When it comes to supplying your business with its printing device, is it better to buy your own, or stick to a print supplier?
Firstly, every organisation, no matter its size or sector, has a need at some time for printing. It is important that devices are found professionally and effectively for best business functionality, and the quality of your print jobs will influence how your clients and suppliers view your professionalism.
Many small businesses in particular, will purchase a printer themselves online, which only shows the running cost of toner. There is the hope that this way of obtaining a printer will avoid getting tied into a contract. It offers the flexibility of hiring the repair company of their choice if the device break down. This often leads to them trying to fix it themselves.
However, as well as there being high initial expenses of buying printers, toner and paper, there are additional expenses. These include the cost of replacement parts and consumables. Other considerations include your main type of print job, the range of colour you use, the paper type you buy, and how to connect your device.
Here are six advantages of using a print supplier.
1. Save time
The amount of time your employees spend on printer-related tasks can be frustrating. There is also the time spent fixing device malfunctions and replacing ink cartridges, toners, and consumables to consider as well. A print supplier should identify such problems. They should include plans and training to reduce the hidden waste of employees’ time incurred on print-related tasks. This frees up staff time to focus on their daily tasks at hand.
2. Reduce costs
The cost of purchasing an entire fleet of devices can be daunting. However, a print supplier will consider the payment options that best suit your business, and recommend the most cost-effective device. Managed Print Services (MPS) can provide a single supplier, one invoice solution, and can reduce your copy / print costs by as much as 30%.
“Capital have significantly reduced our printing and copying costs. The roll out to 27 geographically dispersed services across Scotland went without a hitch. Capital’s trainers trained users on all the features and benefits of the new services. Everyone at Capital has been helpful, professional and a joy to work with.”
– Ros Dowey, IT Manager at Aberlour Scotland’s Children’s Charity
3. Improve productivity
A print audit will consider the need to print from mobile devices or off-site, or the need to print special types of document sizes and also formats which you use regularly. A print supplier will also often provide frequent hardware upgrades, giving you access to cutting edge technology when it’s released. Print suppliers often offer staff training, which will help get your colleagues up to speed with new hardware.
4. Receive advice
Many suppliers will offer a thorough and free print audit with no strings attached to identify the best solution for you. A look into your needs will analyse volumes and also running costs to discover efficiency savings. The audit report will then recommend the most effective way to reduce your organisation’s paper usage.
5. Fix and repair
A trusted print supplier will mean you are covered by a service and support agreement, whereby the device will be completely maintained and repaired for a fixed cost per print / copy. In addition, installation, all parts, labour and toner are included, which will contribute to helping you control your costs. Print services will also often connect all devices to one monitoring system to ensure just-in-time delivery of replacement toners and repairs. This means you don’t have to worry about the running of your device, and you will have the capacity to react to problems as and when they happen, rather than wait for the device to completely break down – perhaps at a crucial time, or when you struggle to find an available repair company, wasting you time and money.
“Capital has always provided us with the highest level of customer service, training and support, and all from a locally based company who take the time to understand the needs of the business. Engineers are very prompt to respond, and any issues are identified and resolved quickly, causing minimal disruption. I would highly recommend Capital to any company looking for document solutions.”
– Nicky Findlay, Business & Finance Manager at Alcohol & Drugs Action
6. Reduce your environmental footprint
With a monitoring system in place as part of your print supplier’s package, you will be able to identify and also track levels of print usage. That way, you are in a better position to keep track, and reduce your environmental footprint.
So find out how you can take advantage of everything that comes with purchasing a device through a trusted supplier, get in touch with us now.
For more information on Capital’s fix and repair services, take a look into the day and life of two of our offshore engineers, Steven Miller and Andrew Dick.
Finally, sources: Brother UK and CIPS.
Posted in Document Management Solutions, Managed Print Service, Service
