It never fails. Your printer or copier occasionally spits out pages that you really don't want. Either it's that pesky second page with just a website address or a copy that didn't copy right. So, what are you to do? Well, you could just throw it in the trash, or better yet, the recycling. But I've got some ideas you may or may not have thought of for reusing before recycling these expensive blunders.
First off, you may wish to designate a place in your home or office to place these one-sided wonders. You may also want to come up with a clever marking system to ensure your family or coworkers don't accidentally reuse an important paper. In our home, if it has a big pink "x" on the printed side, it's free for reusing. This is helpful for many reasons. Note: You might also consider which pages to reuse and for what purposes. Sometimes we decide to just shred pages that contain sensitive information or we might reuse them for only certain purposes. Once you have a system in place, you will find any number of uses for these less than desirable pages.
One way of reusing these would be to let your kids use the unmarked side as coloring and drawing paper. It's cheaper than buying new paper for them and you won't feel bad when they blow through twenty pages of paper in thirty minutes. Tip: If you don't mind using a little printer ink, find some fun coloring pages on the internet to print on the blank side. These will keep the kids entertained and don't cost you much. As a bonus, the kids can even choose which pages to print before coloring.
Another way to use the paper is simply to reprint on the other side. I know many people who do this. My husband and I print one time use directions and information on the backs of old pages. That way, we don't feel bad about wasting paper. We just use some of our ink. (This is where the marking system really comes in handy. Everyone knows what is up for grabs.) Granted, many people now have internet access on their cell phones and don't necessarily need to pre-print these things, but some of us still like to live in the dark ages.
One of my favorite ways to reuse these pieces of paper is to print blank lists, charts, and calendars on them. I make list pads with old pieces of printer paper and find them most useful. I like these better than using plain "scratch pads" because I'm a list maker. Chores, groceries, blog ideas, I'm always making lists. I also make blank scrapbook layout idea pages. That way I can organize my layout ideas and remember them later, whenever I get a chance to scrapbook again. (If I can find a way, I'll try to post my templates for these things.)
Lastly, if you have a paper shredder and the information on the page is too sensitive, shred it. You can use the shredded paper as packaging filler. We use a lot of shredded document paper when sending things through the mail. You can also use the shredded paper for craft projects.
