The True Cost of Paper in Business
Check out even more resources

The ROI of Adopting GoCanvas for Field Service Management
Discover how GoCanvas streamlines field service, boosts productivity, and saves costs.

True Homes Streamlines Inspections & Increases Sales by $1,000,000
Learn how streamlining inspections with GoCanvas led to increased sales and improved efficiency.

Service Electric Co. Sees $312,000 ROI, Saves 846 Hours with Mobile Forms
See how Service Electric Co. boosted efficiency and productivity with GoCanvas digital solutions.
Connect with an Expert Today
We’ll help you put together the right solution for your needs.
Text Version
The True Cost of Paper in Business
Still using paper for day-to-day operations? It may be costing your business more than you think. From wasted time and money to environmental damage, here’s what paper really costs—and how going digital with GoCanvas® can change everything.
🧾 Financial Costs
- $725/year per employee spent on printing
- $20 to file a paper document
- $120 to retrieve a misfiled document
- $200+ to replace a lost document
- $120 to retrieve a misfiled document
- $200+ to replace a lost document
🌍 Environmental Impact
- It takes 17 trees + 10,000 gallons of water to make 1 ton of paper.
- Paper = 25% of landfill waste in the U.S.
- 45% of printed documents are trashed within 24 hours.
- 30% of print jobs are never picked up from the printer.
- The U.S. has <5% of the global population but uses 30% of the world’s paper.
⏳ Productivity Costs
- 1.8 hours/day are spent searching for documents.
- 20% of the workweek is lost to paperwork searches.
- 5% of paper documents are lost.
- 3% of paper documents are misfiled.
- Paper documents are copied 19 times on average.
- Workers make 61 trips/week to the printer/copier.
🚀 Benefits of Going Paperless (with GoCanvas)
- Save on printing, filing, and storage costs.
- Reduce errors by 60% with digital forms.
- Boost productivity by 34%.
- Enjoy instant access, sharing, and storage via the cloud.
- Lower your environmental footprint.
- Access stronger disaster recovery and business continuity.
📲 Ready to Cut Costs and Go Digital?
GoCanvas helps businesses eliminate paperwork, streamline workflows, and accurately capture data from the field—which means no more lost documents, delays, or manual re-entry.
👉 See how it works in action.
Sources:
- PwC / BLR – https://blr.com/resources/how-much-do-paper-records-cost-your-company
- AIIM Report – https://info.aiim.org/state-of-the-intelligent-information-management-industry-2023
- EPA Paper Stats – https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/paper-and-paperboard-material-specific-data
- AF&PA Recycling Data – https://www.afandpa.org/news/2024/paper-industry-announces-2023-us-paper-recycling-rates-using-updated-methodology
- RoadRunner Waste Management – https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/office-worker-waste-generation
- GoCanvas Case Study Insights – https://www.gocanvas.com/blog/new-year-efficiency-with-gocanvas