Written by Steve Holmes, PaperCut on Dec 16, 2020, originally posted on blog.papercut.com
In order for businesses to be print-ready this year, we’ve devised a 5-Point Print Checklist that public and private sector organisations of all sizes can follow.
The advice ensures you’re maximising your investment in print, while keeping your print costs and volumes low.
We also suggest you review your existing print policies to ensure that they accommodate the increasingly common hybrid working model that organisations have adopted in response to the pandemic.
Most print policies are devised around a traditional centralised workplace. Organisations that don’t update their print policies to reflect new work practices are at risk from being exposed to rising print costs and volumes as well as print-related security breaches.
The 5-Point Print Checklist
1. Compare your year-on-year print usage
If you have an intelligent print management solution in place (PaperCut MF, for example), compare your previous year’s print usage patterns. As offices have been quieter – and are set to be in the future, due to the hybrid working models – many print devices will have been underutilised. Use the detailed information provided by an intelligent print management solution to consolidate your print fleet while maximising the efficiency of the remaining devices.
2. Get a print management solution
If you don’t have an intelligent print management solution in place (such as the aforementioned PaperCut MF!), speak to your print supplier about the security, cost, print volume and overall management benefits that come from bringing control to your print.
Many businesses will find additional opportunities to minimise waste, helping to identify cost savings and also support sustainability initiatives.
3. Review your print policies
Review the suitability of your existing print policies in the context of your hybrid working model and adapt them to accommodate how and where your staff will work in the future.
4. Audit your remote printing setup
Consider the cost and security implications of unmanaged remote print and introduce remote training for staff to ensure they follow best practice when printing remotely.
5. Ensure employees can print over the internet
Add a secure and flexible printing solution for employees who need to print securely over the internet and release their print jobs when they arrive at the office.
The impact of COVID-19 meant that realigning strategic, operational and financial goals were centre stage for all organisations. Therefore, the end of the year is an excellent time to assess other areas that may not have seemed a priority, to ensure that you’re also ready for the opportunities and challenges the New Year presents.
By following our 5-Point Print Checklist, organisations of all sizes and across all industries will enjoy better ways to keep their data secure and reduce their print costs and waste, while finding more flexible and touch-free ways to operate in the future.
Brother & PaperCut have teamed up to provide a simple yet powerful solution for businesses to manage their print devices. With Brother’s award-winning Laser Devices & Papercut’s Print Management software, businesses of any size can benefit, get in touch and let our specialists help you with your 5-point print checklist.
