How to Conduct a Print Assessment

How to Conduct a Print Assessment | RYAN Business Systems

How much time and money do you spend on print? Many companies don’t realize how much they’re spending, or that by doing an assessment of their print environment, they could save as much as 3% of their annual revenue. Though you can do it yourself, many companies find it helpful to partner with a Managed Print Services provider to get the best results. Here’s what’s involved.

Taking stock

The first step of a print assessment is to inventory the print devices you already own. This includes printers, fax machines, scanners, copiers and multifunction devices. You want to know the make, model, and age of each machine, as well as where it is located within the office. You also should note the number of employees that use each machine, to calculate the device to employee ratio.

Reviewing expenses

Next, tally up all of your monthly expenses for every machine. This includes supply costs, service and maintenance costs, and anything else related to print. This information will help you determine which machines are costing you the most, so you can identify ways to optimize and reduce expenses.

Look at outsourcing

Do you outsource any of your print jobs? If you need to send some print jobs out, why, how often, and how much do they cost? It may be that buying a printer that’s capable of performing these print jobs could save you money in the long run.

Employee burden

Another factor of the assessment is your employees’ time. How much of their time is spent on print-related tasks? Look at tasks including:

  • Printer maintenance
  • Supply ordering and refill
  • Troubleshooting
  • Managing invoices
  • Managing printer inventory

The more time they’re spending managing your printers, the less time they’re spending on their jobs.

Identify your goals

Is your print environment meeting your current needs? What are your short- and long-term goals and plans? Understanding what you want for your company will help determine the direction your print environment should go.

A Managed Print Services provider can help you to interpret what the information means and suggest changes you can make. By conducting a print assessment, you can get a better idea of how your print environment is working for your business and how you can make changes that will save you time and money. Contact us to learn more.

Related blog:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *