Companies need to get a handle on printing costs

Organisations don`t need to spend large amounts of capital when purchasing printers as retail stores offer the latest printers at highly competitive prices. However, the purchase price of the printer represents only the tip of the iceberg of its actual running costs.

Printing solutions and their consumables can weigh heavily on a business`s overheads unless they are managed efficiently.

Anthony Davies, business services group manager at independent IT solutions company First Technology, says successfully managing printing costs and undertaking regular printer audits will significantly reduce the financial burden on organisations.

"Printer ink and toner refills, as well as paper, power and energy costs, can account for as much as 50% of the cost of running a printer. In addition, companies` asset registers often do not reflect the number of printers in the company. In fact, at least 90% of companies do not know what they spend on printers - or the cost of running them," he says.

Davies explains that the volume of printed pages escalates by between 6% and 9% every year. And, even though 70% of the world`s information is digital, 90% of documents are still stored in paper format. Although most South African companies have considered ways in which to reduce the cost of printing, less than 1% has an actual paper reduction strategy in place.

He says that by first weighing up the cost factors, it may be better to network a colour laser printer than connect individual inkjet printers to smaller groups of users.

"Irrespective of the number of users within the organisation and the nature of the business, there are common factors that drive up printing costs. One of these is that few companies standardise on a single vendor product. This results in the company stocking up on a wide variety of consumables to ensure that different devices never run out of ink or toner. This also complicates maintenance and warranty management," he adds.

Incorrectly managing a company`s printing costs can cost the organisation financially and in terms of productivity.

"It`s best to engage an independent consultant who can conduct a comprehensive printer audit and, based on this data, offer objective advice about selecting a tailored solution for the business`s specific printing needs.

"First Technology is not product bound, which means we do not sell a product that will change a company`s environment to suit the product. We ensure that the product or solution suits the company and that the company does not have to change its way of doing business. This means that we take care of the organisation`s imaging environment, giving its employees time to concentrate on core business," he concludes.