Is your business paying too much for its office printing? If you are unable to answer that question it is highly likely that you should be considering a print audit to review the efficiency of your daily printing process.

Many companies are conducting print audits to gather detailed and accurate information on the combined cost of ownership from existing printing and copying devices within their organisation.

Not only does this help firms get a clearer picture of their current wastage and outgoings, it also opens their eyes to their wider impact on the environment.

It is said that with proper controls and systems in place, following a successful print audit, businesses can save up to 35 per cent on the billions of pounds being spent on printing throughout the UK each and every year.

The average annual print spend accounts for around three per cent of all costs to UK companies. However, there are some sectors that depend heavily on direct mail or packaging materials that can spend upwards of 20 per cent of their operating revenues on print.

A thorough print audit of your business’ printing operations gives you the opportunity to identify the devices that are most cost-effective and pinpoint the ones that are a drain on your budget. For arguably the first time in your business’ existence you can have an accurate appraisal of what your printing actually costs you in black and white.

Ultimately a print audit enables businesses to focus on getting a return on their investment in printing products. By reviewing your existing setup your print audit consultants may be able to advocate a more efficient printing system that will save you money.

For example, many offices still use costly and inefficient single-user printers. But by replacing these with a single multifunction device, businesses very quickly notice a reduction in their monthly outgoings on print, whilst improving the speed and print quality for users on a day-to-day basis.

There is a plethora of ways to improve productivity in the workplace and print infrastructure is most definitely one of them. By installing faster devices that are built to cope with larger print volumes and automated functions employees can focus on more business-critical tasks by eliminating the time-consuming manual processes that plague the average UK office.

For an unbiased, independent assessment of your printer and copier fleet there has never been a better time to carry out a print audit and bring everything under control with an effective print management strategy.

Author bio

‘Why your business should conduct a print audit and now’ was written by First Choice Business Systems, specialists in managed print services with a combined 130 years of experience in print. The Kent-based firm works in close liaison with its clients to design and manage a print environment that is efficient and cost-effective long term.

This is a guest post for TheEmployable