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Teen tells gov't how to save millions
05 Apr 2014 14:05 #1
by ScienceChic
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Teen tells gov't how to save millions was created by ScienceChic
Smart kid, I applaud the common sense idea followed by the careful research to confirm the hypothesis. Will his idea be embraced? Color me skeptical.
Teen tells government changing its typeface could save millions
by CNN Wire
March 29, 2014
(Photo: CNN)
Teen tells government changing its typeface could save millions
by CNN Wire
March 29, 2014
(Photo: CNN)
Read more to find out what he discovered and the response by the Government Printing Office (might be a good thing to write your reps about...)It all started as a science fair project. As a neophyte sixth-grader at Dorseyville Middle School, Suvir noticed he was getting a lot more handouts than he did in elementary school.
Interested in applying computer science to promote environmental sustainability, Suvir decided he was going to figure out if there was a better way to minimize the constant flurry of paper and ink.
Reducing paper use through recycling and dual-sided printing had been talked about before as a way to save money and conserve resources, but there was less attention paid to the ink for which the paper served as a canvas for history and algebra handouts. “Ink is two times more expensive than French perfume by volume,” Suvir says with a chuckle.
From this analysis, Suvir figured out that by using Garamond with its thinner strokes, his school district could reduce its ink consumption by 24%, and in turn save as much as $21,000 annually.
Encouraged by his teacher, Suvir looked to publish his findings and stumbled on the Journal for Emerging Investigators (JEI), a publication founded by a group of Harvard grad students in 2011 that provides a forum for the work of middle school and high school students.
Suvir’s findings were so clear, simple and well thought-out, it had the peer reviewers at JEI asking, “How much potential savings is really out there?” For the answer, JEI challenged Suvir to apply his project to a larger scale: the federal government.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
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05 Apr 2014 14:33 #2
by SomethingShiny
Seriously, we should all look into this! One small change can save so much. Why didn't I think of that?
Replied by SomethingShiny on topic Teen tells gov't how to save millions
Seriously, we should all look into this! One small change can save so much. Why didn't I think of that? Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
05 Apr 2014 14:50 #3
by ScienceChic
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Replied by ScienceChic on topic Teen tells gov't how to save millions
Too obvious. 
We need kids to remind us of what's right in our faces that we overthink.
We need kids to remind us of what's right in our faces that we overthink. "Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
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05 Apr 2014 16:18 #4
by PrintSmith
Replied by PrintSmith on topic Teen tells gov't how to save millions
The problem gets to be this. It really doesn't save any money at all unless you are talking about an inkjet printer. Laser printers don't work the same way that inkjets or laserjets do and nearly every office printer around any government office is going to be a toner based machine, not an inkjet one, for precisely that reason. The other reality is that the office machines are all leased, with a service contract covering all service and supplies. Printers are like cars, they lose value the moment a single copy is made on them, which is why they are leased instead of purchased. Saving a cartridge or two of toner in a year isn't going to alter the cost of that service/supply contract in the least. Consuming above expected averages isn't going to alter it either. The money in the service/supply contract is based on averages for the machine regarding service calls, parts and supplies in an average business setting, not averages for the individual customer.
As far as offset printing goes, one loses more ink cleaning the machine than is going to be saved by using a thinner type face on an average run using 12pt type with the default 14.4 pt leading between rows.
Of course a teenager isn't going to know any of this, their experience is limited to what they have at home. I would expect more from the grad school students and acedemics who are using peer review standards, but this exercise shows me quite clearly why that is pure folly on my part and why I have come to mistrust the religion of global climate change despite the "rigorous peer reviewing" that the data is supposedly subjected to.
For no other reason than grins and giggles I'll share something with you. When you look at a cartridge of ink and see that the average yield is X number of sheets, that sheet count is generated using an industry standard of 5% coverage, which is about 2 paragraphs each holding 3 lines of type. A standard letter sized sheet with nothing other than standard 12 pt type on it is roughly 30% coverage. So when you see that sheet count on the cartridge, whatever it is, divide that number by 6 and you should have a better indication on just how long that cartridge is going to last you. If you normally have a graphic or two on every page in addition to the type, then your coverage is going to be in the 40% to 45% range and you should divide the expected yield figure by 9 to be on the safe side. That should keep you from running out of ink halfway through printing out your kid's term paper in the middle of the night when the paper has to be turned in the next day.
As far as offset printing goes, one loses more ink cleaning the machine than is going to be saved by using a thinner type face on an average run using 12pt type with the default 14.4 pt leading between rows.
Of course a teenager isn't going to know any of this, their experience is limited to what they have at home. I would expect more from the grad school students and acedemics who are using peer review standards, but this exercise shows me quite clearly why that is pure folly on my part and why I have come to mistrust the religion of global climate change despite the "rigorous peer reviewing" that the data is supposedly subjected to.
For no other reason than grins and giggles I'll share something with you. When you look at a cartridge of ink and see that the average yield is X number of sheets, that sheet count is generated using an industry standard of 5% coverage, which is about 2 paragraphs each holding 3 lines of type. A standard letter sized sheet with nothing other than standard 12 pt type on it is roughly 30% coverage. So when you see that sheet count on the cartridge, whatever it is, divide that number by 6 and you should have a better indication on just how long that cartridge is going to last you. If you normally have a graphic or two on every page in addition to the type, then your coverage is going to be in the 40% to 45% range and you should divide the expected yield figure by 9 to be on the safe side. That should keep you from running out of ink halfway through printing out your kid's term paper in the middle of the night when the paper has to be turned in the next day.
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05 Apr 2014 17:30 #5
by ScienceChic
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Replied by ScienceChic on topic Teen tells gov't how to save millions
Nice insight there PS, it would be interesting to see what the percentage actually is for laser printer use vs inkjet. While I wondered about the error happening when he was cutting out letters to weigh, that to me was a minor detail in the bigger picture of the fact that reviewing even simple procedures such as this could find a treasure-trove of savings opportunities.
And, sorry, but :LMAO: at comparing a teenager's single paper being reviewed and accepted by grad students vs trained scientists conducting, and reviewing others', as a reason to doubt 40 years worth of research, and tens of thousands of papers, on a broader subject. If you're going to doubt global warming as a whole, then you shouldn't place stock in anything that's come out of science. At all. It's all the same method and process.
And, sorry, but :LMAO: at comparing a teenager's single paper being reviewed and accepted by grad students vs trained scientists conducting, and reviewing others', as a reason to doubt 40 years worth of research, and tens of thousands of papers, on a broader subject. If you're going to doubt global warming as a whole, then you shouldn't place stock in anything that's come out of science. At all. It's all the same method and process.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
06 Apr 2014 06:59 #6
by LOL
Yep. Same idea for young workers vs. old time stubborn experienced workers.
We were just instructed to use Sans Serif font on CAD drawings by our customer. Not an issue with printing though just for readability, and most CAD drawings are not printed out on paper very often, too dang big!
Printing on black and white and both sides is a big saver too. Web pages are terribly inefficient to print and look like crap most of the time.
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
Replied by LOL on topic Teen tells gov't how to save millions
ScienceChic wrote: Too obvious.
Yep. Same idea for young workers vs. old time stubborn experienced workers.
We were just instructed to use Sans Serif font on CAD drawings by our customer. Not an issue with printing though just for readability, and most CAD drawings are not printed out on paper very often, too dang big!
Printing on black and white and both sides is a big saver too. Web pages are terribly inefficient to print and look like crap most of the time.
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
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