If you're like most modern businesses, you're looking for ways to go green. However, the unfortunate truth is that many green initiatives force you to choose between the environment and your own bottom line--and if you're stressed by the idea, you're not alone. That's why managed print is here to save the day.
Why Managed Print?
Of all the sustainability solutions you could choose, why start with managed print?
Consider this: Where do you turn when you need to create important paperwork for clients? How about marketing material? New hire documentation? Invoices?
Chances are, you said the printer.
That's why managed print is a key sustainability solution: Instead of trying to stop you from doing things, it helps you do one big thing way better. It just so happens that one "thing," printing, is a huge part of your day-to-day operations, from external communication to record-keeping--which means managed print is perfectly positioned to be the green solution you've been searching for.
How Managed Print Saves Green
So, how does managed print get the job done? Here are a few of the most important ways this solution helps you make improvements without having to choose between the environment and your budget.
Managed print helps you optimize your fleet.
By now, you probably know older machines can be a huge drain on your budget. Just think of all the repairs and maintenance necessary to keep an outdated printer on its feet!
The truth, though, is that older machines are a problem in more ways than one. In fact, they tend to use more energy to do less--which means they're far from Mother Nature's best friend. They also aren't as efficient in their use of ink and toner, so you're wasting large amounts of these supplies just by using the printer.
That's where managed print comes in.
By helping you identify "weak links" in your printer fleet and removing or replacing these devices, managed print optimizes your print environment. It even helps you budget for necessary upgrades, which means you can get your hands on the latest, greatest, and most environmentally friendly devices without having to break the bank.
Managed print enables better document management.
Document management is a great tool for sustainability--but without the right foundation, your document management efforts may not be as organized as they could be. Managed print helps create that foundation by giving you better control over and insight into your print environment--which, naturally, is where most of those documents come from in the first place. This allows you to leverage document management solutions more effectively, make better decisions going forward, and ultimately print smarter instead of more frequently.
Managed print identifies and eliminates unnecessary printing.
Speaking of printing smarter, that's another thing managed print can help you do--avoid the "print" button. In reality, you've probably been printing for so long that it feels like second nature, which means you may not realize just how many times you print a document that could be shared digitally instead.
To help bring your attention to these knee-jerk prints, managed print identifies the print jobs you actually need to perform and compares them to the unnecessary ones. With this information in hand, you can learn when a hard copy is necessary vs. when it might be better (and better for the environment!) to use digital solutions instead.
Managed print builds better supply utilization habits.
Printing too often, using too much ink or toner--these habits tend to go hand-in-hand. Luckily, managed print can help you take control, giving you the tips and tricks you need to make better use of your supplies. That's an important step--but perhaps even more important is what comes after.
Once you've depleted a toner cartridge, your managed print provider can help find ways to recycle that cartridge. This keeps the plastic--as well as the environmentally damaging residue left inside--from ending up in a landfill.
Managed print makes it easy to improve.
So many managed print solutions are about learning--like learning what your bad habits are or which machines are wasting energy. Where does all that learning start?
Simple: print audits.
Audits are a managed print provider's way of taking your print environment's temperature. This is how you'll see what's really going on, what you're doing well, and where you can improve. Ideally, you'll have a print audit at the very beginning of your managed print journey--that way, you can compare data and see your progress as you make changes. Better yet, you'll be able to track certain solutions and identify their benefits, which, in turn, helps you become even more efficient and environmentally friendly in the future.
Conclusion
There are plenty of sustainability solutions out there. Managed print just so happens to be the best first step--not because it makes big promises, but because it starts in a sensible place (your print environment) and enables you to make concrete, visible progress in your journey to a greener future.
The best news is that managed print and other sustainability solutions aren't mutually exclusive. If you're taking this step, you're putting yourself on a path that leads to a healthier environment and a happier budget.
Ready to learn more about green solutions like managed print and document management? Contact us today to start saving green in more ways than one.