Measuring true printing costs - Tarsus and HP advise

Knowledge is power and no less so than when it comes to printing and related solutions. How is the true cost of printing and infrastructure measured? Do solutions make the grade? Tarsus Technologies, the value-add distribution arm of JSE-listed MB Technologies, and HP assist clients to find answers.

"According to HP, the use of printers and copiers is increasing yearly," says HP IPG manager at Tarsus Technologies, Traci Maynard. "The rate of increase is much steeper for printers, but copier use is still growing.

"The new HP has also worked out that the typical copy job in today`s workplace is about five pages long. On average, 7.5 copies are made of each original," Maynard continues. "And the company claims that 70% of copied documents start out as printed originals of an existing electronic document."

In the past, organisations have deployed a number of devices - including printers, scanners, copiers and fax machines - to meet these needs. In addition, most of these hardcopy environments have grown organically rather than strategically therefore often include outdated, mismatched and fragmented devices.

This lack of integration impacts negatively on the flow of critical information and makes IT management difficult. It also results in inefficient use of office space and increased network costs. Moreover, it wastes employees` time, which in turn costs the company money (according to some estimates, 90 seconds wasted on equipment problems costs $1).

In most cases, the costs of these inadequacies are hidden, but they amount to a lot. According to Datamation, a provider of consultancy and online information services on Engineering IT, hardcopy document production can make up 20% to 40% of the total labour costs of a business, and as much as 5% to 15% of company revenue.

These costs could prove to be astronomical, based on typical machine-to-employee ratios of one fax machine for every 10 employees; one printer for every 4.4 employees; and one copier for every 25 employees. To serve the needs of 25 employees, an organisation would need approximately two fax machines, five printers and one copier - a total of eight devices. Each month, these hardcopy devices generate an average of 100 000 pages, at a cost of $1 772.

"There is a way to reduce the number of machines you buy and fully use the machines you invest in," advises Maynard. "Multi-function printers (MFPs) can handle the tasks of printing, scanning, copying and faxing in one cost-effective, easy-to-support solution."

In a report examining the top eight benefits of multi-function products, Gartner found that "MFP benefits range from user productivity to infrastructure savings to improved quality and reliability".

Instead of three separate devices to support faxing, printing and coping, one MFP can be deployed for every ten employees, with additional standalone LaserJet and inkjet products strategically added to the mix to meet specific business needs. This hybrid solution of MFPs and printers responds more directly to the needs of a business, and costs about $1 560 for an average of 100 000 pages. That`s about $272 less per month than the more traditional deployment of standalone devices for each 100 000 printed pages.

Tarsus Technologies is able to assist resellers in guiding their own customers in their selection of an effective MFP - one that will save money and boost efficiency. A MFP can be evaluated through the careful consideration of certain factors including:

* The number of printers, copiers, fax machines and scanners at your company, and the ratio of employees to each;

* The usage of each device per month;

* How well each device integrates into the network;

* How much time is spent, each month, on the maintenance of each device; and

* How much time each employee spends dealing with hardcopy devices each day.

The results of this evaluation will establish the basis for an assessment with an HP product specialist from Tarsus Technologies on how MFPs can be integrated into a total printing and imaging solution. This will empower resellers to offer their customers a custom solution for any printing problem.

NB: Figures used in this story are US-based.