Over the years, print management has evolved from a relatively niched service to one that no modern office can afford to be without. There are two reasons for this. The first is simply that printers, copiers, faxes machines, and all of their many capabilities have also evolved dramatically over the past ten years. Just like with computers, these devices – and how they’re used – need to be effectively managed through a network.

The second is that, if they are not properly managed, excessive printing, copying, and faxing are almost always the result. This may seem like a relatively benign problem, but when out-of-control, these activities can quickly lead to unnecessary waste and crushing overhead. That’s why so many companies – from small businesses to enterprises – rely on print management solutions like PaperCut MF to protect their budgets and keep their offices running smoothly.

How Much Is Wasted Printer Paper Costing Your Company?

When it comes to defending your budget, the wasted paper may not be the first item that comes to mind. Most CFOs look at staff costs relative to output, overtime, and even cutting services or product lines that aren’t worth the investment.

Your company may also have unique challenges that weigh on your budget. However, taking paper-waste for granted can be an extremely costly mistake. For one thing, there is no downside to investing in a print-management strategy that saves you money by saving paper.

While every company is different, the average office worker prints off 1,000 sheets of paper every single year, with an average price of 2.47 cents per page, that means just one employee could be costing you $24.70 a year from their printing. Over time, that amount can quickly add up if you have a large enough staff, especially when you consider all of the other ways it could be spent.

That’s not the only cost associated with runaway printing practices, either. We’re also talking about the paper that gets printed and filed away, even though it was never necessary to begin with. Consider some other paper-related costs for most offices:

• $20/month on filing
• $1,500/year on filing cabinets

On average, each new cabinet takes up nine square feet of space, as well. Eventually, this can force companies to spend more on additional office space just because of their cabinets. Of course, because of excessive printing, many of those cabinets may not even be necessary.

Also, keep in mind that, despite all these cabinets, your average employee spends 35% of their time at work trying to locate the information and documents they need – not a high ROI. This is why so many companies have begun turning to PaperCut to help drive down their unnecessary printing and preserve more of their budget.

What Is PaperCut MF?

The simple answer is that PaperCut MF is a platform that allows you to enable user- and device-level control and management over all of your printers and MFDs (Multifunction Devices). Fortunately, this simple solution offers several impressive print-management features, which include:

• Tracking and controlling all MFD activity (e.g., printing, copying faxing, and scanning)
• Managing user access rights of any devices based on their job function
• Implementing quotas, charges, and costs for all copying
• Enhancing document security for MFDs and printers with “Find Me” print release
• Providing managed access for devices for enhanced security
• Accepting cash payments for printing, copying, scanning, faxing in pay-for-print setups

On top of all of these features, one of the reasons so many companies, schools, and even libraries depend on PaperCut MF is because the platform gives them easily-accessible data about how much paper they’re using and how much waste they end up reducing. If you aren’t currently sure about how much paper your office goes through every year, it will be nearly impossible to reduce that number and enjoy added savings.

The same goes if you don’t have any control over user-access rights. At the moment, everyone in your office may have the same access to printing, copying, and faxing as much as they want. Should they?

As you’ll probably find early on from using this powerful print management software, each title most likely has different needs. By determining what they are and then putting appropriate access rights in place, you’ll start saving on paper – and money – right away.

Print Management Has Become an Essential Service

Print management is one of the simplest, most cost-effective investments most companies could make into getting more from their budgets and increasing overall productivity. Without a solution that includes a print management software like PaperCut MF, it’s inevitable that large amounts of waste will occur each year. At Blue Technologies, our print management solution comes with a PaperCut download, Objective Lune PrintShop Mail, Equitrac Express and Office, Objectif Lune Project, and so much more.

To learn all the ways our print management solution will benefit your company, please contact us today.