An office without papers is very appealing in theory. However, in today’s world it isn’t really plausible. Paper is too ingrained into our business plans to get rid of it all together. However, it is possible start transitioning to a more digital filing system.

Paper documents take up a lot of space when used for extensive filing. Plus, with the need to keep records of pretty much everything, those files can really add up. An electronic document management system (EDMS) is a very cost effective way to securely store all your documents digitally. Plus, with the integrations of updated multifunction systems, scanning in your documents is easier than ever.

Did you know laser-printing costs could amount to as much as 3 precent of annual revenue, according to a recently released study? Companies are eager to seize the opportunity to save on laser printing expenses and gain a competitive advantage. The last two decades resulted in companies acquiring a variety of copiers and similar devices, which forced organizations to sign up for separate maintenance and supply agreements. Electricity use also presented a significant expense associated with those systems.

As internet and e-mail became more prevalent, printing costs actually increased in size. Next year, the costs may go up by as much as 9 precent, and colour printing could rise by 19 precent according to Information Week. Your printing needs could exceed the growth of your business, and you may wnder whether you missed an opportunity to reign in the costs earlier.

By Daria Hoffman, Managing Editor, January 11, 2011

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (KMBS), announced Friday it has acquired All Covered, Inc., a leading provider of IT services to small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) for an undisclosed sum. As a result, KMBS expects to enjoy significant growth in the $18 billion SMB IT services market. Indeed, KMBS Senior Executive Vice President and COO Rick Taylor said he believes a doubling of services revenue is “clearly achievable” over the next 12 to 18 months. And, of course, there’s the opportunity for Konica Minolta equipment to be sold into the 2,000 clients currently being serviced by All Covered.   

With revenues of just over $60 million, All Covered becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of KMBS. It has 324 employees (250 of whom are engineers) in 22 offices throughout the United States for on-site support, as well as two 24/7 network operations centers that enable it to provide around-the-clock computer and network services to customers in remote locations.

Taylor described the acquisition and the expansion into IT services it represents for Konica Minolta as “the culmination of the direction Konica Minolta has been heading” for the past several years—shifting from a hardware provider to a services company that can help customers with every aspect of their information/workflow throughout its lifecycle.”

Printing costs for a company can be expensive. When asked to evaluate printing costs, most people immediately think of the cost of an ink jet or laser printer cartridge. While cartridges definitely add to the overall printing costs, the total cost is much more than just printing supplies.

When evaluating printing costs, you must include hardware, service, IT support, vendor management, supply inventories and logistics. Much of this is hard to track, which is why we offer to manage your print services.

Distribution costs can also be very costly. In the total distribution cost you must include printing, pre-printed forms, envelopes, folding and stuffing. By using electronic forms technology to send documents, you can eliminate many extra costs.

Printing costs for a company can be expensive. When asked to evaluate printing costs, most people immediately think of the cost of an ink jet or laser printer cartridge. While cartridges definitely add to the overall printing costs, the total cost is much more than just printing supplies.

When evaluating printing costs, you must include hardware, service, IT support, vendor management, supply inventories and logistics. Much of this is hard to track, which is why we offer to manage your print services.

Most businesses have no idea how much they are spending on office printing. There is often no method within the company to manage and control printing costs. Fortunately we can help by providing you with new remote print monitoring technology, which can help you measure and control printing costs. By reading printer usage data from your printers, we can create a platform for a three step process that can help save you money.

Understanding you current costs is the first step. Take a few readings of your printer volumes and use this information to determine your usage patterns. We will then look at the supply costs of your vendors to determine your total cost of ownership.

Next you will want to outsource the management of your printers. This will lead to immediate cost reduction. Going to a cost-per-page payment plan that includes printer supplies, help desk support, and onsite service will make sure you are paying only for what you use. One invoice will make it easy to manage your expenses.

As the New Year approaches, cutting costs is often a topic of conversation. Re-evaluating how you run and manage your document production can help you bring in 2011. Document production and management can cost you up to 14% of your annual revenue. We can help you cut these costs immediately.

Outsourcing the management of your printers to us is the easiest and most cost effective way to manage your printing needs. Most companies do not know how much they spend on their laser printers.

The total cost of ownership can be very surprising. Toner cartridges are expensive and often not used effectively. I am sure you have looked inside your supply closet and have seen unused toner cartridges. The ordering of supplies, services, parts, and hardware is time consuming for the IT department, especially considering that you likely have many different vendors for these goods and services.

A common cost associated with printers that people often forget about is the energy costs. Printers and copiers are usually some of the biggest electricity users in the office.

It is hard to figure out exact cost of powering your printers and copiers, but assuming the device is used for 2 hours each day and an office has 50 copiers and 500 printers, energy costs can run about $50,000 a year. This is a cost that can be significantly cut down very easily.

Every business, including yours, has documents that are processed on a daily basis. Contracts, Invoices, Receipts, Purchase Orders, In-house Memos, and documents related to sensitive information are some of the examples of documents you may use.

However, do you take the time necessary to ensure your documents are properly stored, backed up, processed, delivered and destroyed? Even with today’s electronic and digital age, paper documents are still prevalent. However, you can easily transfer paper documents into digital formats to keep them more secure than a regular filing cabinet.

Many people believe that document management is inconvenient, expensive and will reduce productivity within your office. However, that is not the case. Document management actually enables your workers to find the information they need quicker. They won’t have to waste time rifling through filing cabinets to find a document that may or may not have been filed correctly. Instead, a document management system allows employees to access a document from the convenience of their own desktop. Plus, you will have a record of who is accessing particular documents!

As the new year approaches, cutting costs is often a topic of conversation. Reevaluating how you run and manage your document production can help you bring in 2011. Document production and management can cost you up to 14% of your annual revenue. We can help you cut these costs immediately.

Outsourcing the management of your printers to us is the easiest and most cost effective way to manage your printing needs. Most companies do not know how much they spend on their laser printers.

The total cost of ownership can be very surprising. Toner cartridges are expensive and often not used effectively. I am sure you have looked inside your supply closet and seen unused toner cartridges. The ordering of supplies, services, parts, and hardware is time consuming for the IT department, especially considering that you likely have many different vendors for these goods and services.