# People are less likely to throw away green paper? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616 "2005-06-16T22:38:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/1 "2005-06-16T22:38:03Z")
So my dad is having me do a mailer for our business. I tried to explain that it is fact that people are less likely to throw away green paper because it subconsciously reminds them of money. Therefore, says I, we should print our flyer on as close a green to money as we can find. He says I’m crazy. I’m not, right? Can anyone point me in the direction of a study or something I can show him to prove my rightness? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/2 "2005-06-17T00:12:28Z")
Well, green paper can be extremely hard to read for the colorblind. You’re better off with white non-glossy I would guess. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/3 "2005-06-17T03:42:53Z")
Well, you should start with the envelope. I won’t give you any clues, because I don’t want to help you make me open your mail. But if its obviously junk, it won’t be opened. Luckily the majority don’t know what “obviously” junk is, so it may not be too hard (I’m amazed at the tricks that junk mailers do to get me to open their occassional mail. It’s deceptive when it’s from someone I do business with). Now to be fair, I don’t know what your business is, so my use of “junk” doesn’t mean “Sanford and Son” junk, but just regular, unsolicited, bulk mail. My real advice as a “don’t even bother opening it’er” is to get your marks to open the thing first. Then worry about the color. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/4 "2005-06-17T05:26:55Z")
Hmm…“less obvious” junk always gets a blank reply envelope…at least in my house. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/5 "2005-06-17T06:25:18Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > He says I’m crazy. > > I’m not, right? Well, you’re the one making the claim, on what do you base it? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/6 "2005-06-17T07:07:45Z")
If you feel like paying more money for colored paper on the off chance this really makes a difference, go ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/7 "2005-06-17T07:12:07Z")
What **Askance** said - obviously something must have convinced _ **you** _ that this idea was correct - what was it? ---
**Author:** ![Fringe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5a626/32.png) [@Fringe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fringe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/8 "2005-06-17T12:42:52Z")
I’m not sure how it works on a wide basis, but personally the color of paper makes no difference to me. If it’s junk, it’s junk. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/9 "2005-06-17T14:49:49Z")
Money is made of plastic, though one of them is [kind of green](http://members.ozemail.com.au/~enigman/images/poly100.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/10 "2005-06-17T14:53:51Z")
For the record, US currency is printed on _fabric_, not paper. This is why a dollar bill will survive going through the washing machine. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/11 "2005-06-17T16:08:34Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > For the record, US currency is printed on _fabric_, not paper. This is why a dollar bill will survive going through the washing machine. Paper is a fabric! ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/12 "2005-06-17T18:08:55Z")
Thanks for the replies, guys. My claim is based on something my stats teacher told me. He’s been in the field for about 30 years, worked at George Washington University, worked on a lot of stuff for the government, and does a lot of private work for local and state business. Anyway, he said they did a study that showed people were less likely to throw away green papers (I.E. they are more likely to leave it sitting on the table/counter/ desk or whatever) and the closer they got to the color of money, the less people tossed it. He said this in passing though, so I was wondering if there is anything else to back this up. For the record (and some might remember), we run a business that helps people settle tax issues with the IRS. We mail to people that have liens and levies and such (they are published weekly). Anyway, our mailers actually get a really high response, as most people think their problem is unfixable and are happy to learn they have options. But back to the issue at hand! The letters come in a regular, white envelope- printed with our logo and adress in the left, their names typed in the middle. For all intesive purposes, it really doesn’t look like junk mail. What I’m wondering is how we should print up the actual flier inside. I had heard about the green thing, so I was just wondering if it had been substantiated elsewhere. Plus, it’s just a nifty fact (if it’s true). ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/13 "2005-06-17T18:10:22Z")
Feel free to ignore all spelling errors, as preview is not my friend. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/14 "2005-06-17T18:46:40Z")
> [@groman](#): > > Well, green paper can be extremely hard to read for the colorblind. Not for this CB person. Unless you are using red or brown ink on that paper, which seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/15 "2005-06-17T19:42:15Z")
Why don’t you just test it? Print half on each, with some kind of different code or phone number or some way so you can tell which one a person responded to. Then measure the response rate for each and compare. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-are-less-likely-to-throw-away-green-paper/308616/16 "2005-06-17T19:57:38Z")
For all intents and purposes, the color shouldn’t matter if you get high response rates anyway.