The paper-laden office is here to stay, so manage it smartly

Jane Geypen, Product Manager: HP IPG, Axiz, says that today, the paperless office predicted by many is in fact the paper-full office.

The problem facing business is how best to control document costs while providing print solutions which increase productivity and give professional output. For many, the answer is multifunctionality.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), a market research and analysis firm specialising in information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology, after years of inattention and lack of co-ordinated management, the imaging and output infrastructure in most businesses is fraught with high costs.

Millions of printers purchased in the 1990s are still being used in the workplace. Older print devices share common problems: long wait times, low paper capacity and poor performance. The cost of maintaining old printers is significantly more than modern alternatives. The price for parts and toner becomes incrementally more expensive over time and it is more time-consuming to manage devices that lack network management capabilities.

Few companies know what it really costs to print, fax, copy and scan documents each year, and fewer still are actively managing these costs, Geypen says. "The biggest challenge for managers today is controlling who is printing what, in what volume and for what purpose. Such indiscriminate printing can cost a company thousands each month which is why industry leaders, like HP, have come up with technology which nips the printer-happy worker in the bud."

Colour printing is becoming a necessity in every business and while it brings great benefit, it also brings challenges. Developed to help businesses face the unique challenges that come with colour printing, HP`s Colour Access Control gives colour to those who need it and regulates how much they print and even what kind of documents they print, making administration of printing functions straightforward, Geypen explains.

"This technology also allows you to gain an understanding of how colour is used in your organisation so that you can plan for expansion and upgrades, and efficiently manage toner replenishment."

Another cost-saving technology is the HP Web Jetadmin. This is a simple, print and imaging peripheral management software tool that helps to optimise device utilisation, control colour costs, secure devices through password and PIN protection, and streamline supplies management by enabling remote configuration, proactive monitoring, security, troubleshooting, and reporting of printing and imaging devices.

The advent of the Internet cannot be ignored today, Geypen says, as printing from Web sites has introduced a new batch of challenges to businesses. According to HP, Internet content accounts for nearly half of all printing done at home. However, many of the most popular destinations on the Web have limited or non-existent printing capabilities. In an effort to broaden and improve the Web-printing experience, HP is creating technologies to make it easy to print content from the Internet in a useful format which excludes unnecessary content. The latest release in this strategy is HP Print 2.0 which is aimed at making it easier to print from Web sites and bring new printing capabilities to online properties.

In conclusion, Geypen says upgrading to a smarter, all-in-one printing device for your business isn`t as simple as picking a model that looks good and offers impressive features. The decision demands a realistic summation of the business and individual needs the device will be serving. "Many people look at the price tag and no further. There are in fact many hidden costs which must be taken into account when purchasing a multifunctional device, like the total running cost, and the cost of consumables and paper."