The decision-making regarding the procurement of your printing devices doesn’t stop once you have selected the perfect product for your organization. A decision to buy leads to the necessity of service, and you need to pay close attention to the details of the service agreement that will cover your new MFP.
You’re probably familiar with the process of purchasing or leasing a vehicle and you know that once you’ve made your selection, your dealings with sales people quickly become discussions with the service department. The same is true when purchasing your digital copiers and printers. Keeping this in mind, it is important to ensure that you fully understand the terms and inclusions of your service agreement before you sign a lease or purchase contract. Did you know that in many cases, service agreements are renewed on an annual basis AND are subject to change without notifying the customer?
Scary, isn’t it? To help, we have prepared a list of important considerations to look for when you review your service agreement before you sign a contract to purchase or lease your new equipment.
Warranty: This is often the first thing on the buyer’s mind. Just as important as knowing the length of the warranty or guarantee that comes with your equipment is knowing who will make the decision for replacing your system. For example, is it the customer or the supplier who decides whether or not a faulty system needs to be replaced?
Parts & Supplies: Will Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts and supplies be used for the life of the MFP? This is an important point to be clear on, as sometimes the use of aftermarket or knock-off parts and supplies can void or negate any manufacturer warranties or product guaranties.
Service Credits: When a technician servicing or repairing the equipment runs test copies or prints, will a credit be applied to offset the cost? These expenses can quickly add up, especially when using a colour system.
Software Upgrades & Retrofits: Beware of a movement in the industry that has caused some companies to include a surcharge for upgrades or retrofits required for the system by calling it a ‘system overhaul.’
Remote Diagnostic Capability: Verify whether or not your equipment can be monitored and managed remotely for ease of accessing usage details and other status updates.
24 Hour Toll Free Technical Support: Because of the capabilities built into many of today’s MFPs, many problems can be fixed over the phone without any need to have a live technician dispatched to troubleshoot the problem.
These six points are important ones to consider when purchasing a new MFP for your office. Be sure to inquire about the details of what is or is not included in your service agreement and related warranty, and if the terms apply for the life of the equipment. Speak with the service providers to make sure you get exactly the coverage you need.
Do you have any tips to share about considering all aspects of the service agreement when purchasing a new MFP? Please share your thoughts and ideas about best practices in the comments below.
Download your free e-Book 5 Industry Insider Tips When Purchasing Office Equiptment
Today’s office equipment buyer needs to be more discerning than ever to ensure they equip their organization with the best tools and technology.
We have spoken with thousands of equipment buyers and procurement officials, who all agreed that depending on the type of equipment in question, purchasing decisions tend to occur between a 5 and 7 year timeframe. Over the course of that span of time, numerous advances and changes occur in the industry that will necessitate a change in outlook from the previous time that purchasing decisions were made. Some of the changes that occur over time include:
- Hardware and technology advances - Similar to the computer industry, office equipment is often improved to offer additional features and functionalities, as well as faster processors. In many cases, costs for the hardware and related service costs are lower for newer equipment.
- Contract changes - The state of the economy at the time the new equipment is released to market will result in changes to contract terms and conditions. Sometimes, hidden fees may find their way into contracts and agreements or be added as surcharges to help suppliers recoup lost margins.
How can you be confident as you make office equipment purchasing decisions for your company? To help, we have compiled the Top 5 Purchasing Questions to consider that will help to eliminate any surprises and unwanted hidden fees when procuring your office equipment.
- Will the parts and supplies provided for the life of the contract be Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or aftermarket? It is imperative to ask this question early in the negotiation process. While aftermarket parts and supplies may be on average 30-40% cheaper than OEM parts and supplies, they may have a negative impact on the equipment’s warranty or guarantee, thus creating the possibility of costing you more in the long run if something goes wrong with your equipment.
- Who is responsible for the replacement of faulty equipment? If a replacement guarantee if offered, you need to know if it is you, the customer or the supplier who will determine whether or not a defective or problematic system is replaced. Additionally, it is recommended that you find out if the warranty or product guarantee is included in the Terms and Conditions of the contract.
- What security safeguards are provided? With the system residing on your company’s network, determine if the level of security provided with the equipment is sufficient for your needs. Find out if single component security or full system security is provided to keep all points of the system secure from potential hackers.
- How will the system’s hard drive be decommissioned? Determine what will happen to the hard drive from your system once the term of the lease for the equipment ends. Are you or the supplier, or possibly another outside 3rd party company responsible for the removal and/or destruction of potentially sensitive company information?
- Are there any hidden fees? Inquire whether all potential fees and/or surcharges will be disclosed and discussed prior to the signing of the contract or lease agreement. Keep your eyes open for fees that the industry typically tries keep unnoticed, such as: Charging for copies or prints that are run by a technician who is servicing the equipment.
Could you benefit from learning more about what today’s educated buyer is asking all potential suppliers? Simply click the link below and follow the appropriate steps to download our 2012 Office Equipment Buyer Checklist, or watch our exclusive 2 minute online Buyer Tip video series to ensure that you are getting the best deal for your business.
