14 year old Suvir Mirchandani came up with an idea to save millions of dollar for the government all by switching the font we used. The idea all started with his science fair project, in which he was trying to save money and cut waste at his school. By collecting samples of his teacher's handouts, he was able to determine the weight of the most commonly used letters in different fonts. He analyzed that thinner fonts could save thousands of dollars by reducing ink consumption. Because the government prints so much annually, they are spending roughly $467 million just on ink. They could potentially save nearly $136 million per year by switching to the font "Garamond". The everyday user at home could also make the switch and save themselves money in the long run.
I really appreciate the fact that this kid, who is younger than I am, took the initiative to find more ways of cutting waste. Hardly any of us think about how much ink we are really using every time we print out an essay, but he actually analyzed such an unexpected source of waste. His experiment produces long term savings after viewing the amount of ink saved over time. Considering ink costs more than a bottle of French perfume, I think its a good idea to start printing out essays with a thinner font. As long as it is still legible, no one should have a problem with it. I don’t think the government would actually hop on board with his idea, but I think he is headed in a great direction.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/living/student-money-saving-typeface-garamond-schools/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
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