Are you paying too much for inhouse printing?

Are you paying too much for print?  
The title for this should probably read ‘You ARE paying too much for print’ as it is increasingly rare that we come across a company that cannot make savings across their print estate. This is not for the want of trying as most companies understand that the provision and maintenance of devices and consumables is normally a big chunk of their IT spend.

So, in this blog we wanted to share the benefit of our experience in this sector to try and help more of you drive down costs. Some of the ideas below may seem obvious but the small costs soon add up and if you haven’t reviewed your print estate recently, then maybe these five top tips will help guide you:

1. Total cost of ownership – Rule of thumb is that cheap to buy printers cost the most to run. But unlike cars, the more you spend on the capital purchase of a printer, the lower the running costs. This rule is not cast in concrete and there are some 6 litre Rolls Royces out there that cost a bundle on day one and every day thereafter, but by and large we would recommend spending more upfront. So, if you are considering purchasing new devices, run a short exercise to ascertain the total cost of ownership over 3-5 years. Your calculations should include capital cost, ink, drums, volumes, maintenance and power
2. Ink or laser? – Laser every time. Inkjet printers are often inefficient and with inefficiency comes increased cost. Whilst the price for a new cartridge can be low, the number of pages it produces is not on a similar ratio, so your per page cost is higher
3. In a contract? Check your per copy charges, rental charges and duration. Sadly, there remain some unscrupulous providers in our sector and like the insurance market, it is always worth going to market well ahead of your renewal to test the current contract
4. Leasing? – Beware secondary leasing – this is the ongoing lease charge which kicks in after the original period. If you missed it in the small print when you signed up it can come as a nasty and costly surprise. You can normally avoid secondary leasing by giving notice before the end of the initial period
5. Centralised or decentralised? – We’re writing a longer blog on this very subject at the moment as things have swung back towards decentralised print having previously gone the other way. However, regardless of the pros and cons for one of the other, the simple fact remains, fewer machines will cost you less. If you introduce smart print management software then you can make it work without inconveniencing anyone.

There are plenty of unique criteria that may only apply to you and so if you need some more bespoke advice and support around efficiencies and cost reductions please let us know.