Your printer is not just for printing essential work documents. It also can help with your day to day organizational planning. There are a number of tools available that can help you stay organized and help your workday flow better.
All you need is the equipment you already have available in the office or at home. An inkjet or laser printer, printer paper (adhesive paper if necessary), and ink or toner.
Once you start these printing projects, you may run out of ink faster than usual. We recommend opting for an alternative printer brand such as 123ink.ie to keep your costs down. You can save up to 70% on your ink costs by choosing a compatible version of a Canon, HP or an Epson ink cartridge, for example.
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Create labels to organize your files
One simple way to organize your workspace, office supplies or files is to create some handy labels. You can find label templates for free on Microsoft Word and print labels with your printer. All you will need is some printer label stickers and a printer. Labels will help you to quickly reference your files without wasting time. Stick your labels on binders, lever arch files, storage boxes and more filing essentials. You can also create personalized labels for your possessions to ensure nobody accidentally nabs your belongings in the office! They’re also useful for creating name tags for new recruits to quickly introduce them to the team.
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Print a calendar
Another practical organizational printout is an office calendar. There are lots of ready-to-use calendar templates available online. Customize it to your own taste using color coding, for example, to group together important dates or projects. This way you can easily view your upcoming meetings or project deadlines at a glance and won’t waste any time wondering when your next meeting is. Stick your calendar on the wall above your desk so you don’t miss any important dates and have time to prepare for important dates in advance.
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Print a planner
If you have a busy schedule and need help managing your appointments, a planner is a great tool. A portable planner or organizer is more compact than a wall calendar. This is especially useful for those who travel a lot and need a travel-sized planner to hand to keep their schedule in check. Printable schedules, to-do lists and weekly/monthly planner templates are all available on Microsoft Word. You can then customize your planner to suit your schedule. This will ensure you can easily jot down important information as soon as you hear it or an important idea whenever it strikes. Quickly and easily reference the details, whenever you are.
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Print a goal-setting chart
With so much on our plates in the modern workplace, it’s important to set actionable goals. Goals can serve as useful motivators, help to manage expectations and to manage time more effectively. Although to-do lists are effective for the short term, goal setting printouts can aid in planning more detailed and long term projects. There are many existing goal charts that can be printed off with your (home) office printer to help you reach your goals.
You can also create a personalized chart with specific fields to suit your needs. For example, you can include a goal, its purpose, write down the steps needed in order to get there, the resources required and how you intend to measure them. By breaking down your goals and organizing them into actionable steps in an easy to read fashion, it will help you stay on track. Stick your goal chart on your (home) office wall to keep your goals at the forefront of your mind and fill out your steps as you go along. That way, you can then keep track of any challenges or high points along the way.
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Print shipping labels
Shipping labels are another useful item you can print with your (home) office printer. For printing shipping labels, you’ll need to buy adhesive paper to print the labels. Make sure you have enough printer cartridges in advance as you don’t want to run out of ink and leave your customers waiting.
To print labels, space multiple labels out on each printed page to make use of the entire sheet of paper. You can simply cut the labels out using scissors. Then all that’s left to do is peel the labels off the adhesive paper and stick the shipping labels on the packaging.
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Print personalized envelopes
If you have your own business, you can create one-of-a-kind branded envelopes with your printer. Add your company name and logo and you’re ready to send professional-looking correspondences.
You can also print the address information instead of writing it by hand to complete the professional look. If you’re unsure how to print addresses on an envelope, you can do so in Microsoft Word. You can find it under “Mailings,” then “Envelopes” and then click “Envelopes and Labels” for all the information you need about how to print on envelopes.
Personalized envelopes will act as a simple but effective brand messaging tool with each letter you send, ensuring your brand name gets out there and stands out amongst the rest.
As you can see, there are many great organizational tools that you can print out by simply making the most of your (home) office printer and the templates that are readily available. This will save you money and allow you to customize them to your taste.