Let’s face it. As much as the computerized world of e-billing, electronic forms, e-mail and even e-books is trying to lead us into a world of less paper, the paperless office has yet to become a reality.
In fact, a recent article on ITProPotal discusses why, despite decades of talk and anticipation, the paperless office hasn’t materialized. Not only do we not have any paperless offices but, according to the article, the global demand for paper is expected to exceed 400 million tons. And that’s not a future number – that’s the projection for 2012!
That’s a hefty number; let’s break it down a bit into something more explicable. 19.5 million pages are printed in North America every five minutes and BLI indicates that the ratio of prints to copies produced in the typical office is 4:1.
For both IT professionals and end users, print drivers are increasingly playing a more critical role in how day-to-day business is conducted. As a result, we often respond to questions from both SMB market and enterprise customers regarding what to consider when looking for a new printer or MFP device. The top six topics include the following:
Installation:
How much effort is required from both IT and the end user to install the printer drivers? Can IT certify and deploy one single driver for multiple devices?
Languages Supported:
Does the print driver support both PCL and PostScript printing in one driver, or are two drivers required to print each language?
Multiple Brands:
Will the print driver support the ability to print to different products, or are they exclusive to their own brand?
Communication:
Will the print driver communicate directly to the end users’ desktops with updates and status alerts to advise that the print job is complete, or that the system is out of paper or toner?
Security:
What level of security is equipped with the printer driver?
Environment:
Are standard features built into the print driver to enable environmental printing capabilities?
While it can seem easier to only consider the output capabilities of the new equipment you may decide to use in your office, it is important to consider the capabilities of the print driver, as this will make the day-to-day use of the equipment productive or ineffective.
Tell us about any of your print driver issues. Please share your comments and questions.
Other Reading
10 Things to Consider When Buying a Multifunction Printer
Mobile Print : IT's new challenge to support today's mobile workforce
This year, April 22nd is Earth Day. As the 42nd day to appreciate, celebrate and work to protect the earth approaches, it’s the perfect time to consider what effect your office has on the environment. Perhaps last year, or in previous years, you made a commitment to do better at operating a green office environment, or have made such a resolution in previous years. If you’re wondering how green your office really is, or how you could improve even more, take our 2012 Green Office Print Quiz!
1. How many pages does a typical office worker in North America print each year?
a) 5,000 pages b) 7,500 pages c) 10,000 pages
If you chose a), you’re only half right. According to the Go Paperless website 10,000 pages are printed by the average office employee each year. So the correct answer is c), 10,000 pages. Does that seem excessive?
2. What is the average life span of a printed page in a typical office environment?
a) less than two weeks b) less than one day c) less than five minutes
We’re willing to bet you chose b) as your answer, but to get this one right, you would have to once again select c). According to MPS Insights, the average life span of a printed sheet is a shockingly short five minutes before it is – hopefully – recycled. This begs the question: was there truly a need to print it in the first place?
3. What is the average cost for the energy required to operate a single laser printer during the course of one year?
a) $100 b) $225 c) $300
The correct answer here is b), $225 per year to power a typical laser printer. Do the math, and you’ll find this translates to a possible monthly savings of $18.75 if you can reduce or optimize your print fleet by removing even just one laser printer.
4. With all this printing and discarding of paper going on, there must be a lot of waste being produced. How many pounds of waste are generated by that same single laser printer? Consider the use of paper, packaging and print consumables before selecting an answer to this one.
a) 50 pounds b) 100 pounds c) 200 pounds
The correct answer here is b). 100 pounds of waste are created each year by just one typical laser printer. Now imagine how many laser printers are at work each day around the globe…that’s a lot of waste!
5. According to Print Audit, a company that provides print monitoring software, a decline in the amount of printing occurs when office workers believe their printing habits are being monitored. On average, what percentage of the print volume is reduced?
a) 5 percent b) 10 percent c) 15 percent
The answer to this final question in this year’s Green Office Print Quiz is b), 10 percent. This is the average drop in print volumes experienced in offices where employees have simply been advised that their print behaviours are being monitored.
Based upon the information in the quiz, it is easy to see how some simple steps, such as eliminating a printer or controlling the output of printed material, can help make your office greener and also reduce operational costs.
There are a variety of ways you can optimize your office print environment to reduce costs and minimize your impact on our planet. Using appropriate hardware or implementing a Managed Print strategy are a couple of examples. The best way to determine the appropriate solution that fits your organization’s needs is to complete a no obligation print assessment.
Are you concerned about the impact your office’s printing practices have on the environment? Do you acknowledge Earth Day in your office? We welcome your thoughts and comments on this important issue and encourage you to share your “green office” print best practices with us!
With the increasing number of mobile workers who use the ever-evolving capabilities of their smart phones to conduct business-related tasks, the need for mobile print is more of a concern than ever for businesses and their IT departments.
While there are questions and needs on both the IT and end user side of the equation, what is not in question is the reality of the need for a mobile print solution. A recent IDC report indicates that 75% of the workforce in North America was mobile in 2010, a percentage that continues to increase as more employees are provided mobile devices to help them work while traveling or from a mobile or home office.
