The demise of paper in the workplace has been predicted for years but, if your desk is anything like mine, you'll agree that there's still a long way to go.

Yet, new research has found we are actually making small steps in that direction. Thanks to our love affair with internet-connected mobile devices, it seems we are keeping more information in electronic form rather than committing it to paper. Well done office workers everywhere!

According to the number crunchers at research company IDC, printing volumes in both offices and homes is on the slide. IDC says print volumes will decline at at combined annual growth rate of 0.6 per cent from 2011 to 2015. While the numbers in this study came from Western Europe, it's likely similar trends can be found in other parts of the globe.

In a warning to the printer industry, IDC says work habits are changing. Portable devices, combined with cloud storage, are leading more and more people to bypass the printed page altogether. While this is good for the planet, it's not so good if you're in the business selling printers and ink.

IDC points the finger squarely at the rapid uptake of smartphones - around 95 million of the things were sold around the world last year - as the reason clouds are gathering for printer vendors.

Is your smartphone allowing you to avoid printing as many pages as you once did? Do you believe you'll be working in a paperless workplace anytime soon?