Are Print Costs Killing Your Bottom Line? Read This

Unmanaged print costs typically account for 1 – 3% of an organization’s total revenue, and that’s not considering the dramatic price increases we’ve seen in ink, toner, and paper recently. If you’re looking to reduce your print costs, there are smart ways to dramatically reduce your expenses without frustrating your staff. Every print environment is different, so our experts have compiled some options to suit every organization. 

But first, let’s explore the printing expenses that are killing you…softly. 

Printing Expenses

When most people think of printing costs, they tend to focus on supplies. “Inkflation” is a hot topic in 2023, but there are additional costs that are easy to overlook: 

• Ink and toner
• Paper
• Energy use
• Maintenance
• Productivity loss

Ink and Toner

These cartridges are expensive, and ordering extras (or incorrect supplies) can add up quickly. And then there’s how you’re using them…

7 Money-Saving Hacks for Ink and Toner

1. Put one person in charge of ordering supplies and overseeing your inventory. This single tip will also help reduce your risk of office supply scams.
2. Set defaults to black and white printing.
3. Use slimmer fonts that require less ink.
4. Consider eliminating personal printers.
5. Use fast draft printing (also sometimes called simple print) for proofing documents.
6. Discourage unnecessary printing, and encourage your staff to briefly review their documents before sending them to the printer.
7. Use the right machine for the right job; don’t use machines that specialize in high-quality printing for long documents that don’t need crisp images.

Paper

It may be tempting to reduce your print costs by buying cheaper paper, but cheap paper generates dust that can shorten the life of your printer or copier. Consider the following tips instead.

3 Additional Money-Saving Hacks for Paper

1. Set defaults to double-sided printing.
2. Consider printing to a PDF instead of filing a hard copy.
3. If your printer has a “scan to email” feature, use it in lieu of distributing paper documents.

Energy Use

This is an easy expense to overlook. But every additional device you have adds to your electricity bill and takes up space. Plus, when you make your employees walk to a networked printer or copier, they’re less likely to print unnecessarily.

2 Hacks to Reduce Energy Use

1. This bears repeating: eliminate personal printers whenever possible. Yes, even yours.
2. Consider one multifunction device that can copy, scan, print, fax, and more, and offload devices that can only do one of the above.

Maintenance

Printers are much like cars in that they need regular maintenance to perform well. You shouldn’t reduce regular maintenance, but you can keep costs to a minimum.

4 Hacks to Reduce Maintenance Costs

1. Don’t use low-quality supplies. Low-quality supplies cause unnecessary wear and tear on your printing equipment.
2. Don’t let your employees mistreat your printer. Slamming doors and trays can affect the delicate components inside.
3. Use the right device for the right job.
4. Plan ahead for maintenance so it doesn’t disrupt productivity.

Productivity Loss

Poorly maintained printers cause all kinds of disruptions that interrupt workflow. Extreme frustration is one result, but loss of productivity is another. According to Basex research, work interruptions cost U.S. businesses $588 billion every year.

It’s not just about the time it takes your employees to deal with paper jams or troubleshoot error codes. It’s also about the time it takes them to get their focus back. Interruptions can be caused by many things, and your printer is obviously just one of them. But if your printer is a frequent culprit, then yes, it’s killing your bottom line.  

Here’s another expense that is easy to overlook: at most businesses, half of all help desk calls are printer-related. Even if your IT department spends just a quarter of its time dealing with printer mayhem each week, those lost salary dollars really add up.

Hacks to Reduce Lost Productivity

1. Keep your printers well-maintained to reduce disruptions
2. Consider outsourcing your fleet

What Happens When You Outsource Your Printing Management?

• When a printer or copier is running low on ink or toner, the right supplies will automatically arrive.
• Your provider will use print software to help you reduce waste, prevent unauthorized use, and anticipate issues before they cause disruptions.
• Your staff will be able to focus on what they do best.
• You’ll save money, and your staff will get more done, with less workplace frustration.
• You’ll reduce your risk by transforming a financial liability into a predictable monthly investment.
• Depending on your provider, you may also receive a significant boost to security. 

To get started, your provider will conduct a thorough print assessment to see where your print dollars are really going and where they can save you money. If you’d like a DIY solution, this blog will take you through it step by step. Keep in mind that if you have more than one or two devices to manage, it could take you quite a bit of time!

If you’d like to push the “quick and easy” button, feel free to borrow one of our print experts. We’ll conduct a thorough print assessment for you and give you a game plan for how to dramatically reduce your print costs and improve security without negatively impacting your productivity. Sound good?