We have all heard of the term "paperless office," a concept first coined by BusinessWeek in 1975. Yet even with the World Wide Web and a digital age proliferated with electronic documents, the fact remains that over 30 years on, office workers still choose to read, write and distribute information on paper. Indeed, many analysts have reported that paper use is increasing each year, suggesting perhaps that we are more reliant on the printed document than ever before. However, further recent research also suggests that we are now closer to reaching the paper mountain tipping point. Feedback from our customers indicates that they are looking more seriously at paper reduction in the future. This is supported by IDC's 2009 Printer and MFP Forecasts which estimated that the number of printed pages will decline for the first time this year, from 1.5 trillion pages in 2008, to 1.47 trillion pages

Whilst the paperless office vision of the 1970’s is still a long way from becoming a reality, this data shows a change in direction for the first time. Why are we seeing this sudden move to reduce the paper mountain? At Ricoh we believe we are on the cusp of a major change in mindset which will fundamentally change the way that we work. As behaviours towards paper usage change, and companies become more aware of the benefits of an optimised workflow environment we are seeing the enterprise print space leap up the corporate agenda.

At the coal face, Ricoh believes that we are seeing this change in behaviour because of two key business drivers. First: the need to meet environmental strategies and second: the need to reduce total cost of overall paper consumption.

The great news is that by taking these first steps towards reducing the paper mountain, businesses are also looking more closely at their overall document management processes which in turn introduce many more opportunities that drive additional long-term benefits. For example, information security has also become a critical issue as businesses start to evaluate their document management processes.

Reducing the paper mountain leads to real long term benefits
In many organisations, document management has been overlooked, with the focus often placed upon driving efficiencies in the area of facilities, telecommunications and IT networks. However, as businesses start to re-evaluate their document processes they are achieving up to 30% in initial cost savings and additional savings over time. Partnering closely with customers to understand their needs and provide recommendations can significantly transform their document workflows. As a result customers can gain more transparency over their document costs, can reduce the workload of their IT support and drive productivity. In some businesses where the document environment can represent anywhere from 5-15% of an organisation’s revenue, cost savings from effective document management are hugely significant.

Being good for the environment is also good for business
Utilising energy-efficient equipment and decreasing the number of documents printed is becoming increasingly important as companies work to reduce their overall impact on the environment. But what we are starting to see is companies striking an effective balance in developing environmental commitments that also link to the business bottom line, maximising efficiencies, saving costs as well as reducing the overall impact a company has on the environment.

In the 1980s Ricoh introduced multifunctional devices to combine copier and fax functions or printer and scanner functions, putting digital multifunctional printers for offices on the market before any other company. These products eliminated the need for multiple devices and significantly reduced both energy usage and associated costs. We continue to support the print reduction strategies of

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