What You Don’t Know Will Cost You

Are you perpetually surprised by how much it costs to print? Or, do you just try to ignore it, hoping no one will notice? Check out these common myths – and give a big shout out to our very own Jeff Rathbun, PrintSmart^TM Solution Specialist, for helping us all turn a wiser eye on our printing environments.

Myth #1: It’s cheaper to buy a new printer than fix the one you have.

Before you head off to that big box office supply store to pick up another “cheap” printer, consider this:

• In 2010 alone 193,000 tons of discarded hardcopy devices were trashed.
• For every new printer you buy, you end up with more “orphaned” supplies from your old printer. When Jeff is working with customers to help them better manage their costs, he often sees supply closets chock full of ink and toner that can no longer be used. That’s ink… and money…down the drain.
• With our PrintSmart^TM program, you’ll work with us to identify and fix older printers that still have life in them – not just toss them out.

Myth #2: The more vendors the merrier.

Trust us, we know just how much fun printer vendors can be (we hang around them a lot ourselves). But you might want to keep in mind that more vendors also mean more skus, a myriad of drivers, countless brands of supplies, and hordes of repair people you deal with, too. Simplify, simplify.

Myth #3: You can believe everything you read on ink and toner boxes.

If you’re using the expected yield rate that appears on your toner packaging to determine cost-per-page, you might be kidding yourself. You see, manufacturers use a standard letter with 5% fill as the basis to determine yield rates. Given that most documents are somewhere between 8% and 10%, the actual yield rate is likely 60% of the number given… which is just one more of the many reasons to consider a managed print program like PrintSmart^TM: with that, there’s no complicated math to do — you know exactly how much you will pay every month.

Myth #4: Solid ink printers mean solid gold savings.

You hear a lot about how affordable and efficient solid ink printers are these days. But what is often ignored and equally important (and even more so to many of us Pacific Northwesterners) is the size of their carbon footprint. Think about it. It takes a lot of power to turn a solid into a liquid, right? Solid ink printers have to be on 24X7. Check out HP’s handy Carbon Footprint Calculator to learn more.

Myth #5: Just call IT — they can fix it.

While it is true that the average IT guy or gal has been known to walk on water and wrestle alligators, very few have been trained to fixed printers. Really, they should be spending their time enhancing applications and IT processes that grow business and satisfy customers. Sadly, though, an estimated 20 percent of all calls to IT help desks are printer related. Just think: if a managed print team helps you take care of printers, your IT can take care of business.

Myth #6: Having your own printer makes you cool.

It’s a cultural thing, really. Many of us have grown accustomed to having our own printer nearby… plus stashing all those extra cartridges and paper somewhere close. But you may be very pleasantly surprised to find out how easy (and financially savvy) it is to share. And many printers these days, including the entire line of HP MFPs, come with features and tools that can secure your documents. So whether you’re in healthcare, government, finance, education, or business, you can save money and keep your sensitive documents to yourself.

Myth #7: Green printing? Impossible.

We’ve learned how to do it – and we can help you get there. There are many tools available to help you manage energy costs as well as your paper and supplies. Not only do ENERGY STAR®-rated devices save energy, they can save you a chunk of change as well: for example, an HP ENERGY STAR®-rated All-in-One printer can save about $220 dollars in electricity bills over its lifetime. HP’s Instant-on Technology reduces warm up time while Auto-On, Auto-Off technology senses when you need to print and when you don’t. Duplexing and color controls can also help organizations reduce their footprint and costs.

Myth #8: Printing consultants are for the big guys.

The fact is that small businesses really can’t afford NOT to consult with a managed print professional. Every penny counts. PrintSmart^TM specialists make it their business to save yours.

Bust the myths: take a hard look at your printing and expose the problems that are costing you money and time that’s better spent growing your business. We can help. Call Jeff for further information on any of these myths or others you may have heard. 206.282.1200.