Many offices face the issue of printing too much, therefore spending too much on printing costs. This is often due to the fact that most offices do not have a formal print policy or a means to track usage and cost. This often results in offices spending close to as much as they do on rent and utilities, but on printing. To prevent this from occurring, follow these tips to manage a single office printer or even a fleet of multifunction devices:
Monitor Usage
Did you know that office print volumes will drop by 10% if people know that their usage is being monitored? Many people tend to print unnecessary documents just because the opportunity is available, or they even print items for personal use outside of the office. Studies have also shown that about 20% of what gets printed is never used. Monitoring software will allow you to see who is printing what, at what device.
Digitize
Going paperless is becoming more and more popular as businesses make the effort to be more eco-friendly. Many paper-intensive processes can be converted into digital documents and digital workflows. This is not to say that printing is extinct, but new scanning and sharing technology makes things easier and less expensive than printing tons of paper documents.
Use Color Wisely
A letter-size color document with only 5% toner coverage costs 4 times the cost of a black and white version of that same document. The reason many people choose to print in color is simply because no one has told them not to. Color is often used when printing emails with color signatures and web pages. Solve this issue quickly by setting all printer defaults to black and white.
Order Ahead
Prevent overstocking your supply cabinet or running out of toner completely in the middle of a busy day by taking the proactive approach to ordering toner. Set your printer monitoring software to notify you when there is about 20% remaining. This allows you to reorder and have a replacement ready for when the cartridge goes dry.
Carraway Office Solutions
No matter what type of equipment your company uses, Carraway Office Solutions can handle all your Office Automation needs. We are totally focused on you, our customers, to ensure that your needs are always met. Find out what others have known for over 50 years: at Carraway Office Solutions, customers are our first priority. Contact us today!