It is a sad and surprising fact that over 80% of office
workers haven't been trained to use their office printer.
By making simple changes to office printing, you can make a
big difference to office efficiency and therefore to
business profitability.
The features on modern printers and multifunctional devices
(offering copying and scanning as well as print facilities,
for example) are designed to save time and money,
increasing business efficiency and staff productivity
whilst reducing waste.
When used in the correct way, a printer can be an asset to
any company, but unless businesses make use of the
available technology and implement internal printing
policies, this money-saving potential will never be
realised.
Recent research has found that in spite of 89 per cent of
workers feeling they still need to print to work
effectively. Thus if costs are to be controlled, it is
essential to implement a printing code of practice for your
business.
All businesses are constantly looking to cut costs and
improve performance. An often-neglected area for business
owners and managers are the costs of the waste caused by
poor printer usage and the invisible cost of lost staff
time? .
Here is an obvious one: major savings can be made by
printing on both sides of the page - but only six per cent
of employers surveyed in recent surveys said their
businesses regularly use both sides of the paper when
printing. Research also shows that perhaps 58 per cent of
small businesses don't even have the facility to print on
both sides!
Double-sided printing potentially halves the paper
consumption of a business ' and so these findings are a
surprise. But hopefully, with the number of printers with
double sided-printing capability on the increase, it is to
be hoped that businesses will make sure staff know how to
use them.
And it's not just money that can be saved by using printers
in a smarter way. For example, these days it is a smart
move to consider a multifunctional device with a scan to
email function. This will allow staff to scan documents
directly to their email inbox to be saved or forwarded on
as required. The Some machines also feature a USB port that
allows documents to be printed directly from or scanned
directly to a USB memory stick - perfect for businesses
with staff that spend a lot of time on the road and away
from the office.
Avoiding waste wherever possible is always a smart idea.
Typical areas where wastage can be avoided is to break the
habit of draft printing for proof-reading and printing
emails. The waste that builds up from improper printer use
can be excessive.
Implementing a policy within your business that makes use
of printer functions and increases efficiency shouldn't be
difficult. It is certainly not a good idea just to assume
all members of staff know how to use every facility your
printer of multifunctional device offers
It is crucial to explain to staff why a few moment's
thought is so important when deciding to print or not to
print, and what it means to your business. Make sure your
printing policy is comprised of simple, easy to implement
steps. This can not only save money, but save time for your
staff and reduce the environmental impact of your
enterprise.
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Jimi St. Pierre writes for a number of office systems
suppliers including Principal
(http://www.principalcorp.co.uk). Carrying out a Print
Survey will identify desireable or necessary changes in
policy and products . This is where specialist companies
such as Principal can help. Often these surveys can be
provided on a nil cost basis, and are your first step to
reducing print costs: so what are you waiting for?
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