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What Happened to the Paperless Office?

Still, huge financial incentives to cut down have wheels in motion

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted May 28, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

(Newser) – More than 30 years after Xerox guru George Pake predicted a "paperless office" by 1995, the dream is as elusive as ever. That's because the very computers that made paper theoretically obsolete, BusinessWeek notes, also brought us printers and copiers on practically every desktop. "The decision to print has gotten much closer to the owner of the document," says a paper economist.

But now the financial and environmental incentives to reduce paper are all the more evident, leading companies to push hard for solutions. Expect to see more and more  restrictions on printers—making them less convenient cuts down use—fax machines disappearing, and even limits on how many pages each employee is allowed to print.

In 2006, the average office worker used 127 pounds of paper a year.
In 2006, the average office worker used 127 pounds of paper a year.   (KRT Photos)
Office Depot Recycled Paper (Photo
Office Depot Recycled Paper (Photo   (AP Photo)
Despite the easy availability of digital documents, average paper use by a US officers worker declined only from 143 pounds per year in 1999 to 127 pounds in 2006.
Despite the easy availability of digital documents, average paper use by a US officers worker declined only from 143 pounds per year in 1999 to 127 pounds in 2006.   (AP Photo/Amazon.com,File)
33 years ago, George Pake predicted a paperless office by 1995.
33 years ago, George Pake predicted a "paperless office" by 1995.   (Magnum Photos)
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