Follow-me-printing an essential feature for cost-conscious companies

Companies serious about eliminating wastage and saving money in their office automation environments should adopt printing solutions that feature follow-me-printing.

That's according to Nick Constantinou, business development manager at Itec Distribution. He points out that since the average enterprise spends between 1% and 3% of its revenue on print expenses (according to Gartner), the costs of wastage in the print environment can be huge. Management software featuring functions such as follow-me-printing gives companies a means to eliminate much of this wastage.

Constantinou says follow-me printing can reduce paper and toner usage by a significant amount in the average enterprise. Follow-me-printing allows end-users to print documents on any related multifunction product (MFP) in their workgroup that they have permission for, and ensures the document is only released once they have authenticated themselves at the printer.

This is a perfect way to prevent waste and save money, since it ensures that a document will only be printed when the user is at the device and asks for it, says Constantinou. This is a major money-saver considering that a high proportion (by some estimates up to a third) of printouts are never collected by the user who initiated them.

In addition, follow-me-printing can minimise frustration and save time for people working in busy offices with a number of MFPs and printers. For example, a product manager in a meeting with the CEO can run off a print from the closest device in his workgroup rather than needing to go down several flights of stairs to retrieve the document.

If the device a user usually uses goes down, she can simply go to an alternate printer to retrieve the printout without needing to ask IT support to give her permissions for another printer. What's more to ensure confidentiality of sensitive documents, you can configure follow-me-printing software to allow the documents to be printed only once users have authenticated themselves at the printer, says Constantinou.

“Follow-me-printing is just one example of a function you will find in a good print management solution,” he concludes. “By using solutions such as Itec Print Director, you can understand and better control print usage throughout your organisation, achieve significant cost-savings, and bill internal and external customers accurately for their printing.”