Recent years have seen a rapid digitization of practically everything. However, for most businesses, the office printer (or fleet of printers) stands as firmly at the heart of operations as ever. The average office worker is estimated to print 10-15 pages per day. That’s 3,000-4,500 pages per year per device. All that printing requires constant management. Ineffective office printer management leads to increased downtime, and printer/copier downtime can cost a business anywhere from $250 to $500 per hour of downtime. You have two options: handle your office printer management in-house or outsource it to print management experts. But which option is best suited to your specific business? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both.
What Is Office Printer Management?
Office printer management refers to the management of your entire imaging workflow and printing infrastructure. The aim is to optimize efficiency and reduce costs across all your printers and copiers and their output. The main components of office printer management are:
Set-up / Enablement
This involves setting up all your devices for efficient printing, including installing print software and drivers. The aim is to make it as simple and efficient for your team to print whatever they need to, quickly and with minimal fuss.
Maintenance
As noted earlier, printer downtime means lost productivity and revenue. To minimize downtime, you need to keep your printers in perfect working order. That means servicing them regularly, conducting repairs when needed, and ensuring client- and server-side software is always up-to-date.
IT Integration
You’ll need to ensure that all printers and the PCs that send print jobs to them are seamlessly integrated into your IT infrastructure. That involves ensuring that all the hardware is compatible and the software runs smoothly across all devices at all times.
Security
With cybercrime rampant and on the rise, protecting your network has never been more important. But printer security is often the weakest link in an organization’s security architecture.
You need to protect your data and documents throughout the print job cycle, from document preparation to the actual printing. Depending on your needs and set-up, this process may involve user authentication, authorization, and other forms of access control.
Management of Consumables
One of the most common causes of printer downtime is simply running out of vital consumables like toner, ink, or paper. You’ll need to monitor and control usage of these and other important consumables to ensure you never run out.
An important aspect here is waste management. Effective consumables management reduces waste, increases efficiency, and ultimately adds to your bottom line.
Cost Control
Last but far from least, you’ll need to constantly keep your finger on the pulse of how much your print operations are costing. Waste management can result in considerable savings, as can choosing the right machines and consumables for your specific requirements.
In-house or Outsource?
As you can see, office printer management is a comprehensive process that needs constant attention. So, is it worth trying to handle it all with your in-house IT team (or even by yourself if you’re a sole operator)? Or, are you better off outsourcing your print management to a third-party company? The answer really depends on your specific circumstances and requirements.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing
For a set monthly fee, office printer management (also known as Managed Print Services) providers can take away the pain. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that all your printing needs are being taken care of by experts.
Your printer fleet will be well-maintained and expertly integrated with your IT stack. Your consumables and their usage will also be properly managed. Perhaps most crucially, when things go wrong, expert assistance is just a call away, and you won’t have to incur large call-out fees for the resulting repairs.
On the other hand, if your requirements are relatively simple or you have a quality in-house IT team available, the extra costs of an outsourced office printer management provider may not be justifiable.
Optimal Office Print Management for Different Business Types
Let’s take a look at which of in-house or outsourced office print management typically works best in different environments.
Large Enterprises
Large enterprises typically have a high number of users who have documents they need to print, and a wide variety of devices from which to print. Maximum uptime and strict security are crucial. New printers, devices, and software may need to be installed or upgraded regularly.
Large enterprises also typically have in-house IT teams available. They can typically handle the vast majority of office print management requirements.
In this scenario, outsourcing your office print management to a provider may be complicated, cumbersome, and rather costly. So, either utilizing your in-house team or only outsourcing those elements of your process that they can’t handle probably makes the most sense.
Smaller Businesses
For SMBs, the scenario is usually quite different from that of large enterprises. There are fewer users and devices, and the demands on the printing infrastructure are usually less intense.
However, many SMBs don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT team at their disposal. Without engaging an office print management provider, the entire process will have to be done by employees who are not necessarily that tech savvy, and are probably more effectively utilized on other business tasks.
So, in this scenario, outsourced office print management is often the most effective and affordable option.
Healthcare and Legal
Many healthcare providers are large enterprises that have in-house IT support teams available. Even so, outsourcing their office print management often represents the best option. That’s largely down to the strict regulatory environment in healthcare.
Patient confidentiality must be strictly protected, and the organization must remain compliant with legislation like HIPAA at all times. As a result, healthcare providers often require specialized integrations with custom software – a process often best handled by outsourcing to healthcare print management specialists.
It’s a similar story when it comes to the legal profession. The strict client confidentiality, complex cost recovery process, and specialized software required for regulatory purposes often mean that outsourced office print management is the best option, even for large firms with in-house IT teams.
The Right Provider
Outsourcing your office print management is an important decision, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Choosing the right partner can be the crucial piece of the puzzle.
Buckmaster Office Solutions has been providing office supplies and services to thousands of satisfied customers since the 1950s. We have vast experience in tailoring solutions for businesses of all sizes and across many industries. Contact us today to discuss your needs and get a free quote.
