Writing a Print Policy People Will Actually Follow
A print policy that staff ignore lets waste build up and leaves paper spending hard to budget.
Last updated: September 2026
A print policy sets out who can print what, on which device, and in what format.
The ones that work change the default settings rather than asking people to remember rules.
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Quick formMost print policies fail
A policy that asks staff to remember to print double sided is a policy that decays within a month.
A default that prints double sided unless somebody actively changes it achieves the same outcome without anybody remembering anything.
The rule of thumb is simple: put the desired behaviour in the settings, and put only the exceptions in the document.
Five things a short policy covers
- The defaults: double sided, mono, and which device a job goes to unless someone chooses otherwise.
- What must not be printed at all, which usually means anything better handled digitally.
- What must be printed securely, meaning held at the device until the sender is present.
- Who is allowed to print in colour, and whether that is a restriction or simply a default that can be overridden.
- What happens to printing at the end of a matter or a project, so records do not accumulate in trays.
Keeping it to one page
A policy nobody reads has no effect, and length is the main reason people do not read them.
One page, written in the words the business actually uses, beats a formal document nobody opens.
Name the person responsible for it. A policy with no owner is a policy nobody updates.
Review it when something changes, such as a new device or a new site, rather than on a calendar schedule.
Common questions
What should an office print policy include?
The default settings for double sided and mono, and which device jobs go to.
Then what must be printed securely, who may print in colour, and what happens to printed records at the end of a matter or project.
Why do print policies stop being followed?
Because they ask people to remember something.
A policy that relies on memory decays quickly, while a default setting that produces the same outcome keeps working without anyone thinking about it.
How long should a print policy be?
One page is enough for most businesses.
Length is the main reason policies go unread, and an unread policy has no effect on behaviour whatever it says.
Who should own the print policy?
One named person, usually whoever already owns office operations or technology.
A policy without an owner is not reviewed when a device changes or a site opens, and it drifts out of date.
Related reading
If the way the fleet runs today is costing time, you can compare managed print services against a plain printer lease.