Reducing Printing Expenses
Did you know the average office employee prints 10,000 sheets of paper each year? Since so many documents are being printed and copied, printing expenses are getting harder to keep up with. Do not worry though, because you can reduce your printing expenses by making more efficient choices at the office. Continue reading to learn about a few of the best tricks you can use to save.
Print Double-Sided Documents
One of the best ways to reduce printing expenses is to use less paper. Using less paper reduces the amount of times you have to restock paper, as well as ink and toner. You can lower the amount of paper you need to use by printing on both sides of a single sheet.
Also known as duplex printing, this process will cut your paper usage in half. Several modern printers have double-sided functionality built in, so all you have to do is set up this option ahead of time. This is most ideal for internal documents, since you will want to send something more professional to your clients.
Proofread
Another way you can save money is by proofreading documents before you print them. Chances are you have printed a document in the past, only to find a spelling or grammar mistake that you missed during the review process. You cannot send a document like this to a client, so this wastes your company both time and money.
Take as much time as you need to find mistakes before you print something. Use your program’s review function to find errors, but keep in mind that this will not catch every mistake. For example, the computer cannot tell you if you meant to use too instead of two.
Read the document back to yourself, as this will make it easier for you to tell if something is off.
Reduce Your Printing/Copying Output
You do not need to print out every document from the printer. Printing out a document every time you need to share something with a colleague will waste your supply of paper. This will result in other employees needing to do a restock sooner rather than later.
If you need to share a document with someone else in the office, you can send it over through an email. Instead of copying a document, scan it to your computer so you can send it through the internet.
You can also share documents with other workers by uploading them to file-sharing services, like Google Drive or Dropbox. This lets other employees edit the document directly, without needing a physical document.
Print Internal Documents in Black in White or Draft Mode
Sometimes you need to print a copy of a document for an internal review before you send it to a client. Only the employees will be using this version of the document, so printing it in full color would be a waste of ink. You should print any documents that are going to stay in the office in grey-scale or draft mode.
Draft printing lowers the quality of the document, reducing the amount of ink needed to print it out. The document is still readable, so you are still able to get a fair idea of what the final version will look like. That way, you can save the colored ink for the document you are going to send to the client.
Unplug Devices When You Do Not Need Them
Printers and copiers can cost you money, even when they are not in use. As long as a device is plugged in, it can still sap energy from the outlet. This wasted energy is known as standby power, or “vampire energy,” and it can cost you a lot of money if left unchecked. Get into the habit of unplugging your printers and copiers when they are not in use. That way, you can reduce the amount of energy power plants need to produce, and help lower the impact of climate change.
Use Managed Print Services
If you believe your printing expenses are out of control, you may need to rework your printing setup. This can be done by taking advantage of a managed print service, or MPS. First, a business professional will come to your worksite to check the efficiency of your existing printers and copiers.
If there are older models that are costing you money, your partner will offer to replace them with more efficient devices. You will also be given the means to track your company’s printing output. This will allow you to identify major printing problems before they cost you a lot of money.
Big Cat Solutions offers a managed print service that can help you save on your printing expenses. Interested in learning more?
