Could switching to managed print or Epson business inkjet technology reduce your printing costs and waste?

For many businesses, printer cartridges are simply another office expense.

Someone notices the printer is running low, orders a cartridge and gets back to work.

The problem is that when you have multiple printers, multiple departments and multiple people ordering consumables, those small purchases can quickly become a significant annual cost.

And it’s not just the financial cost.

Every cartridge or consumable that needs replacing also creates additional packaging, logistics and waste.

At CSL, we regularly speak to businesses that have never really looked at how much they’re spending across their entire printer estate.

How much are you really spending on printer cartridges?

The cost of an individual cartridge can seem relatively small.

But consider a business with:

• 10 desktop printers
• Several different printer models
• Separate colour and black cartridges
• Multiple cartridge suppliers
• Employees ordering cartridges independently
• Older, less efficient devices

Suddenly, cartridge expenditure can become difficult to track.

There may also be additional costs associated with:

Emergency cartridge orders
Unused or partially used consumables
Different cartridge types across multiple devices
Old printers with inefficient running costs
Staff time spent ordering and replacing cartridges

This is one of the reasons a review of your entire print environment can be much more valuable than simply looking at the price of an individual cartridge.

Could managed print reduce your cartridge costs?

A managed print service can bring greater control over the devices and consumables being used across your business.

Rather than individual departments purchasing cartridges whenever they run out, a managed solution can provide:

• Centralised consumable management
• Automatic supply monitoring
• Greater visibility of print volumes
• Proactive servicing
• Consolidation of devices
• More efficient printer deployment
• Predictable print costs
• Reduced administrative workload

It can also highlight where businesses are using too many devices or producing unnecessary colour printing.

At CSL, our approach is to look at the whole environment and identify where there are opportunities to improve cost, reliability, efficiency and control.

But what about the environmental impact?

This is where the choice of printing technology becomes particularly interesting.

Traditional laser printers can require a number of consumable and maintenance components over their lifetime, including toner cartridges and, depending on the device, drums, fuser units and other parts.

Epson’s Heat-Free business inkjet technology is designed differently.

Epson states that its Heat-Free technology uses fewer consumables and replacement parts than comparable laser technology, helping reduce waste and maintenance requirements. It also doesn’t require heat to fuse toner to the page, which contributes to lower energy consumption.

The difference can be significant

The Epson comparison supplied for this article illustrates the potential difference in consumable waste.

Based on the example shown — 2,100 pages per month over five years, consisting of 1,500 mono and 600 colour pages — the comparison shows approximately:

Epson business inkjet

9 ink packs

versus

Laser

44 toner cartridges

That’s a substantial difference in the number of consumables used over the same period.

The point isn’t simply that fewer consumables look better.

Fewer consumables can mean less material to manufacture, transport, replace and ultimately manage at end of life.

Epson’s business inkjet range is specifically designed around fewer consumables and fewer replacement parts, while its WorkForce Pro RIPS technology uses high-capacity ink supply units rather than the larger collection of toner and maintenance components typically associated with laser devices.

Epson Heat-Free technology can also reduce energy consumption

Waste isn’t the only consideration.

Traditional laser printing uses heat during the fusing process. Epson’s Heat-Free technology doesn’t require this heating process, which means the printer can operate with lower energy consumption than comparable laser models.

Epson says its Heat-Free technology offers:

• Lower energy consumption
• Fewer consumables
• Fewer replacement parts
• Less maintenance
• Faster first-page output
• Reduced intervention
• Lower environmental impact

For businesses looking at their sustainability, energy usage and operational costs, these can all be important considerations.

Does this mean every business should replace its laser printers?

Not necessarily.

The right printer depends on your:

• Print volume
• Colour requirements
• A4/A3 requirements
• Speed requirements
• Scanning requirements
• Security requirements
• Existing IT environment
• Document workflows
• Budget
• Sustainability objectives

For some businesses, the right answer may be to continue with their existing technology.

For others, moving to Epson business inkjet could provide an opportunity to reduce consumable waste, energy consumption and ongoing maintenance.

That’s why we recommend reviewing the whole print environment before making a decision.

Don’t forget about the printers you already have

One of the biggest opportunities for businesses isn’t necessarily replacing a single photocopier.

It’s understanding what is happening across the entire printer fleet.

You may discover that your business is:

• Buying too many cartridges
• Running inefficient or ageing devices
• Using colour when mono would be sufficient
• Maintaining printers that could be consolidated
• Ordering different consumables for multiple models
• Printing unnecessarily
• Missing opportunities for automation
• Carrying unnecessary service and maintenance costs

A managed print audit can bring all of this together.

How CSL can help

At CSL, we help businesses take greater control of their print environment.

We can review your current:

Printers and photocopiers
Cartridge and consumable spend
Print volumes
Service agreements
Print management
Security
Document workflows
Energy and waste

We can then identify where there may be opportunities to reduce costs, improve efficiency, reduce waste and simplify the management of your print environment.

We also supply and support Epson business printers, including Epson’s Heat-Free technology and high-capacity ink solutions.

Not sure what your business is spending on printing?

We offer a FREE print audit with no obligation.

We’ll review your current setup and highlight potential cost savings, operational improvements, security considerations and opportunities to reduce print waste.

Contact CSL today to arrange your complimentary print audit.