If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

Every resident of the United States over the past couple hundred years or so would have experienced having to fill out the U.S. Census. As 2009 draws to a close, preparations are already under way for conducting the 2010 U.S. Census. According to U.S. Census Bureau, printing of next year’s set of questionnaires has already begun, and there are a few changes that are worth mentioning.

For one, the 2010 questionnaire will be shorter than what you have probably been used to over the years; according to the U.S. Census, it is one of the shortest questionnaires that will be handed out since the first census in 1790. There will only be 10 questions for each residential address to answer, and will only take about 10 minutes to complete.

Despite its obvious brevity, though, the questionnaire will remain to be “a powerful tool that provides critical data,” according to Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves, as quoted in the press release.

In order to meet the projected demand of delivering more than 120 million questionnaires to residential addressees in the United States starting in the middle of March next year, the Census Bureau is reportedly printing more than a million and a half documents each day.

This is where the conduct of the 2010 census proves its eco-friendliness. With the shorter questionnaires, the Bureau stands to use up 30 percent less ink when compared to a questionnaire printed 10 years ago. That’s a significant amount of savings on printer ink alone! The questionnaires will also be printed using 30 percent recycled paper, doing another bit for the environment.

Another activity incorporated for the 2010 census is ensuring the quality of the address list that will be used to hand out the census questionnaires. Workers from the Census Bureau verified U.S. Postal Service and local government-provided address lists with the actual addresses on foot. This will ensure more efficient data collection as well as do away with wasted questionnaires.

We are still in the middle of July, just a week after the Fourth of July and still very much right smack in the middle of summer. There is still plenty of time to pack those bags – filled to bursting with swimsuits, flip flops and sunblock – and take some well deserved R and R with the rest of the family.

Your printer can do wonders in making your travel plans a whole lot easier. No, we are not saying that you will be flying off to Tomorrowland aboard an inkjet printer, but having one will definitely make preparing to travel with the family lighter.

For starters, if you are just flying to the opposite coast, then forget about lining up at the travel agency. You can do all your travel and itinerary planning right at home on the net, how else? You can conveniently print your family’s tickets on your trusty inkjet. On some airlines, you can also manage to check in, choose your seats and print your boarding passes in the comfort of your home office!

When traveling with kids, make keeping a tab on your belongings an easy feat by printing off luggage tags and labels and sticking them on all your stuff. It can be quite confusing to hold on to a toddler and keep an eye on the luggage turnstile at the same time, and eye-catching tags will definitely ensure you don’t grab someone else’s odds and ends.

If you do not mind bringing a little extra in your luggage and you have a mobile printer, you can even take your printer along with you – for such emergencies as an urgent call from the office or to allow your kids to leave keepsakes for grandma chronicling their summer memories. Don’t forget to bring your stash of compatible photo paper, and maybe extra ink cartridges – or pick some up when you get there; with all the fun you will undoubtedly have, you might just run out of supplies!