Create a Print Policy to Reduce Costs in Your Office
If you’re like many small and mid-sized business owners, you’re always on the lookout for ways to reduce costs. One area that is often overlooked for savings is the office printing environment. Unnecessary printing costs can quickly add up, while energy expenses can get buried in the overall electric bill.
Developing a Print Policy
Introducing rules and behaviours for office printing is an effective and easy way to reduce costs and control usage. Some common areas to address in your policy include:
- Unnecessary printing – Not all departments have equal print needs. While some departments may need to make and keep printed copies of documents, others whose processes are software-based will have less of a need to access printed materials.
- Colour printing – Not everyone needs to print in colour. Departments like marketing will likely need access to colour print, whereas finance or human resources are fine with black and white.
- Default settings – As a general rule, all printers should be defaulted to black and white, double sided printing. Settings can easily be changed by the user on an as-needed basis.
- Buying and servicing – Creating a procurement policy for the purchasing of printers can help to control arbitrary purchases. Outlining a clear plan for troubleshooting printing problems can help to reduce unexpected service calls and costs.
Enlist Employees
A print policy is only effective if it is followed. Be sure all employees are aware of your guidelines and the importance of following them. Send reminders periodically and listen to employee feedback.
Making a few simple changes can result in significant savings. For more ideas on how you can reduce costs in your print environment, contact us today!
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