While many organizations are embracing digital transformation and digital workflows, many businesses still rely heavily on printing for their daily operations. However, what many don’t realize is that printing costs are not in fact fixed and unavoidable, and its inefficient management of printers and aging technology that is the real issue and drain of resources. A print assessment can help uncover hidden and unnecessary costs when it comes to your print operations and offer valuable insights as to how you can optimize your print environment to save money, improve security, and enhance organizational productivity. Let’s look at why a print assessment matters and how to know if your organization needs one.
What is a Print Assessment and Why Does It Matter?
You can think of a print assessment as a health check-up for your printing environment. It’s a comprehensive analysis of your current printing environment, evaluating your printing infrastructure (makes/models and total number of devices), usage patterns, supply consumption and costs, workflow processes, and security vulnerabilities to identify areas for improvement such as:
Cost Savings: One of the biggest reasons to conduct a print assessment is to reduce costs. By identifying areas of waste and inefficiency, you can significantly lower your printing expenses. This includes reducing paper consumption, optimizing toner and supplies usage through managed print services, and eliminating unnecessary printing devices.
Efficiency: By identifying bottlenecks and optimizing processes, you can reduce printing time and increase productivity. This may involve consolidating printers, implementing print management software, or automating certain tasks.
Security: Unsecured printers can pose a security risk for businesses. By identifying vulnerabilities, you can implement measures to protect sensitive information such as password-protecting printers, restricting access to certain devices, or implementing secure print release solutions.
Environmental Sustainability: Unmanaged printing can have a significant environmental impact. By identifying these issues, you can minimize paper usage and implement responsible printing practices such as double-sided printing, using recycled paper, or implementing print quotas.
Signs Your Organization Needs a Print Assessment
Do you know when the last time you had a print assessment was? Could your organization benefit from a print assessment? Below are some questions you can ask yourselves to determine if it’s time to consider a print assessment for your business:
Are you currently tracking your print costs and usage?
Not knowing who prints what and how much is a red flag. When you can’t easily determine how much your organization spends on printing across all departments, you’re likely missing opportunities for cost optimization. This includes not just hardware and supplies, but also maintenance, energy consumption, and IT support time. A print assessment will reveal how much your organization is spending on printing as well as identify ways to reduce this spend.
Are you confident you have the right print equipment for your needs?
Did you know that the lower the price of the printer itself, the more expensive that printer is to operate (i.e., supplies and parts). Oftentimes, organizations will opt for the lower end printer because of the less expensive sticker price, but they don’t realize how much they’ll end up spending on supplies to keep the printer running. Additionally, managing different brands and models of printers increases complexity and costs. A print assessment will help determine the best type of laser printers for your business (single function printer, an MFP, or an office copier) based on all factors (weighing the cost of the hardware vs. the operating cost of the printer vs. the print needs of your business) to give you the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO).
How old are your printers?
If many of your printers are over five years old, you’re likely spending more on maintenance and supplies than necessary. As printers age, not only do they begin to lack desired features and become less secure, but they become more expensive to operate as well. A print assessment will help identify how the cost of supplies, parts, and service for your equipment has increased over time as well as help identify gaps in printer features and printer security.
Is your IT team constantly having to troubleshoot printer issues?
If your IT team frequently deals with printer-related issues, it’s a sign that your current print infrastructure might not be optimal. A print assessment will help identify opportunities to free up IT resources, instead of having to be consumed with the maintenance and support of office printers.
Take Control of Your Print Environment with a Print Assessment
If you aren’t currently tracking your printing, if you’re not confident you have the best/right print equipment, if your printers are more than five years old, and/or your IT team is frequently dealing with printer-related issues, it may be time for a print assessment! By understanding your printing needs and implementing the right strategies, your organization can benefit from a more streamlined, secure, and cost-effective print environment.
Ready to optimize your print environment? Contact the team at Parmetech today for a comprehensive no-obligation print assessment. You can give us a call at (800) 727-6383, email us at info@parmetech.com, or connect with us via our website form to get started.