Recent years have seen a rapid digitization of practically everything. However, for most businesses, the office printer (or fleet of printers) stands as firmly at the heart of operations as ever. The average office worker is estimated to print 10-15 pages per day. That’s 3,000-4,500 pages per year per device.
All that printing requires constant management. Ineffective office printer management leads to increased downtime, and printer/copier downtime can cost a business anywhere from $250 to $500 per hour of downtime.
You have two options: handle your office printer management in-house or outsource it to print management experts. But which option is best suited to your specific business? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both.
What Is Office Printer Management?
Office printer management refers to the management of your entire imaging workflow and printing infrastructure. The aim is to optimize efficiency and reduce costs across all your printers and copiers and their output. The main components of office printer management are:
Set-up / Enablement
This involves setting up all your devices for efficient printing, including installing print software and drivers. The aim is to make it as simple and efficient for your team to print whatever they need to, quickly and with minimal fuss.
Maintenance
As noted earlier, printer downtime means lost productivity and revenue. To minimize downtime, you need to keep your printers in perfect working order. That means servicing them regularly, conducting repairs when needed, and ensuring client- and server-side software is always up-to-date.
IT Integration
You’ll need to ensure that all printers and the PCs that send print jobs to them are seamlessly integrated into your IT infrastructure. That involves ensuring that all the hardware is compatible and the software runs smoothly across all devices at all times.
Security
With cybercrime rampant and on the rise, protecting your network has never been more important. But printer security is often the weakest link in an organization’s security architecture.
You need to protect your data and documents throughout the print job cycle, from document preparation to the actual printing. Depending on your needs and set-up, this process may involve user authentication, authorization, and other forms of access control.
Management of Consumables
One of the most common causes of printer downtime is simply running out of vital consumables like toner, ink, or paper. You’ll need to monitor and control usage of these and other important consumables to ensure you never run out.
An important aspect here is waste management. Effective consumables management reduces waste, increases efficiency, and ultimately adds to your bottom line.
Cost Control
Last but far from least, you’ll need to constantly keep your finger on the pulse of how much your print operations are costing. Waste management can result in considerable savings, as can choosing the right machines and consumables for your specific requirements.
In-house or Outsource?
As you can see, office printer management is a comprehensive process that needs constant attention. So, is it worth trying to handle it all with your in-house IT team (or even by yourself if you’re a sole operator)? Or, are you better off outsourcing your print management to a third-party company? The answer really depends on your specific circumstances and requirements.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing
For a set monthly fee, office printer management (also known as Managed Print Services) providers can take away the pain. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that all your printing needs are being taken care of by experts.
Your printer fleet will be well-maintained and expertly integrated with your IT stack. Your consumables and their usage will also be properly managed. Perhaps most crucially, when things go wrong, expert assistance is just a call away, and you won’t have to incur large call-out fees for the resulting repairs.
On the other hand, if your requirements are relatively simple or you have a quality in-house IT team available, the extra costs of an outsourced office printer management provider may not be justifiable.
Optimal Office Print Management for Different Business Types
Let’s take a look at which of in-house or outsourced office print management typically works best in different environments.
Large Enterprises
Large enterprises typically have a high number of users who have documents they need to print, and a wide variety of devices from which to print. Maximum uptime and strict security are crucial. New printers, devices, and software may need to be installed or upgraded regularly.
Large enterprises also typically have in-house IT teams available. They can typically handle the vast majority of office print management requirements.
In this scenario, outsourcing your office print management to a provider may be complicated, cumbersome, and rather costly. So, either utilizing your in-house team or only outsourcing those elements of your process that they can’t handle probably makes the most sense.
Smaller Businesses
For SMBs, the scenario is usually quite different from that of large enterprises. There are fewer users and devices, and the demands on the printing infrastructure are usually less intense.
However, many SMBs don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT team at their disposal. Without engaging an office print management provider, the entire process will have to be done by employees who are not necessarily that tech savvy, and are probably more effectively utilized on other business tasks.
So, in this scenario, outsourced office print management is often the most effective and affordable option.
Healthcare and Legal
Many healthcare providers are large enterprises that have in-house IT support teams available. Even so, outsourcing their office print management often represents the best option.
That’s largely down to the strict regulatory environment in healthcare.
Patient confidentiality must be strictly protected, and the organization must remain compliant with legislation like HIPAA at all times. As a result, healthcare providers often require specialized integrations with custom software – a process often best handled by outsourcing to healthcare print management specialists.
It’s a similar story when it comes to the legal profession. The strict client confidentiality, complex cost recovery process, and specialized software required for regulatory purposes often mean that outsourced office print management is the best option, even for large firms with in-house IT teams.
The Right Provider
Outsourcing your office print management is an important decision, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Choosing the right partner can be the crucial piece of the puzzle.
Buckmaster Office Solutions has been providing office supplies and services to thousands of satisfied customers since the 1950s. We have vast experience in tailoring solutions for businesses of all sizes and across many industries. Contact us today to discuss your needs and get a free quote.