Color printing costs can easily get out of control. Special paper, ink, and unnecessary printing can erode your budget while doing very little to help productivity or efficiency.

To better manage your printing costs consider these four tips:
1. Do you have a print policy? By establishing a print policy everyone in your company will understand the business rules for printing and the procedures that should be used. For example your policy may be to use 2 sided printing unless there is a valid reason to do otherwise. Also you may choose to print in color only with certain levels of permission. Finally you may note in your policy that print activities will be monitored, which this policy alone can reduce printing by as much as 10% or more.

2. What are your default print options? By simply adjusting the default settings for your print drivers you can help to reduce printing costs. You may choose to have 2 sided printing as a default along with regular black and white printing. More intelligent printers can also determine defaults based on what is being printed. For example emails could default to draft quality black and white only.

3. Is there a Managed Print program in place? With multi-function printers (MFPs) you can more easily monitor print activities and implement rules around printing. For example only certain users may have permission to print in color. Or a certain group of people will have their default printer set to the nearest available device. Using a managed print program can reduce printing costs by as much as 30%.

4. Should you only have black and white printers? While many businesses will need a color printer for presentations and certain types of documents, you may not want a color printer for every area of your business. Instead consider having several black and white printers that are easily accessible, and having a smaller number of color printers that require permission to use.

By implementing these four ideas you can reduce your print expenses while still keeping your business productive and efficient.

Click here to find out how your business can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days: