Posted by Jordan Pusey
If streamlining print management in your organization isn’t already a priority, it should be. The right print management solutions—whether that means introducing dedicated print management software, outsourcing to a print management company or adhering to print management best practices—can end up saving you a hefty chunk of change. As printing expenses are generally considered to account for anywhere between 1 to 3% of a company’s annual revenue, identifying print management solutions that can streamline your operations have the potential to recoup up to 30%—or more, in some cases—of that outlay.
A good place to start is by looking at print management best practices and taking steps to implement them in your organization. Broadly speaking, some of these best practices include:
- Know your print environment: Which network and USB printers are the most heavily utilized? How does consumable usage vary from department to department? What is your print server downtime in a given month? The answers to questions like these will help you better analyze your print environment and carry out the next steps.
- Optimize your printer fleet: Swap heavily utilized printing devices with devices that are less utilized to extend their lifespan. Consolidate printers based on sound and up-to-date guidance. And when devices are past their prime, stop sinking unnecessary costs into keeping them running. Make sure you have a pre-allocated budget for hardware replacement, then retire inefficient devices that are long in the tooth.
- Look to the future, not the status quo: Growing trends like mobile/BYOD printing and secure pull printing took many companies by surprise. As a result, their aging print environments weren’t in a position to accommodate new technologies, putting them at a disadvantage. Start researching next-gen print management solutions today and make sure your print environment is ready to embrace cutting-edge changes to your workplace and workflow.
- Manage smarter, not harder: Provisioning printers using group policy objects (GPOs) and scripts is common, but is it really the optimal method for targeted deployments? Are you still relying on the service desk and technical support staff to perform routine printer installations, or are you empowering your end users instead? Find the right print management company or print management software that can help you leverage alternative management methods and your organization’s natural assets.
Once you’ve worked towards print management best practices, outsourcing or consulting with a print management company can help you streamline your print management further. Companies like these can use their expertise to help you plan printer consolidation strategies and determine ways to reduce your infrastructure. Outsourcing has been shown to reduce the direct costs of print management but it could mean relinquishing some control over your print environment, which might run contrary to your organization’s attempts to streamline its print management.
Uniquely, print management software like PrinterLogic has the ability to realize the benefits of multiple print management solutions without the drawbacks. With PrinterLogic, you can:
- Reduce printing infrastructure and eliminate print servers altogether
- Centralize and simplify printer administration for the entire organization
- Effortlessly deploy printers and drivers without GPOs and scripts
- Empower end users through a straightforward self-service portal
- Integrate seamlessly with virtual solutions like Citrix and VMware, enhancing their native print management
- Increase printing availability and dramatically reduce downtime
- Future-proof your print environment with optional functionality like Mobile Printing and Pull Printing
All this makes PrinterLogic equal to a whole host of print management solutions and print management best practices bundled in a single print management software package. It’s the easiest, most far-reaching and most cost-effective way to streamline print management in your organization.