Your 4-Step Guide To Streamlined Print Management

January 6th, 2020 by admin

Man Pinning Printed Images to Office Wall

Managed Print Services is an integral part of thousands of businesses, but it’s rarely given the attention it deserves. Despite providing key materials for projects, marketing, and internal communication, most companies haven’t taken the right steps to make sure their system runs smoothly. This results in wasted time, longer project times, and missed marketing opportunities. It’s a lot to lose, meaning that streamlining the way your company prints is something you can’t afford to skip. Here’s ITG’s four-step guide to how you can streamline your print management and use this valuable resource in the most effective way.

1. Choose the Perfect Printer

As one of Arizona’s top providers of copiers, printers, and scanners, we have expert knowledge in what our customers need from their office technology. Key factors to consider when choosing the right printer include:

  • Your industry. Does your printer need copying and scanning abilities? Do you need a printer with industry-specific abilities, such as OCR (optical character recognition) or tracking abilities to charge back for prints and copies?

  • Company size. How many printers do you need? Are you looking for a local or network printer?

  • What you’ll be printing. Will your printer be used for internal documents, or marketing materials? Do you need a machine that can print production runs?

  • Environmental impact. Does your business have any green initiatives that your printer needs to comply with? Are you looking for a more eco-friendly option than your current model?

It can be difficult to find the answers to all these questions, and to figure out how important each of these factors should be when making your decision. Luckily, at ITG we offer free consultations with our printer experts. We can help you determine your printer needs and compare machines to find the best match for your business.

2. Integrate Custom Software

The printing software you need completely depends on what your company does and how they work. You may need industry-specific software so your printer can be used more effectively. There are also several custom printer softwares that businesses of all sizes and focuses can benefit from using. Here are some useful features you can get with custom printer software:

  • Secure printing. Every business deals with confidential information in some form. Secure printing software provides features such as requiring sign-in from an authorised employee before printing documents of a certain type. Measures like this can ensure that private documents stay private.

  • Document distribution. Have you ever written notes on a printed document during a meeting, then had to waste time typing them out to share with your team? With document distribution software, you can scan your document, convert it to an editable Word or Excel file, and share with your team for further collaboration.

  • Eco-friendly measures. Printing can be a huge concern for any company trying to reduce their carbon emissions. By installing custom print software, you can set up features like individual printing limits, eco-friendly default settings, and printer usage tracking. These measures can also be used to reduce printing costs, and figure out where you can cut down on unnecessary printing.

If you’d like to find out more about how custom software can make your business more efficient, get in touch with us. We know that a good printer can become a great tool when paired with the right software, and we’re ready to help you get to that next level.

3. Connect with Your Customers

Do you have customer outreach targets that you haven’t been able to reach yet? By streamlining your printing process, you’ll be able to print more materials and have them produced in a more organized manner. This will allow you to build a larger marketing campaign that takes less time to carry out.

At ITG, we have dozens of ways to tackle obstacles you may be facing in your client outreach method. We’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and have years of experience with all the problems you may be facing. We can tailor our solution to suit your company’s methods, increasing your material output while reducing your mailing costs. We can help you print everything from thank you cards to gift boxes- this is the time to get creative with how you connect with your customers!

4. Automate Your System

The first three steps on our list will help you to create a strong work flow that gives you the tools to grow your business. There’s just one issue with it- maintenance. Many companies don’t have a dedicated employee that manages their printing system. This doesn’t sound like a big problem, but it eats away at the productivity of other employees, who are spending time trying to fix paper jams and connectivity problems instead of focusing on their assigned projects.

Luckily, there’s a one-word solution to this problem: automate.

So many steps in your printing process can be automated. Supply orders and software updates are great examples of automated elements that will mean there’s one less thing to worry about in terms of office maintenance. Another way to automate your process is to have one or two employees take on the responsibility of fixing printer issues. The few hours it takes to train these people will be nothing compared to the time their co-workers would spend frustratedly trying to clear an error message or replace the toner. Automating doesn’t always mean using electronics- it simply means converting a process into something that can be done with less effort.

Use an Electronic Document Management System for Your Business

By implementing these four steps, you can create a streamlined print management system that utilizes your printing tools in the most effective way. However, we understand that it can be hard to know exactly what you need and which option would suit you best. There are a lot of products on the market, and knowing how they’ll work together can seem like a risky decision when what you choose will be so central to your business.

That’s why we offer a free technology assessment, right here on our website. All you have to do is enter your contact details, and one of our industry experts will be in touch. We’ll learn exactly what your needs are, and discuss the available options. You’ll get a printing system that gives you everything you need, with tailored advice from our industry professionals. Streamlining your print management system will give you the time and resources to grow your business, reach your goals, and communicate more effectively.

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