The TDSIT Blog

If you're looking for ways to reduce your office budget, but think you've exhausted every option, think again. The office print environment is an area where substantial savings can often be had. A Managed Print Services (MPS) provider can help starting with a detailed print assessment designed to identify where your money is being spent, opportunities to reduce costs, increase productivity and cut down on waste. 

What Is A Print Assessment?

A print assessment encompasses the monitoring of all print devices in your organization, over a set period of time. Once the information is gathered, a detailed report is presented, along with opportunities for improvement. Thanks to recent inroads in technology, software used to gather print data is quick, easy and accurate allowing businesses to gain an immediate understanding of their print network. 

What to Expect

Your print assessment may be carried out in a variety of ways, depending on the size and scope of your organization. Options include:

• Walk About - For non-networked devices, or smaller operations, a walk around the office can yield significant results. By taking an inventory of all non-networked and networked devices, and running a configuration sheet at the start and end of the day, you can get an estimate of average daily print volumes. From there, volumes can be projected for a set period of time, and the necessary adjustments can be made. 
• Deploying Print Assessment Software - For managers wishing to gain valuable insight into their actual cost of printing, print volumes and workflow, print assessment software can provide a more in-depth picture. 
• Onsite Services - Perfect for large scale operations, businesses with multiple offices, or for those operating on an international level. A more in-depth assessment may be required, as bigger organizations tend to have less transparency in regards to expenses due to a fragmented print network. 
   

An MPS provider will work with you to improve and streamline your print environment. A print assessment is the first step in this process and one that can generate immediate savings. Most organizations view printing as a necessary cost of doing business, but left unmanaged, can result in inefficiency, overspending and unnecessary waste. Partnering with an experienced MPS provider, is the best way to avoid these pitfalls, leaving you more time and resources to put towards growing your business. 

For a no-obligation print environment assessment, contact us today.

Back in 1975, Business Week published an article entitled “The Office of the Future” which predicted that by 1990 the paperless office would arrive, and we’d all be free! Well the fact is, we’re still waiting. Every year the world produces more than 300 million tons of paper according to the US EPA, even though the technology exists to significantly curtail paper use in the workplace.

Do you know what your office paperwork is actually costing you? Consider these facts courtesy of The Paperless Project:

            • As much as 80% of the information in your office is retained on paper

            • The average cost of processing an invoice is $24

            • The average office prints in excess of 10,000 pages per year, 17% are never used

            • It can cost up to $125 to locate a misfiled document

            • 75% of small to medium sized businesses have no disaster recovery plan!

Accidents can happen and the time to be prepared is before they do. Studies have shown that 70% of businesses operating without a disaster plan would fail within three weeks after a catastrophic loss of paper documents caused by a fire or flood. You need a document management plan not only to streamline your daily operations and save money, but also to protect you from any unforeseen disaster that could wipe-out years of hard work!

Today’s technology offers solutions. Multifunction devices are networkable, Internet compatible and come with internal storage.  Using a software solution like Xerox’s ConnectKey is an easy way to implement document management into your workflow. ConnectKey allows your employees to scan, print, share, store, collaborate on and save documents. Because it’s cloud based, it’s easy to automate offsite backup to help prepare your company for unforeseen circumstances.

Because documents are stored digitally, they’re searchable using a variety of methods. That means no more misfiled documents, and no more expensive downtime spent searching. Because documents can be shared, collaboration is incredibly easy and efficient. Automated back-up means that in the event of a disaster, your documents are safely stored offsite making it easier to keep your business up and running when disaster strikes.

Want to know more? Schedule a free print environment assessment or download our MPS ebook featuring the "TDS Document Efficiency Checklist".  

Henry Ford is credited with the change of business focus from simply mass production to lean mass production that is more efficient and cost-effective. Multinationals like Nike have placed internal measures to monitor their production costs and minimize expenses. Successful businesses in the 21st century strive to minimize costs and at the same time increase production. 

“Business as usual” has been redefined to mean cutting cost while increasing productivity and efficiency. Companies are monitoring every aspect of production in their businesses to ensure they are incurring the least possible costs. The cost of nearly everything related to production is monitored; from shipping charges to long-distance calls. Your company is also likely to have instituted cost-cutting measures in production in one way or the other. 

If cost-cutting is a primary concern of 21st century businesses, then why are you not tracking your office printing costs? 

We surveyed a number of SMBs that we determined would benefit from our office print assessment and our findings were similar across all participants. The study revealed that: 

1.         Businesses Have No Idea How Many Printers They Have On Their Network

Most businesses we surveyed were not aware of the number of printers they had in their networks. The total printers in a network determine a company’s overall printing costs, which can be significantly high for businesses with inefficient printing practices. The study also revealed that most businesses do not have rules-based printing and thus have no way of monitoring their printing costs. 

We also found out most businesses had printers from different vendors which, means multiple invoicing at the end of the year. Having different printer vendors means higher costs since separate P.O.s have to be sent to each vendor. 

2.         Business Do Not Know How Much They Are Spending On Printing

Most businesses we surveyed had no idea how much printing costs they incur every year. Moreover, very few of them had set internal measures to help them monitor and track their printing activities. Most businesses do not know that printer cartridges have different yields, and thus using different print cartridges can mean higher costs. Businesses are also incurring more costs by signing up for different plans. 

3.         Businesses Have No Office Printing Rules

Without monitoring the printing done by different departments, business cannot know their monthly or yearly printing costs. The businesses surveyed did not have a way of determining which departments or individuals printed what. 

The cost of printing color and the lack of rules-based printing can reduce a company’s revenues. Studies show that businesses incur printing costs of $.07 to $.50 per page because of not implementing no color printing rules. 

To cut down costs, there is a need for proper tracking and rules-based printing rules for different departments and individuals. The rules should outline what can be printed, who can print what and how it can be printed.

Rules-Based Printing

Rules-based printing can help your company reduce costs by identifying areas in your operations with inefficient printing practices. For example, your employees can know the most efficient printers to use for various works and printing can be restricted to deferent departments or employees. Money-saving measures like default black and white printing of emails and letters can also help to reduce costs.

Office Print Assessment

An office print assessment can help you identify cost-cutting opportunities in your company. The assessment can help your business take control of the office printing environment and improve its overall efficiency using technology programs like Managed Print Program. 

Click here for an office print assessment to find out how your company can reduce printing costs