Should we stop implementing the feature to print on paper?

Question

I've been wondering this for a while now.

One of our software has a feature that create a well-formatted document from all the data that the user inputted in the software. The goal is to create something they call a plan that the user can hand over to the government for revision. The government only seem to accept those plans in the printed format.

My concern here is that printing such plan take around 300 pages 8.5"x11". And if there is a problem and the plan has to change, another 300 pages are printed again and sent to the government for further revision.

While I understand that printed paper will not be gone, what can be done to change the mentality over printing stuff in our softwares?

I could just remove all export and print features from the software and force people to use the software to open the documents, but we can't force people into installing a reader software for all kind of proprietary format.

What does the community think about saving trees?

Answer 1

While your motives are commendable, you'll foster more resentment and create a huge support issue rather than saving trees. Consider your assertion: "The government only seems to accept those plans in the printed format." Sounds like it needs to be printed.

Perhaps you could put an "Are you sure?" box with a message, "This is going to consume a lot of paper!". Make 'em think twice --literally! -- before printing it. Even better, instead of the usual "yellow triangle" warning icon, something with a tree or the like. Get creative with it!

Answer 2

I would love to see this become standard. LOVE it. But it is just not feasible yet, for exactly the reason you described:

I could just remove all export and print features from the software and force people to use the software to open the documents, but we can't force people into installing a reader software for all kind of proprietary format.

Instead, make printing an option. Make them confirm they want printing on dead trees before you do it. Make them think about it.

Answer 3

I print when my eyes start hurting. If you disable print, I'll do screen captures and print if I have to.

The goal of reducing paper use is admirable, but I think it makes more sense to try to get the gov't to accept a pdf than it does crippling your software. You'll just lose customers.

Answer 4

You can print the document to a PDF format. Both creating and displaying PDF have open source solutions, and it's a common enough format to be accessed outside of you app. It also allows printing specific pages, rather than the entire document - if needed.

Answer 5

What about reprinting only the pages that changed?

Answer 6

Try making it easier to print just the changes. If you know what pages changed, offer to generate a shorter document with only the changed pages in it (assuming that the pages are numbered so that they can go through and replace the relevant ones). You shouldn't try to stop them from printing the whole thing again, since they may find that necessary, but at least make the option of saving paper easier for them.

Answer 7

While saving trees is great - whether you can get away with a purely digital version of a document is very much domain dependent. There are many things that a computer related interface just doesn't offer the proper amount of flexibility for the people working with it.

If you want to remove printing from your application you need to carefully examine how people interact with your documents and the reasons why they might print them. If your end users are the type that require the ability to doodle, add diagrams, quickly scratch out bits, footnotes, etc - then you need to make sure they can do this in your application just as easily as on paper. If they can't - you have an issue where people will find a way to print the document so they can, or suffer with some very unhappy users.

Answer 8

You could try exporting the document to a folder of html and css. You would probably need the document to be connected through a series of links though. If it was on one large page someone would go ahead and print it right away. If all the links are relative and content is static, you won't need a web server to view them.

Answer 9

It is common for me to print only part of a document, this is great to examine a specially tricky part or show it to someone else. No matter how much you polish your interface there are usecases you will not cover (eg. printing a part to read on the subway). Also PDF's can be loaded on an ebook reader and consulted offline. Maybe you should leave the export to pdf but remove the ability to print directly. It then adds extra step to the printing operation and also makes it probably easier to realize how big the document really is. At the end of the day you should rely on the sysadmin and/or users to make the proper call.

Answer 10

If your users are constrained by what they have to give to the government (or any other customer), you need to retain the feature. Take it away ONLY if you can give up those sales.

Sure, provide PDF or other formats, maybe add a feature to publish PDFs to server (added feature/sales?), but do not remove something they need to be able to provide their customers.

Sometimes there are valid requirements for paper submissions even if we don't know them. In the case of many government-mandated items, fraud or post-facto manipulation are a concern and to date electronic documents have lacked in this regard. Sometimes, sadly, the gub'mint is just slow to change or lazy.

Answer 11

Sure, you can remove that option if your company has a higher desire for saving trees than to get customers. My company doesn't.

And BTW, the trees used to make paper are replanted, so the paper manufacturing doesn't really hurt the forest either.