5 Signs It’s Time To Optimize Your Printer Fleet

Does your organization’s printer fleet help you get work done efficiently? Are some printers gathering dust while others get overused? Maybe your printers are so slow and outdated that your team would instead not print anything at all.

No matter the reason for reading this article, the chances are that you are here because you’re looking for a better way to manage your printer fleet.

At LDI Connect, our Managed Print division applies a clean sheet approach when evaluating a customer’s current printer fleet and environment to best meet their print needs and goals. A clean sheet approach allows customers to visualize their ideal print environment. By approaching the planning process with foresight into what they would like their printer fleet to achieve moving forward, we can recommend particular print solutions that meet their goals.

This article will break down five signs that it’s time to right-size your current printer fleet. By the end of this article, you will better understand if your organization should optimize its printer fleet or not. 

5 Signs It’s Time Your Company Enhances Its Printer Fleet?

When considering deploying your printer fleet for more productive document workflow and output, optimizing can be a practical option. Optimizing may include updating, upgrading, or right-sizing your printer fleet to benefit your company in more ways than one.

Let’s dive into five telling signs that your company should optimize its fleet of print devices.

1. Outdated Print Devices

While purchasing a new print device can be expensive depending on the model you choose, hanging onto an old, outdated device can drive up print-related costs drastically. Aside from the cost of the printer itself, you will need to keep in mind the cost of consumables, maintenance, repairs, and spare parts.

The older and more outdated the device, the higher the cost of the required spare part or ink and toner cartridges will be.

Today’s multifunction printers (MFPs) can take the place of several outdated printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machines. Newer devices are more efficient in their consumption of power and offer more affordable consumable options.

Your organization’s print needs and goals will evolve over the lifespan of the printing device hence why it’s vital to reconsider how auxiliary costs for a print device can change as well.

2. Unused Devices 

Does your organization own quite a few personal desktop printers as well as multifunction devices? If the answer is yes. Then the chances are that a couple of devices are not getting used as often or at all. 

It can be easy to overlook devices that are not getting used. 

A print assessment will inform your organization of particular data related to your current print environment, behavior, and device usage. This information is imperative in optimizing your printer fleet and getting rid of devices that no longer serve you.

Unused devices are a waste of money, consumables, and space. Print devices that can serve a group of employees and house effective software applications can make for a more seamless document workflow.

3. High Print Costs

Most companies are unaware of just how much they’re spending on their print environment. With several print devices printing out paper in various departments or office locations, it can be challenging to represent total costs accurately. 

So whether your printer fleet is old and outdated or your employees are printing in color when they should be only printing in black and white, print costs can be controlled once your environment is evaluated.

Once you have collected data regarding your print environment, behavior, and device usage through a print assessment, your company can better understand the printing demands for each department and employee.

Actionable data can be used to help identify whether your printers are an IT resource drain or if the cost to support printers is excessive.

4. Your Fleet Is Vulnerable To Security Risks

Security is an integral part of printer fleet optimization.

An unmanaged printer fleet that is not regularly maintained with the proper firmware updates can increase the possibility of a data breach entering your company’s network. 

Vulnerabilities such as not having an updated version of firmware or not using secure ways of accessing your print jobs such as security keycards or pin-codes can lead to security issues down the line. 

When optimizing your printer fleet, think about implementing security measures such as print software applications and a detailed cybersecurity plan to help keep your confidential data secure from unauthorized parties.

5. You’re Relocating To Another Office 

Finally, if your company has decided to move, optimizing your printer fleet can be a beneficial solution.

Why? Aside from crafting a technology-moving checklist to ensure that you’re optimizing your business operations, consider a full upgrade of your printer fleet for newer devices that can do more than one function. 

Think about it. When moving, would your organization rather bring over the same bulky equipment to its new space or reduce the number of devices and purchase new equipment that is multifunctional, serves more people, and operates more efficiently?

Moving your current printer fleet over to your new space may be a temporary solution. However, compounding the stress of moving with an entire printer fleet that isn’t practical for your print needs can be detrimental.

Choosing to reduce the number of print devices within your printer fleet can positively impact your organization’s move and enhance document workflow and output.

Ready To Optimize Your Printer Fleet? 

Every device within your organization’s printer fleet acts as a helpful tool that fulfills print needs. While the decision to optimize your printer fleet is ultimately yours to make, keep in mind that optimizing is meant to enhance operations and not cease operations.

Just because you’re choosing to take printer copiers out of the equation does not mean that work will not get done. Upgrading your printer fleet and reducing the number of outdated or unused devices encourages simplifying your print environment to make it more amenable to the print needs of your organization, its departments, and employees.

Your organization may not need to optimize its printer fleet if you’re happy with the quality of print jobs, each device is running smoothly, and print costs are under control. However, if you find that your organization owns too many devices overspending for print consumables and repairs, it may be time to look at your options and consider upgrading your fleet.

At LDI Connect, we understand how one’s printer fleet is an extension of their mission as an organization. Speak to an LDI Connect representative today about your current printer fleet and any concerns you may have about your document workflow and output.