How to Audit Your Current Printing Setup for Wasted Spend
Introduction
As a business owner, understanding and optimizing your printing setup can significantly impact your bottom line. Inefficiencies and unnecessary expenditures can add up fast, especially in high-volume or enterprise environments. This guide will detail the most effective way to audit your current printing setup to identify and eliminate wasted spend, covering both technical and commercial aspects of the process.
Step 1: Assess Your Current Printing Requirements
Begin by quantifying your current printing volume. Measure the total number of pages printed over a given period, broken down by department if applicable. Understand what is being printed—documents, presentations, reports, marketing materials—as this will influence the type of printer and consumables best suited to your needs.
Understand Volume and Usage
- Small Office: Typically lower print volumes, focus on versatile all-in-one devices. - High-Volume Printing: Requires high-capacity printers and cost-effective toner solutions. - Enterprise: Involves a mix of high-volume users and office departments with variable needs.
Evaluate Specific Needs
Ensure the alignment of your printer capabilities with actual business requirements. Are color prints necessary, or can most documents be black and white? Determine the scope of multifunction devices needed for scanning, faxing, or copying.
Step 2: Analysis of Consumables Cost
Dive into your spending on toner and cartridges. Record the cost per unit and calculate the total annual spend. Pay attention to cost-per-page and page yield, which can vary significantly between Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), compatible, and remanufactured toner products.
Examine Toner/Cartridge Expenses
- OEM Products: Offer high reliability and yield consistency, but at a premium price. - Compatible Cartridges: Typically more cost-effective but carry risks like lower yield or reliability. - Remanufactured Cartridges: Environmentally friendly and cost-effective, but quality can vary between suppliers.
Understand the Implications
OEM cartridges can assure reliability and warranty protection for fleet devices, which might offset the higher upfront costs. Compatible and remanufactured options might present considerable savings but require thorough vetting to avoid quality and compatibility issues.
Step 3: Identify Underutilized or Idle Devices
Identify and document all printers, multifunction devices, and associated hardware. Evaluate the utilization rates of each device. Printers that are operational but seldom used may represent a standing cost without a proportionate benefit.
Conduct an Asset Utilization Audit
Not rationalizing printer usage can lead to excess expenditures on maintenance and consumables without corresponding output.
Step 4: Assess Workflow and Efficiency
Review the operational workflow related to printing. Are there unnecessary print jobs that can be digitized or managed more efficiently? Implement print management software to monitor and control printing activities, which can help prevent waste.
Analyze and Streamline Printing Processes
An enterprise may employ software to enforce printing policies—such as duplex printing—reducing paper and toner consumption massively.
Conclusion: Implement and Monitor Adjustments
After identifying inefficiencies and potential cost savings, take decisive action to renegotiate supplier contracts, change consumable types, or rationalize the number and type of devices. Establish key performance metrics to monitor print costs and update your setup periodically to adapt to changing requirements.
Continuous monitoring and tweaking based on data-driven insights will prevent reoccurrence of wasteful spending. The goal is a balanced, efficient printing structure that aligns with business objectives and financial prudency.
By adhering to the structured approach outlined, you can achieve a leaner, more efficient printing operation, eliminating undue expenses and aligning resources with actual business needs.