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Centralising Printing to a Multifunctional Photocopier
Tuesday, 28 April 2009 10:49
A combination of photocopying, printing and scanning needs to be done in most schools and businesses, with many running several small printers for printing documents, a photocopier for copying documents and separate desktop scanners for scanning documents. Now that most photocopiers are multifunctional and can be connected to the print server, is it necessary to still also run desktop printers, or can it be more cost effective and still convenient to re-route all, or at least most, printing to the photocopier and get rid of desktop devices
Cost is an important factor for any business or school evaluating their print strategy. It is often tempting to go with the cheapest option initially, but, to find the total cost of ownership, possible savings need to be weighed up against user convenience, speed of printing, versatility and reliability.
Cost effectiveness
Cost effectiveness is better evaluated in two sections: initial cost to purchase the equipment and ongoing running cost. Undoubtedly a desktop printer will most likely be cheaper to purchase initially than a large photocopier. However, factors such as life-span, how many devices are needed, consumables cost and cost per print need evaluation to find a total running cost. Photocopiers can also be leased, which can spread their cost over time. It is important to remember that, just as over using a number of printers can be expensive, so too can be under using a photocopier.
Convenience
Ideally, printers and photocopiers need to be conveniently positioned and easily accessible to all users. Clearly a desktop printer within arm's reach is more convenient than having to collect prints from a photocopier positioned in a central position. However, being forced to collect prints from a less conveniently positioned photocopier could encourage users to think more carefully before printing, reducing wasteful prints. Investigating which devices handle the most printing can help develop an overall print strategy. A print audit will deliver a detailed analysis of the number of prints sent to each device. These figures not only show which devices are the most cost effective but also help to pin point the best position for the photocopier to stand according to the office areas that carry out the most printing.
Speed
Information about how many pages a printer or photocopier can print per minute is usually readily available and easily comparable. A multifunctional photocopier that has replaced several desktop printers will have to have a relatively high print speed to compensate for the increased number of users printing to a single device.
Versatility
The importance of versatility really depends on individual business needs. Photocopiers can achieve a large number of different functions, giving businesses the opportunity to centralise not only their printing but also their scanning, faxing and sending.
Reliability
Depending on their initial price, most desktop printers are not built to last more than a couple of years, which is partly why most people simply choose to replace any broken printers rather than having them repaired. Most businesses have a photocopier service agreement for large devices, meaning that a service engineer can be called out for any problems. Replacing a printer every time it breaks can cause costs to spiral out of control, especially if the device is over used.
There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to centralise printing with one large multifunctional device, but evaluating whether or not this is viable is one step towards developing an effective print strategy and gaining control of print costs.
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