Printing costs employers more than they realize. According to this resource provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, an average office employee uses 10,000 copy paper sheets each year. If that’s not shocking enough, the same resource states that the cost of using paper, like printing, can go up to 13 to 31 times more than the price of the paper itself. What’s even worse is that half of what employees print is thrown away within 24 hours.
What this means for you as a business owner is that excessive printing can take a heavy toll not just on your profits but also on your company’s carbon footprint. Cutting down on your printing and paper waste will help you save money, time, and resources and reduce your company’s environmental impact as well. Here are five tips to help your company cut excessive printing and ultimately reduce the overall expense.
1. Replace Outdated Printers
Chances are that the screechy and dirty old inkjet model you have in the office has already been phased out in the market. That includes supplies and replacement parts. When your business still utilizes old printers, especially ones that are more than seven years old, it might be time to replace them before they start to fail on you.
2. Turn down the unnecessary request for supplies.
Poor printing management usually results in the stockpiling of cartridges, toners, and paper. To avoid this, what you can do is to assign a person to monitor all printing supplies. He or she must be the only one who can place orders for supply replacement.
3. Implement shared printer
No more “personal” printers. If a printer is within arm’s reach, it’s easy for an employee to print as much as they want. Adding that extra step, such as standing up and walking a few steps to get a printout, can deter excessive printing. Doing this gives employees time to reconsider whether they genuinely need that printout. This can significantly cut down on supply costs like ink cartridges/toners and paper.
4. Reuse and Recycle
Thirty-five percent of the waste in many landfill sites is composed of discarded paper. Stop contributing to the excess waste by reusing paper that is printed on just one side. Duplex printing can drastically cut your printer usage in half. You can also place separate waste bins for paper recyclables.
5. Partner With an MPS Consultant
A managed print services consultant, as its name suggests, can manage everything about every printing device in your business, which includes scanners, fax machines, and copiers.
Hiring the right managed print services consultant can help you save money, produce less paper waste, and increase efficiency by optimizing all printing devices. Overall, an MPS consultant solves all the mismanaged print environment problems, and it doesn’t stop there. They will also assess the print environment and look for areas to improve on.
Conclusion
When your company is determined to reduce printer costs, following the tips above can go a long way, especially the one about working with an MPS consultant. Implementing managed print services in your company will give you a team of specialists who can troubleshoot print issues, perform regular preventive maintenance, and oversee your printing usage. With that, you can say goodbye to sudden downtimes on your copier, which could affect productivity.
If you’re serious about reducing your company’s printing costs, let us help you. Call us today, 1.844.633.3050 (National Toll-Free), or email us at onedoc@mpsok.com.