Printing is a commonly overlooked area when it comes to reducing business expenses. Implementing rules-based printing can save a small or medium business up to 30% per year in energy, paper, toner and productivity. This is a significant savings, making printing an important area to evaluate for every business.

Rules-based printing applies restrictions and settings with the goal of using the most efficient printer that will meet print specifications for each job. This ensures that for every print task, the efficient option is being chosen without sacrificing the quality you need.

Some common rules include:

  • Using the most efficient printer for large jobs
  • Restricting colour printing to certain employees or departments
  • Changing default print settings to black and white, double-sided printing

Applying these rules allows each employee to understand the financial impact of their print jobs and participate in cost-cutting measures. With rules-based printing, you will see costs decrease while productivity increases. Here are some tips to get you started:

  1. Evaluate your printers. Take note of each printer and print vendor your business uses. This includes shared printers as well as personal printers. You will want to note the age and manufacturer of each. Using multiple brands or vendors can reduce your negotiating power when it comes to price.
  2. Uncover your true cost of printing. Each print job carries with it a certain expense. Paper, toner and energy are obvious expenses. However, print vendor services, maintenance, downtime and loss of productivity should also be included.
  3. Evaluate current printer rules and usage. Look at your current print processes to determine how accessible your print environment is to those that need access to it. Once you take stock of the situation, you can begin to implement specific print rules that would make sense to each person and department.

It’s easy to overlook the impact printing has on your expenses. Rules-based printing allows each employee to take an active role in reducing the cost for each print job. Partnering with a Managed Print Services provider to assist in assessing your print needs can help you quickly experience the cost-cutting and productivity-boosting effects of rules-based printing.

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