The fastest way to reduce office printing costs is to find out who prints what, on which device, and then remove the waste you find: extra printers, single-sided and color pages nobody needed, and jobs nobody picked up. Most offices can’t answer the first question, which is why the waste survives.
Talk to an advisor
Ask about your own setup.
We ask what you’re trying to accomplish and tell you what we’d look at first. It costs nothing to talk, and no price comes up on this call.
1. Run a print audit
A print audit counts the printers, copiers and scanners in the office and measures what each one prints, by user and by device, for a few weeks. Print management software does this automatically. The audit usually turns up the same handful of things: a desk printer for every second person, one device doing most of the work, color used for internal drafts, and a few people printing far more than everyone else.
2. Remove printers you don’t need
Every printer has its own toner, its own repairs and its own security updates. Desk printers usually cost the most per page and are the hardest to manage. Moving people to a smaller number of shared multifunction devices cuts supplies and service, and makes the next steps possible.
3. Set better defaults
A lot of waste comes from defaults nobody changed. Print management software can make double-sided and black-and-white the default, prompt before a large color job, and delete duplicate jobs sent twice in a row. People can still print in color when they need to; they just have to choose it.
4. Hold jobs until someone releases them
The EPA ENERGY STAR program estimates that 10 to 35 percent of printed pages are never picked up. Secure print release holds each job until its owner signs in at the device, and deletes jobs nobody releases. It cuts waste and keeps confidential pages out of shared trays at the same time.
5. Size devices to the work
A copier that’s too big costs more every month for speed nobody uses; one that’s too small jams and wears out early. We see many offices leasing copiers sized for far more work than they do. When a device is due for replacement, size it from the audit.
6. Scan instead of printing
Forms that get printed, signed, scanned and filed can often skip the printer entirely. Scanning to SharePoint, OneDrive or a practice management system, and signing electronically, removes pages from the cycle.
7. Buy efficient equipment and keep supplies on schedule
ENERGY STAR certified printers, copiers and scanners use up to 35 percent less energy than conventional equipment, according to the EPA. Automatic toner delivery based on actual levels avoids both emergency orders and boxes of cartridges for printers you no longer own.
How we handle it
Under our managed print service, we track printing by user and device, tell you when some printers can go, size devices to each location’s workload, and ship toner before you run out. You own the equipment and pay a flat monthly amount per device plus the pages you print, with no page minimum and no overage charges.
If you don’t know how many printers your office has, that’s the place to start. Book a 15-minute call and we’ll tell you what we’d count first. See our managed print services.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is a print audit?
A print audit counts every printer, copier and scanner in an office and measures what each prints, by user and device, over a few weeks. The results show which devices to remove, which defaults to change and what size the next copier should be.
What is printer fleet management?
Printer fleet management is looking after all of an organization’s printers and copiers as one group: tracking usage, supplies, repairs and security updates, and deciding when to remove or replace devices. Managed print services usually include it.
Does double-sided printing save money?
Yes. Printing double-sided cuts the paper for multi-page documents nearly in half, and making it the default means people save without thinking about it. Toner use doesn’t change, so pair it with black-and-white defaults for the biggest effect.
Do desk printers cost more than shared printers?
Usually, per page. Small desk printers have higher supply costs per page, each needs its own repairs and updates, and print management software usually can’t track or secure them. Consolidating to shared devices is often the biggest saving an audit finds.
Next step
Let us handle this for you.
Copiers and printers sized to the work, prints released with a card or key, and toner shipped before you run out.
- 15 minutes
Tell us which question brought you here and how your office runs.
We’ll tell you how it applies to you and what we’d look at first.
If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so.
15 minutes
