In a constantly changing business environment, efficiency and reduced costs are the only ways to survive. Of course, one area companies that look for optimising their activities usually miss is how they run their printing requirements. Print management is the answer to businesses looking to optimise their printing activities, save on costs, and make them more efficient. What is print management, and why should you implement it in your business? Let’s look at the core benefits that a print management solution can bring about, making a tremendous difference in your operations.
What is Print Management?
This acts as the autopilot of your business’s printing processes. In general, it allows businesses to monitor, control, and optimise everything going around with printing. Thus, the print management solution would range from eliminating print jobs not really needed to making sure machines are in top working order. You can just envision that precise handling of all your office’s printing needs, so everything counts, resources are used efficiently, and waste is actually not possible.
Cost Efficiency
The immediate advantages of a print management solution are reduced costs. Think of the number of times your business prints on paper what might have been distributed digitally, or prints in colour when black-and-white would be sufficient. A print management solution will track and regulate these acts, helping you save ink, toner, paper, and maintenance.
It is almost similar to having an in-house budget tracker for your print-for-these purposes, one which ensures you do not spend more than you need. There have been claims that companies have managed to save up to 30% of their printing costs by going for print management, making this a good investment after all.
Productivity Enhancements
Most of the time, managing printers is frustrating and very time-consuming. For instance, when the machines break down or supplies run out. Print management helps produce desired efficiency in work by automating these tasks and ensuring that printers are ready at the right moment.
Imagine not having to waste any more time for a refilling of paper or ink with regard to printer malfunctions. With print management, these activities become streamlined so that employees can focus on their core work rather than bothering about the problems in the printers. This makes productivity rise across the board.
Better Security
From the security point of view, businesses are highly concerned with sensitive documents that require confidentiality. These concerns are mainly addressed through the use of print management systems. Additionally, such systems can greatly help improve the security offered by your company with respect to documents by offering stakeholders secure print release and user authentication.
This will ensure that the documents get printed only when the authorised user comes to collect them, so confidential information is not leaked out to the wrong people. It’s like having a security guard at your printer, ensuring the right people are dealing with the sensitive information.
Environmental Sustainability
Reduce your waste with the help of print management, not only for the good of your business but also because it’s good for the planet. The optimization of print jobs and minimization of waste result in avoiding extra print jobs in print management.
It is like replacing energy-saving bulbs: small changes today leads to big differences tomorrow. You will consume fewer resources, such as paper and ink, which result in lowering your footprint on the environment while helping your company to reach its sustainability milestones.
Centralised control and monitoring
A print management solution gives you centralised control over all the printers and print jobs in your office. With this, you can monitor what’s happening at each printer, track who prints what, and set permissions for different users.
For example, you can restrict the colour printing to only a few selected employees or departments in order to ensure that your resources are being put to good use. At this level, you will remain in control of your print needs and afford yourself the opportunity of driving data-led decisions to further enhance efficiency.
Customised Solutions
Each business is unique, and a print management system can be set up to serve the unique needs of your business. You may have hundreds of offices to manage or simply need to get a better handle on the printing habits of a smaller team. Print management solutions are flexible and customizable.
It is a bit like having your suit tailored so that it fits you perfectly: the system fits your business and leaves no doubt that you will get the most out of it. For this reason, print management is perfect for all kinds of companies, from small businesses to large companies.
Fewer IT Support Needs
How often does your IT team need to come back out to a facility to repair a printer? Never again, thanks to a print management solution. The system will help you track what is happening with printers and automatically alert your support team if a printer needs maintenance, taking the load off of your IT staff.
It is, essentially, having a built-in mechanic for your printers, meaning they always are in top working conditions without the constant attention of IT staff. This frees up your IT team to do more important work.
Increased Staff Accountability
Print management allows tracking of printing activity down to the user. Accountability increases because employees are more aware of their print activities when they realise that their usage is being monitored.
It’s a little bit like having an accountability partner at the gym-just knowing that somebody’s checking your numbers can sometimes be enough to encourage better behaviour. Responsible printing practices are part of what print management can do to reduce waste and improve resource use.
Conclusion
Print management presents many advantages to the business world regardless of size. From cost saving and productivity gains, improved security, to ecologically friendly solutions, print management is definitely the smart and efficient way for your office to handle its printing needs. As this solution can be customised and scaled to fit particular requirements, it is certainly a useful tool for any company that wants to improve their conditions.