12 essential tips for making your home paper-free

Is the paperless office (or home) really still a distant pipe-dream? Or can we clear the clutter and save the rainforests at the same time?

1. Opt for online billing

Getting up to a pile of bills at breakfast is never fun. Increasingly, though, credit card and utility companies allow you to switch to online bills or statements. British Telecom allows you to opt for paper-free billing, while Egg keeps a secure online record of all your credit card statements.

2. Bank online

With chip and pin becoming the preferred method of payment for many retailers, your money is more virtual than ever. Some supermarkets are even doing away with cheques completely. That’s why online banking is so important. It’s a secure, accessible way to keep an eye on your cash, and with daily updates, you can budget more effectively. You may never get another warning letter from your bank again – saving both paper and money.

3. Scan your documents

With some companies your only choice is a paper bill. Our advice? Once paid, scan bills and important letters into Paint. If you don’t have one, a flat-bed scanner can be picked up from around £60 (the Mustek Be@rPaw 6400 retails for £62.50 at dabs). Save the scanned image as a PNG file, giving the document an explanatory name. You now have an electronic copy of your bill or letter that’s easy to find. With Windows Photo Gallery, you can even add tags to the image. As for the paper original, put it in storage – or destroy it.

4. Email everything

Almost any correspondence can now be sent by email. Letters to friends and relatives, queries to your bank, complaints to the local council. Just occasionally, you may get asked to fax a form or photocopied document to someone. Ask them if they have an email address; you can scan in any document and send it as an attachment using Windows Mail instead. And why not send greetings cards by email? Add text to your own festive photos in Paint to turn them into electronic postcards.

5. Transferable text

Printing off a word-processed document for a friend? Give them an electronic copy instead. Rather than saving in your word processor’s native format, save as an RTF document. Standing for Rich Text Format, this Microsoft file type is readable on almost any computer – and maintains your formatting and text styles.

6. Ditch the address book

Windows Vista features ‘Windows Contacts’ integrated directly into Windows Explorer. The quickest way to get to Contacts is to go to your user folder and open the ‘Contacts’ subfolder. Add a new contact by rightclicking and choosing New > Contact. You can export contacts to transferable formats in Windows Contacts, too.

7. Create PDFs

Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files are the best cross-platform format for moving digital documents. They preserve formatting, text styles and fonts and can even include embedded images – and the reader is free so everyone you send them to should be able to view them. If you use Microsoft Office, you can download a PDF converter as a free add-in. Go to Microsoft Downloads and search for save as PDF, then download and install Save as PDF or XPS.

8. Read papers online

Magazines, with their expert content and in-depth features, give tangible value that the web can’t compete with, but when it comes to news the net is faster and will save you from the scourge of inky fingers. Most major newspapers have their own web sites now, from the sensational Sun to the sober Independent. For the most up-to-date news, though, take a look at BBC News.

9. Digitise your notes

Stop scribbling on envelopes and scraps of paper; take notes on your computer instead. Windows Notepad is ideal for quickly jotting down the odd telephone number, shopping list or appointment. You can then add the information to Windows Contacts or Calendar at your leisure – or transfer lists to your mobile phone. Need to quickly insert today’s date into Notepad? Just hit F5.

10. Opt out of junk mail

From your letterbox straight to the bin – junk mail accounts for a large percentage of paper waste, and the plastic address windows in those envelopes mean they’re difficult to recycle. Opt out instead, by visiting the Mailing Preference Service online. Register your postal address and you should see a reduction in the number of unsolicited advertisements landing on your mat.

11. Share photos

Don’t print out your digital pictures; share them online instead. Sign up with Windows Live Spaces and click Share photos to add digital images quickly and easily to online albums your friends can access.

12. Shred and recycle

Windows Vista helps you protect user accounts with passwords and secure your data using advanced encryption. And yet, many of us still throw paper documents containing personal information straight in the bin. Bank letters with our account numbers, new PINs, invoices and receipts – they all contain data that identity thieves can use to steal from you. Invest in a shredder and make sure you destroy any and all personal information before putting it in the recycling bin.