Does anyone know what green means anymore? It seems like every company under the sun is finding ways to say its products are good for the environment. But how do you decide who’s serious about their claims? The best you can probably do is have a product tested under a rigorous, unbiased standard, and then affixed with a nifty label for easy-to-see credibility. PCMag.com reviews printers on a regular basis, and they’ve devised the GreenTech Approved Seal for models that pass their requirements. GreenTech Approved printers include the HP Officejet 6000, HP Photosmart Premium Fax, and HP Officejet Pro 8500.

So what does it take to get approved? PCMag.com looks at a number of factors, including the following:

1. Is the printer an ink or toner guzzler? Is there an auto-duplex feature to help you save paper? For laser printers, how much energy does it take to manufacture toner?
2. Is the printer Energy Star and RoHS certified?
3. For scanners and multifunction printers that scan, is the scanning method energy efficient?
4. Can you recycle the printer and its ink/toner cartridges?
5. How committed is the manufacturer to helping the environment?

No standard is perfect, but GreenTech sounds like a reasonably comprehensive way to hold printer makers accountable for what their products do to the environment. Plus, let’s face it – a neatly designed seal on a printer product page is a lot easier for consumers to read than a long list of eco-friendly benefits. I think the GreenTech seal should become popular in an increasingly green market, especially considering that companies already deem a PCMag.com Editors Choice Award an honor worth bragging about.

(Photo via Morguefile)