A new blog by Ecoburotic offers helpful tips on how companies can reduce their printing budgets.
The blog begins by offering two “scary” facts; that only 1 in 10 of companies know the actual amount they are spending on printing, and that, according to an IDC study “companies spend up to 3 percent of their turnover in production, management and distribution of documents”.
The blog then goes on to define the costs that a printing budget consists of: visible printing costs, which are “generally controlled” and “include the hardware, consumables and maintenance of your” printing equipment – and hidden printing costs, which are “those that are more difficult to identify and play in particular on productivity.”
Ecoburotic goes on to offer 5 tips to help companies reduce their budget.
- Auditing
When it comes to auditing, the company advises “listing your printers and photocopiers within your company, then analysing the type of printed documents and the consumption of each of them.”
- Renewal
Printers that are “poorly calibrated for your business” are expensive, resulting in wear and tear of parts, “over-consumption of ink”, shabby print quality and “loss of productivity.”
Investing in newer printer models can help you consume “40 percent less energy.”
- Consider multifunction photocopiers
Ecoburotic asks businesses to consider replacing printers with a multifunction photocopier, especially as these are “usually accompanied by a rental contract” which can be flexible in terms of cost and “more advantageous” in terms of services.
- Dematerialisation of documents
Ecoburotic describes dematerialisation of documents as “a key issue to reduce the printing budget”, which requires “a good scanner”.
- Encourage good printing practices
The company advises implementing some simple rules in your company in order to “optimise” your printing budget. These include printing in black and white, opting for double sided printing, and always previewing before printing to avoid lay-out issues.
