With inflation rising, saving money is more and more important for businesses of all sizes. One area where money can inadvertently be thrown out the window is printing costs. Printers are an important aspect of business, but they can easily be overused or misused, thus wasting money for a company. The good news is that you can save quite a bit of money just by managing your printers better, and there are many ways to reduce printer costs easily and quickly.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON PRINTER COSTS

You can reduce the cost of printing by using the settings function of your printer, educating employees, switching to remanufactured print cartridges, and employing managed print services.

PRINTER SETTINGS TO SAVE MONEY

One of the simplest ways to save money on your printing costs is to use the settings on your printer. While the specific settings of each specific printer might be different, most printers have common settings that can be used to reduce costs.

ECO-FRIENDLY OR DRAFT MODE

Some printers have what is called an eco-friendly mode or draft mode, which reduces the amount of ink or toner that is used when printing out documents. The less ink or toner you use, the less frequently you’ll need to change your ink cartridges. This is one of the first settings you should look for if you are hoping to reduce printer costs.

By using these low ink modes, your printer won’t be using more ink than is necessary. Now when you use these modes, your printing will not be quite as dark, crisp, or clear as it might be if all of the ink or toner was used, but usually, the print is good enough for drafts and internal documents.

However, you can always change the setting to print at the maximum when you really do need to have that type of detail, for example, when printing a photograph or a document that’s going to be used in a formal presentation.

As another ink-saving option, eco-friendly fonts are actually designed to reduce ink or toner usage. They do this by being slightly less “solid” than normal fonts.

DUPLEX (DOUBLE-SIDED) PRINTING

If you have a printer that’s able to print on both sides of the paper, i.e., duplex printing, this is also another way to save on printer costs. Paper is becoming more and more expensive, so by printing on both the front and the backside of the paper, you can reduce the cost of your paper.

Not all printers use duplex printing, so your printer might not have this option. But it’s good to keep in mind when you are looking to replace printers. If you get a new printer with a duplex option, then you will have the ability to save paper.

EDUCATING EMPLOYEES

To make sure that your employees don’t waste toner or paper unnecessarily, make sure you keep them informed and educated. You might have a workshop or send a memo to let people know the best ways they can reduce printer usage.

REMANUFACTURED PRINT CARTRIDGES

Print cartridges can be expensive, and they also take up space in the landfills. Remanufactured print cartridges are cheaper than new OEM cartridges, and recycled cartridges also reduce landfill waste. Remanufactured print cartridges, when produced by a quality company, can be just as reliable and effective as an OEM cartridge, while saving you money and saving the planet.

MANAGED PRINT SERVICES (MPS)

Managed Print Services or MPS is another way to save printing costs. MPS is actually a service offered by a third-party vendor. The MPS consultant will set up some special software that will monitor the printers on your network. The software also tracks a number of metrics, including how much is being printed and where. MPS software can also potentially track who is printing what and also alert you when toner is running low. This can help a company spot areas where printers might be overused or printer resources are being wasted (often for things that might not be so important).

Additionally, companies can save money because with managed print services your printer maintenance and upgrades are taken care of and included in the monthly cost, so you don’t have to worry or hassle with expensive printer repair bills or buying new equipment.

GET STARTED ON MANAGING PRINTER COSTS TODAY

If you are ready to save money on your printing costs, it might be time to look into Managed Print Services (MPS). To get started, contact us at Doing Better Business. We’ll set up a consultation where we come onsite and review your current print setup. We will give you some ideas and options for consolidating, upgrading, or enhancing your printer fleet. Contact us today for a consultation.

Are you interested in saving money with Managed Print Services? Then contact Doing Better Business to schedule your consultation today.

Topics: MPS, printers, color printers, remanufactured