Paper-based documents and printing will always have a role to play in organisations but you could likely save money and improve your performance and productivity by finding ways that allow your to print less.
Usually, this means putting policies in place that help minimise unnecessary printing. However, your managed print services (MPS) provider should be able to help you find ways to print less.
Here are four ways printing less can help you achieve:
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Cost savings
According to Gartner, as much as three per cent of a company’s revenue is spent on paper, printing, filing, storing, and maintaining files of information.[1] By reducing the amount of printing that happens in an office, you can save money on paper and ink. You also save the time it takes to manage all those hardcopy files. Having the right fleet of devices and consolidating machines not only reduces equipment costs but also provides a better cost-per-page.
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Improved security
People often print documents then forget to collect them. This results in documents left on the printer where anyone can pick them up. Most of the time, the documents are eventually thrown into the recycling bin but what if those documents contained sensitive or confidential information? Then you’re at risk of failing to comply with privacy laws. Furthermore, by not shredding those wasted printouts, you create further risk that the documents could be accessed by people outside your organisation. Through simple solutions like ‘swipe and release’ or ‘secure print’, you can ensure documents are only released at the device by the user.
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Reduced environmental impact
The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year and 50 per cent of business waste is composed of paper.[2] This means paper accounts for as much as 25 per cent of landfill waste, while producing just one piece of A4 paper takes an average of five litres of water.[3] This is a significant environmental impact that could be reduced by finding print less solutions.
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Reduced operational risk
When employees waste time searching for the right document, businesses lose productivity. Employees spend up to two hours daily searching for documents, and furthermore up to two hours recreating documents. Up to 80 percent of documents that an organisation produces never gets used again.[4]
The cost and wasted productivity associated with this can make it difficult for you to focus on innovation and competition. Digitising paper processes means that documents previously printed can now be electronically viewed, processed and stored. This results in reduced reliance on paper that can be lost or misplaced, and information becomes easier to track and find.
[1] https://www.mydatascope.com/blog/en/2018/03/08/how-much-paper-waste-is-costing-your-business/
[2] https://www.mydatascope.com/blog/en/2018/03/08/how-much-paper-waste-is-costing-your-business/
[3] http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts
[4] https://www.m-files.com/en/ebook-finding-a-needle-in-a-haystack-intelligent-information-management