: How energy efficient is the printer? How easy is it to recycle toner or ink cartridges? Is duplex printing an option with this printer model? What is the brand’s environmental commitment?

Here’s a short guide on what to look for, and why.

Energy Efficiency

The ENERGY STAR®1 certification is something to seek when striving for environmentally conscious printing. The ENERGY STAR®1 program is run by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and aims to help individuals, businesses and government agencies make informed choices by identifying products that meet the EPA’s high standards when it comes to energy efficiency and performance. For example, several Canon printer models have obtained ENERGY STAR®1 certification thanks to features such as energy-saver mode, automatic duplex settings and a low power mode.

Recyclability

Person Removing a Toner

Another aspect to seek out in an environmentally conscious printer is recyclability of the printer’s ink or toner cartridges. When you recycle your ink and toner cartridges, you may be helping to keep them out of landfills and oceans. But do you know how to recycle these items? An easy place to start is doing a little research on the company that manufactured the cartridges. For example, as part of Canon’s commitment to the environment, the Company offers certain recycling programs, such as the following recycling programs for toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Learn more about Canon Recycling programs

RECYCLING TONER CARTRIDGES

RECYCLING INK CARTRIDGES

Duplex Printing

Printing on two sides of a page offers the potential to reduce the amount of paper you use by up to 50%. Many newer printer models come equipped with a feature called automatic duplex printing, which allows you to automatically print on the front and back of paper (you may need to select auto duplex printing in your page set-up settings). If you use less paper, you may help to reduce your environmental impact, and you may even save on paper costs.

Paper Sourcing

Canon printers can work with a variety of paper types, including environmentally conscious options such as recycled paper. Just remember to complete the cycle! When you have documents that you no longer need, recycle the paper to help your eco-conscious actions continue making a difference.

Canon's Environmental Commitment

Canon is committed to helping build a better world for future generations. Its environmental programs are a part of that mission and include initiatives designed to help reduce the impact of the Company’s products, from the acquisition of raw materials to the disposal and recycling of products and every step in between. You can learn more about Canon’s environmental commitment here.

Eco-Conscious Printer Options from Canon

When shopping for an eco-conscious printer, you have many options to consider. Start your research here, with these Canon printers that were designed with the environment in mind.

Canon Printer on a Home Bookshelf

The Canon MegaTank MAXIFY GX2020 wireless2 four-in-one ink printer has been recognized for its energy efficiency, having obtained ENERGY STAR®1 certification and the EPEAT Gold rating. With an available auto power on/off function, the printer can turn on when it is needed and then switch off, which may help reduce electricity usage. The user can also program the printer to power on only during certain hours of the day. With the MegaTank printer, a single set of ink bottles can print up to 3,000 black and white or 3,000 color pages3. And with automatic duplex printing, you can set the printer to use both sides of a sheet of paper, which can reduce paper consumption by up to 50%. In addition, the device comes with a three-year or 60,000 pages limited warranty4.

Canon Printer on an Office Table

The Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw four-in-one laser printer has been recognized for its energy efficiency, having obtained ENERGY STAR®1 certification and the EPEAT Silver rating. This printer can help save energy by automatically going into standby or sleep mode when it’s inactive. When using an optional, high-capacity toner with this device (purchased separately), it can print up to 7,600 sheets in black and white and up to 5,500 sheets in color before toner replacement is needed. And with automatic duplex printing, it can automatically print on both sides of your paper when selected, potentially reducing the amount of paper you use. Plus, it comes with a three-year limited warranty4, which may offer some peace of mind that this device can serve you for some time.

Canon Printer on an Office Table

The Canon imageCLASS MF465dw wireless2 four-in-one laser printer has been recognized for its energy efficiency, having obtained ENERGY STAR®1 certification and the EPEAT Silver rating. This black-and-white printer works swiftly when needed (it can print up to 35 pages per minute5) and then automatically goes into standby or sleep mode when it’s not needed, which may save energy consumption. In addition, this printer has the auto-duplex printing feature available, so it can save the user from unnecessary paper usage by printing on both sides of the paper when selected.

Printing remains a necessity for many people. To switch to environmentally conscious printing, look for printers from companies that have committed to consider the impact of their products and processes on the environment, such as Canon. In addition, seek out environmental ratings, such as ENERGY STAR® and EPEAT; familiarize yourself with available recycling programs to help keep ink and toner cartridges and containers out of landfills; and strive to adopt habits such as duplex printing and using recycled paper.

Investing in a printer that can help you conserve natural resources is a great step towards being environmentally conscious. Finding a quality printer that can serve you well—and not have to be replaced frequently—is another important puzzle piece in being environmentally conscious. To learn more about Canon printers visit usa.canon.com/printers.


  1. As an ENERGY STAR® Partner, Canon U.S.A., Inc. has certified this printer as meeting the ENERGY STAR energy efficiency criteria through an EPA-recognized certification body.
  2. Wireless printing and scanning requires a working network with wireless 802.11b/g/n capability, operating at 2.4GHz or 5.0GHz. Wireless performance may vary based on terrain and distance between the printer and wireless network clients.
  3. Claim is based on page yield of 3,000 Black/3,000 Color pages per set of ink bottles (1 bottle each of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). Page yield of color inks is an average yield of cyan, magenta and yellow inks combined. Page yield of included ink bottles used for initial setup is lower than the replacement ink bottles, as a certain amount of ink is consumed to fill into the print head during setup (charging the print head initially). Actual page yield and cost per print will vary significantly based on content printed, ink levels maintained in all four ink reservoirs, and other factors. Page yield is the estimated value based on Canon individual testing method using ISO/IEC 24734 test chart and continuous printing simulation with full set of replacement ink bottles after initial setup.
  4. Warranty is effective for three (3) years from date of original purchase or the printing of 60,000 pages, whichever comes first. Warranty program is subject to certain conditions and restrictions. See http://www.usa.canon.com/maxify-gx-series-warranty for details.
  5. Print speed is based on internal testing. Print speed may vary, depending on the number of copies selected as well as the settings for size, type, and orientation of paper.
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