By implementing a managed print service strategy that saves time, money and is ‘green’.
I recently wrote about the differences between managing your print in-house V outsourcing/print management.
Here! Two similar sounding models yet distinctly different!
In the article, I refer to the management of print in-house often referred to as MPS (Managed Print Services)
The lines become easily blurred when talking about print management and MPS?
Many businesses don’t really understand or know the true cost of printing and often there is no method employed to manage and control print spend.
How can you take control of this seemingly mundane yet essential everyday business function?
Take Control of your print NOW!!
Why implement an in-house print management system?
Simple!
- To manage and recover costs
- Be able to print anywhere but with the right control mechanisms in place
- Reduce paper waste
- Increase productivity
- Reduce adminstrative costs
- Improve profitability by removing the hidden cost of printing and making it visible
Before I continue I should point out that a print management software/hardware solution employed in-house is not the same as print management and outsourcing all your finance/corporate printing.
Whilst the two sound similar and do cross paths, print management is a unique discipline that includes outsourcing anything from a business card, cheque to pens, mugs, mouse mats and all your finance/corporate print.
Managed Print Solutions are about managing the document process and print such as the printing of emails, photo-copying and document archiving in-house.
Implementation of an effective managed print program can see businesses reduce print costs by up to 30%.
Statistics can so easily be manipulated but for the purposes of this article let me provide an example of a US bank that implemented a strategic print management process and removed some 88 million print impressions, cut colour printing by just under 50% and paid for the initial investment within 8 weeks of it being set up. Impressive!
How does it work?
A suite of print management software tools designed for companies, universities and commercial enterprises installed on your network that help you take back control of what you print by monitoring, measuring ongoing management of print activity.
The software is designed to gain a clear picture of what a company needs and then involves the deployment of the proper equipment to meet these needs.
It also helps employees become more aware of their printing habits and enforces print policies where necessary such as routing jobs to the most cost effective devices or by limiting the amount of colour printing.
Using print management software brings accountability and control of printed output to an enterprise, school, university, law practice, and accountancy firm.
User level reporting hi-lights awareness of print habits, costs and helps influence print behaviour to make employees think more before they hit the PRINT button.
It is a simple one step solution which keeps track of output from all connected printers and copiers by providing:-
Take control of your printed output!
- Accurate – information for all print and copy costs
- Secure – only releasing documents for output after users authenticate at the device
- Mobile – allowing users to send files to print from one location then pick them up across the building or campus
- Green – as it can discourage waste and enforces rules for output
- Reduce – print/copy costs and waste around the organisation
- Redirect – large jobs +50 pages to a high volume multifunctional product (MFP)
- Eliminate – unnecessary printing by allowing users to delete jobs sent in error
- Auto delete – jobs in the print queue so they aren’t printed
- Duplex printing – colour prints
- Works with existing printers MFP’s and copiers
- Adapts to any size
How do you regain control of your print spend and reduce print and paper costs?
My company moved over to a system like this and just being able to see the impact visually really helps get it under control.