The cost of a single sheet of printer paper is negligible for most businesses. However, as you continue to print out sheets of text day after day throughout the year, the cost of those office supplies can really start to add up. Cutting your business’s printing costs can make a big difference in your bottom line, but how do you even begin to cut down on that expense? Keep reading to get a few tips that can help.
Understanding the True Cost of Printing
First, it’s important to understand that the true cost of printing might actually be higher than you think. There are both direct and indirect costs associated with each sheet of paper that comes out of your printer. Your direct costs are the obvious ones that you’re probably already thinking about cutting back on: ink, toner, and paper. However, the indirect costs can be less obvious; these include maintenance, repairs, energy consumption, and the potential downtime that happens when your printer goes down. Understanding both the direct and indirect costs of printing can help you see the bigger picture when it comes to your printing expenses.
It’s a good idea to track your printer usage patterns, including the frequency, time, and types of documents you’re printing. This can help you identify inefficiencies and overuse in certain areas. Most modern printers have built-in software that can track these patterns; if yours doesn’t have this, additional software can usually be installed to analyze usage in real time. You can use the insights from these usage reports to start creating an efficiency plan for your office’s printing habits.
Implement Double-Sided Printing
One of the simplest things you can do to reduce printer supply costs is to set your printer to default to duplex printing. Double-sided printing immediately cuts paper usage in half, which is a direct cost savings. The setting is easy to implement on most printers, and employees can still have the option to use single-sided printing when the situation calls for it (for example, for printing flyers that will hang on the wall and, therefore, make the back unreadable). Have all your employees switch their print setting to default to duplex printing, and you’ll immediately cut your paper usage in half.
Use Draft Mode When Possible
So you’ve just cut your paper usage in half, but duplex printing will still use the same amount of ink or toner. So, how can you cut this cost? This fastest and easiest option is to set draft mode as the default print option for all internal documents. Documents printed in draft mode are still clear and legible; the text will just be a little lighter than when printing on your standard print mode. While setting the default to duplex printing, set it to draft mode as well, but make sure your employees know how to switch back to standard printing, and providing instruction on which situations would call for this switch (e.g., client-facing documents, legal contracts, etc.) This is yet another simple change that has an immediate savings impact on your printer supply costs.
Use Managed Print Services
Managed Print Services, or MPS, are third-party services that can manage your company’s printing infrastructure. These services monitor your printer usage, help maintain our machines, provide automatic supply refills, and can even suggest better placement of your printers for improved usage efficiency. This can save you both time and money by ensuring any and all printers in your office are running at top efficiency.
Though MPS providers do charge a fee, in the long run, using one can offer considerable savings. They offer you insights about what devices are more cost effective for your business, help reduce downtime (which can lose your company money), and optimize your printer usage based on your business’s needs. They also provide a more predictable monthly expense, which means you can better anticipate and control your printing costs.
Consider Digital Solutions
Though more complex than the other methods we’ve mentioned so offer, embracing digital document management solutions is a highly effective way to cut down on your overall printer usage. By opting for digital file sharing rather than printing and passing out documents, you’ll not only reduce your direct printing costs of ink/toner and paper, but also cut down on your indirect costs. Sending fewer jobs to the printer means less wear and tear on your machine, fewer repairs and maintenance needs, and less energy usage.
Start encouraging employees to opt for e-signatures and paperless invoicing, along with other digital solutions whenever possible. Making the full transition to digital document management is extremely difficult, and odds are high that you’ll still need your printer on a daily basis. However, digital solutions will help your printer last longer and cut down on all associated printer costs.
Regular Printer Maintenance
Think of your office printer in the same way that you think about your car: It’s a machine that you rely on daily, and if you want it to last for a long time and continue performing reliably, you know that you need to provide it with regular maintenance. True, an oil change for your car comes with a fee, but what costs more—an oil change, or extensive engine repairs caused by old oil gumming up your engine? Your printer’s maintenance needs are similar.
Dust buildup and ink residue inside the printer can cause internal jams and added wear and tear, leading to potential breakdowns. Cleaning printers regularly and scheduling routine maintenance with a professional every few months will improve your machine’s performance and extend its lifespan.
Choose the Right Printer
Of course, all of these tips are best implemented after you’ve selected the best office printer-copier in Anchorage, AK, for your business. Invest in something that is energy efficiency and provides a wide range of functions to meet all of your document management needs. If you’re having a hard time finding an affordable printing solution for your company, contact Arctic Office Products or stop by our showroom to look at some of the machines we have available.
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