The IT Perspective
IT professionals often express three common concerns regarding mobile print:
1. Are applications and/or unique print drivers required to support and facilitate mobile printing?
2. Does providing end users with mobile print capabilities create new or increased security risks?
3. How much IT time and resources will be required to manage the mobile print solution?
These are valid concerns, but there is really no need to worry. A mobile print solution will alleviate the need to manage multiple applications for specific mobile devices or unique printer drivers, while also providing secure printing options for users, without the need to rely upon an unauthorized third party. With these concerns addressed, the time and resources needed from IT to manage mobile print will be minimal.
The User Perspective
End users have their own concerns about the printing capabilities on their mobile devices. iPass reports that 91% of mobile workers use their smart phones for work purposes, and those workers need to print and share documents. Two main concerns are most often expressed:
1. Which file types can be supported and printed?
2. Which devices are supported with mobile print?
Users too, can put their minds at ease. As the need for mobile print continues to increase, the number of mobile devices, printers and MFPs that support it are increasing as well. Printing, scanning, sharing and document management, including the use of cloud services, can each be supported depending on the mobile device in question and your MFP’s capabilities. In addition to being able to access documents at anytime and from any location, a variety of file types can be printed including: MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel, PDF, TIFF, BMP, GIF, XPS, and HTML emails and text rich documents.
With a variety of solutions available to support multiple platforms and provide secure flexibility, the ability to manage and print documents from any device and at any location can be a stress-free reality.
Have questions about mobile print? Let us know – we love to help!
More Reading
Mobile Print Workflow Solutions
With the constant and ever increasing demands on your time and attention, it is easy for the security of your digital copiers and Multifunction Printers (MFPs) to be far from top of mind. But it is of vital importance to address the security of your printing and imaging environment. The risk potential that could cause problems for your business and its employees – from identity theft, to potential litigation, to the loss of professional credibility – is too great to be ignored.
A study from Columbia University indicates that printers are vulnerable to security threats that could result in the theft of personal or corporate data that should be secure. A number of systems within your office environment that perform multiple functions cause the information used and shared during the daily activities of your business to be exposed to threats, both internally and externally. Common areas of MFP vulnerability include:
- Scanners
- Fax Ports
- Hard Drives
- Internet & Network connections
The possibility that information can be intercepted is only one potential risk. Other risk factors include hard copies of information left on the printer or copier getting into the wrong hands, or someone gaining confidential information from the copier’s hard drive and using it for illegal purposes. The hard drive on your digital copier or MFP stores the images and as such, the information contained on the documents that are printed or copied. This results in the risk that sensitive and confidential corporate and/or personnel information can be accessed or compromised. Check out this video from CBS Evening News that offers an eye-opening explanation of how simple it is for data to be accessed from discarded equipment: Copy Machines, a Security Risk? CBS News Video.
How to Protect Your Information
The good news is that there are steps that can be taken to help protect your information from getting into the wrong hands and causing a negative or even fatal impact on your business. There are currently 2 different methods available in today’s market designed to protect MFPs:
- Single Sub System Component Security: Individual system components are secured; such as hard drive encryption, data overwrite or data wipe technology. These are usually sold as additional options for the system.
- Full System Security: This offers protection for all elements of the device and is usually sold with the system and not as an option.
Some companies have received Common Criteria Certification for their systems and their security protection. To obtain certification, companies undertake a costly process to have their devices tested to meet stringent security standards. You can find out more by visiting the Common Criteria Certification portal.
How have you addressed the digital copier and printer security at your business? Are you concerned about device security? Please leave your comments; we would love to hear what you have to say.
More Reading
How a print assessment can reduce your business printing costs
How the next generation of dynamic documents will improve the way we work
Many customers that we speak with on a daily basis don’t really understand how a print assessment can help their business. Some think that the assessment will require a substantial investment of their time, while others believe that if an assessment is conducted then they are obligated to buy something new.
Well the short answer is this; a professional print assessment requires very little time from the customer’s side and there is typically “no obligation” to acquire and new devices or services.
Here are three quick questions to determine if your business could benefit from a print assessment:
1. Do you know how many printers you have?
2. Do you know how much you spend on print every year?
3. Do you know how much paper your business consumes annually?
If you answered “I have no idea” or “I’m not sure” to any of the questions above then a print assessment may be a worthwhile exercise for your business.
According to industry research, 90% of businesses today have no idea how much they spend on printing, imaging, paper, toner, support, maintenance, IT Help Desk support and lost productivity related to document management, document sharing, storage and retrieval.
- Consider that a typical office employee prints approximately 60 pages a day or 12,000 sheets a year.
- For a company with 740 employees, 3700 IT hours are spent each year supporting printers. That’s roughly 5 hours per employee
- The average cost per employee to print is $725
Printing and related costs typically can range from 1 -5% of annual revenue depending on the industry.
With the current economy causing increased visibility of expenses and a focus on cost control and cost reduction, a print assessment can help you get a handle on your numbers as they are related to document output. Here’s how:
- Print expenses are often untracked or hidden in departmental budgets. