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We know that as a business it’s always important to keep costs as low as possible so that overheads don’t eat into profit margins. With that in mind, we also know that printing can take quite a chunk out of your budget. We’ve put together a list of some of the ways in which you can cut costs on your print solutions.
1. Change your printer settings
This is one of the simplest ways to save money. Most printers come with settings you can adjust to reduce your waste and thus your costs. This can lead to immediate savings. Below we list some of the most common settings that can be changed:
Duplex printing – Double-sided printing is one of the easiest ways to cut your print solution costs. For every two printed pages, double-sided printing only uses a single sheet of paper. This is ideal for basic print needs.
Draft mode printing – Lots of printers come with the option of printing in “draft” mode which effectively lowers the DPI of the printer, which results in a lighter print that uses far less toner or ink. This is perfect for printing office documents to make internal copies.
Multiple pages per sheet – If you find your business prints quite a lot of text-heavy documents or slideshows, then by printing on multiple pages, you reduce your paper use dramatically and thus your printing costs.
Limiting colour – Black and white printing is perfectly decent for the majority of print solution jobs for the office. So you can adjust the settings of the printer to print in colour only when vital.
2. Simplify your paper supply
When you have lots of different paper options, it can sometimes result in more waste and more cost. For the majority of offices, reducing the paper supply of print solutions can lead to large savings. For example, instead of buying paper that is specifically designed for laser or inkjet printers, purchase a multipurpose paper. This type of paper typically costs less than specialty paper but works just as well.
3. Set up permissions and rules
Sometimes people “overprint” and you may not be aware that if you set up some form of tracking, you can create restrictions and permissions. This is a great way to monitor excess and gain control of costs. The easiest way to do this it to use passwords. To make copies or print something, you will be required to enter a password or ID number – you can then monitor who is printing via that number.
4. Use managed print services
One of the best print solutions is to take away the headache of managing your printing services by outsourcing to a managed print service provider. This style of service monitors your business and helps you make the required adjustments to help optimise the use of your assets and control costs. You typically find that a managed print service includes:
A tailored service: If your business doesn’t have a formal print strategy, then a managed print service team can help implement one that is tailored to your business. They provide information on usage to meet your company’s requirements and size whilst helping to address any weaknesses that have been identified. This personal touch means your business is getting a service that you know will work for them.
Cost control: When you gain better insight into your printing habits, this allows you to reduce costs by optimising your environment.
Supply delivery: All your supply levels are monitored remotely and then shipped to your business automatically.
Proactive support: A managed print solution service will typically provide 24-hour remote monitoring and can catch problems early-on and fix them before they can cause havoc to your system.
One invoice: No need for multiple invoices and confusion, as the process for suppliers will be streamlined and you’ll only need to make one payment for all your printing needs.
If you’re interested in streamlining your needs whilst reducing the cost of printing for your business, then check out a managed print service. It’ll not only make your business life less stressful when it comes to managing print solution costs and needs, but it will also save you time and money too! Check out how your business could benefit from a managed print service from ASL today.