Print Management

<p>Managing a fleet of printers can be very expensive for any company. In fact, statistics show that for every $1 spent on printing supplies, $9 must be spent to manage the process. Managing the process includes paying invoices to vendors, stocking supplies, absorbing shrinkage and paying power bills.<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="iStock_000000080171Medium" border="0" alt="iStock_000000080171Medium" align="right" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/iStock_000000080171Medium_2.jpg" width="124" height="84" /> </p> <p>On top of management expense, printers and copiers are a huge hassle to IT departments. When they break down, an internal IT person has to figure out a course of action, whether that means fixing it themselves or requesting service. </p> <p>However, there is a better way! A Print Management program can provide everything you need to print for one low cost-per-page, including: supplies, preventative maintenance, and on-site service. </p>

<p>Today’s society is very conscientious about how we use our natural resources.<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="iStock_000003292097Small(2)" border="0" alt="iStock_000003292097Small(2)" align="right" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/iStock_000003292097Small2_1.jpg" width="77" height="106" /> Whether we are conserving gasoline by carpooling to work or reducing wastes by composting, we are very aware of how our actions affect the environment. However, despite the fact that we aim to recycle and conserve, there is some evidence that docuwaste has actually increased in the past few years.</p> <p>Docuwaste comes from the over-indulgence in printing which consumes reams and reams of paper and uses gallons of ink and toner. The scariest part is most companies have no way of controlling their docuwaste. Luckily, by incorporating print management into your company, you can easily incorporate resource-saving strategies with your workforce.</p>

<p>It is very common for print supplies such as toner and laser cartridges to get swallowed by larger office supply budgets. Because of this, many businesses never fully understand how much they are spending on printing. Luckily, there is a solution.</p> <p> With Print Management services, you will be able to streamline <img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Supplies" border="0" alt="Supplies" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Supplies_6.jpg" width="109" height="83" />your supply orders and save money by conserving resources. A print management program is designed to consolidate your print devices while enabling your employees to print with maximum efficiency.</p>

<p><i>By <a href="http://www.buyerslab.com/news/viewarticle.asp?article=68984">George Mikolay</a>, Senior Product Editor, A3/Copier MFPs, September 1, 2010</i></p> <p>When one of our subscribers asked us about how cost per page has changed over the last five years, we decided to do a little digging of our own regarding trends not only in per-page costs, but monthly volumes as well. Here’s what we found out. </p> <p>“Since the recession began, the industry has seen declining volumes in each segment of product over the last few years,” said Thomas Walter, director of aftermarket sales for Toshiba’s Marketing and Operations. Indeed, he observed, it seems the historic volume pattern of a successor model always printing a little more than its predecessor model has now been completely inverted. </p> <p>According to Larry Hunt of Larry Hunt Publications, which conducts a wide range of user surveys on document imaging issues, volume on monochrome models in the 85- to 125-ppm speed range is currently about 168,000 impressions a month, down from an average of 250,000 impressions four to five years ago. While the average monthly volume produced on color models in the 30- to 70-ppm speed range experienced significant growth, now averaging about 38,000 impressions, compared with about 8,000 impressions six to seven years ago, this volume has flattened out in the last year or two. An overall decline in usage and total volume per month since the recession began was confirmed by a number of the independent dealers we spoke with as well.</p> <p>So what’s to blame for the volume decline? One of the key contributors to the decline is the unemployment rate, said Toshiba’s Walter. As employment grows, volumes will too. But with current unemployment levels hovering around 10 percent, and flat hiring projected for the undetermined future, copier vendors and dealers shouldn’t be holding their breath. Adding to the concerns is that the recession hit right when people began migrating to color. Companies are turning color off; people are printing less in general. So it’s not realistic to expect volumes to return to their pre-recession 2007 levels. “We’re not going to sit back and hope volumes come back to 2007 levels,” said Walter. “But if we get 90 percent of 2007 volumes back, we’d consider that a success.”</p>

<p><i>August 31, 2010</i> - An extensive test conducted by Buyers Lab for HP found that certain papers can cause reliability and image quality problems in laser printers. The test encompassed nearly 2.5 million pages on 50 printers with five paper types. All 30 of the printers run with papers carrying the ColorLok® logo, which signifies that they meet a range of quality standards, produced 50,000 pages—a combined total of 1.5 million pages—with no reliability or image quality issues. In fact, they operated for up to nine times longer than printers running the paper types with large-size particle mineral fillers that do not meet the ColorLok® standard. Printers running ColorLok® papers also experienced more than four times fewer paper jams per paper type and maintained good quality output for up to three times longer than the same printers when run with the low-quality paper types. In addition, the ColorLok® papers left printers cleaner on the inside, leaving behind less paper dust and toner contamination that could potentially contribute to reliability issues. </p>