Do you know how much your company spends on printing? It’s okay if you don’t, though; the vast majority of businesses couldn’t guess this number by a longshot. Most enterprises keep perfect track of all their expenditures, but somehow, printing costs frequently fall through the cracks.
In this article, we talk about how excessive printing costs affect your business and share practical expert tips on how you can stop overspending on printing. Let’s get started!
The Main Culprits of High Printing Costs
Personal Printers
Like most businesses, you most likely have a fleet of printers sprinkled throughout your office. Sometimes, a personal printer serves up to two or three people. Some of these printing devices were probably sourced from multiple vendors and purchased at different prices.
More often than not, some office printers are used in high demand on a daily basis, while others may be severely underutilized. This is true for most entities with different departments that have varying degrees of printing needs.
Investing in printers to equip everyone in your team is important. However, when you overbuy printers for your business, they just sit there collecting dust, while others run the risk of getting overused to the point of malfunction.
Paper and Printer Accessories
Equipment is merely the beginning of overspending on printing. It’s the cost of paper and other printer supplies that make the numbers skyrocket. If companies do not print efficiently, paper can really take a toll on the budget. Believe it or not, poor printing habits can dramatically affect your budget for printing costs when not properly addressed.
These include printing unnecessary files, printing multiple copies, printing in full colour, and frequent ink and toner replacements.
Power Expenses
This factor is often overlooked, as no one really pays attention to electricity usage when we’re talking about printing costs. During office hours, printers are usually left on all the time, which means that they consume power even when they aren’t in use. If your business owns a huge number of printers, power consumption can really hurt your budget while negatively impacting the environment at the same time.
Repair Costs
Printers nowadays may be advanced, but that doesn’t make them foolproof. When a printer malfunctions, it disrupts the workflow of the teams involved, delaying critical tasks until the IT department can repair it. When the IT team is preoccupied with solving paper jams, printer queue, security issues, speed, or other types of printing problems, they have less time to spend on high-priority tasks. Whether you do not have an in-house IT support team and source them externally or have to shell out for spare parts or unit replacement, these can be charged to maintenance and printing costs that can lead to overspending.
How To Save On Printing Costs
Print In Colour Only When It’s Absolutely Needed
Black ink cartridges cost about 40% less than colour print cartridges. Additionally, colour printing consumes more time and electricity. Always opt for black ink unless it’s absolutely necessary for a project. It’s highly recommended to allocate coloured ink cartridges only to specific departments that use them on a regular basis.
Buy OEM Products Only
Original Equipment Manufactured or OEM products refer to items that are made by the original brand. It may be tempting to shop for non-OEM products, as OEM ones usually come at a higher price tag, but in reality, this will actually increase your printing cost in the long run.
Non-OEM products may be more affordable, but that’s all an illusion. Most of them render prints with blurred lines, colour inconsistencies, or overspray. This aspect makes them okay to use for drafts, but it wouldn’t look professional when it comes to formal business proposals and contracts.
Furthermore, non-OEM products tend to cause severe damage to your printer, resulting in expensive repairs —a big no-no for staying within the budget. Check out Why You Shouldn’t Use Third-Party Ink Cartridges to learn more about the disadvantages of non-OEM products.
Invest In Reliable Printing Equipment
This one is the first step in truly saving on printing costs. Better equipment means fewer paper jams, print delays, unresponsiveness, and connection errors. Always stick to top-quality printer brands that you can trust, such as Toshiba, Canon, and Konica Minolta.
Switch To MPS
Managed Print Services (MPS) can save you a ton of money, as print specialists will not only find you the lowest and most cost-effective printers for lease but will also bring in printing and document management solutions for a more streamlined process. When you let MPS handle your print demand, you can focus your precious time on other tasks without worrying about your printing costs.
Aside from saving on printing costs and helping improve printing efficiency for your company, MPS can also offer solutions in upgrading information security and reducing your carbon footprint because everyone loves a business that cares about the environment.
Are You Overspending On Printing?
Do you want to know if you are indeed overspending on printing and find ways to minimize your printing cost?
Busys.ca is a client-focused company that offers an extensive range of multifunction printers and copiers. Part of our unique service is a complimentary assessment, which gives us a clear picture of your printing needs and habits and helps us develop a customized, cost-saving solution for your business.
Interested? Give us a call for a FREE print assessment today!
