For many businesses, the print environment is the last unaudited area in the company. On average, a company’s print-related costs represent between 5 – 15 percent of its annual revenue. Getting your print environment and document costs under control can generate savings which will be directly reflected in your company’s bottom line.
If you’re ready to control your print spending, here are five easy-to-implement tips to help you get your print environment under control once and for all!
1. Do An Assessment
You need to know where you are before determining where to go! Start the cost-reduction process with an assessment of the current state of your print environment. This includes per-page costs for each printer in your fleet, supplies on hand, maintenance and repair costs, and every other print-related expense your business might incur. Monitor print usage to determine what machines are being used the most, and how many prints your team is creating.
2. Create User Restrictions
Can anyone in your office print anything at any time? Did you know that the average employee produces 10,000 printed pages annually? User restrictions can immediately reduce waste and help to control costs. User restrictions can be configured for individuals, user groups, departments, or devices.
3. Control Color Usage
Color print costs about twice as much as monochrome. It also uses more ink and toner, adding to the overall per-page cost. By defaulting printers to two-sided black and white only, you’ll not only keep print costs low, but you’ll also consume less paper. Keep color print on a needs-only basis, for example, your marketing or production departments.
4. Go Digital
Taking your office paperless (or at least as paperless as possible) can significantly lower printing costs. Digital documents support collaboration, are easier to store, are searchable, and can be found with a few mouse clicks. By taking processes and documents digital, you’ll save time and money, and improve usability.
5. Convert from Managing Your Printer to Managed Print Services
Managing your print fleet in-house can steal your team’s focus from performing the key business tasks that generate revenue. In fact, if your IT department is like most businesses, they probably spend an average of 15% of their time on print-related problems. By engaging a third-party Managed Print Services Provider, you can free your IT team to focus on mission-critical tasks like creating an upgrade plan for your technology.
Taking some simple steps can improve your team’s productivity, streamline workflows, and lower your print costs, once and for all! Taking stock of where your print environment is currently, setting some goals, and making a technology plan can help you to understand your actual print costs better and help you work towards a more efficient workplace.
Contact us today and register for our upcoming Five Technology Fronts to Drive Your Business Forward webinar. Stay tuned! Time and date to be announced soon.
About Proven IT
Proven IT helps organizations leverage technology to boost productivity, control costs and protect confidential data. Headquartered in Illinois with customers throughout the United States, popular solutions include Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed Office Services, Integrated Voice & Data, Physical Security Systems and Business Process Automation.
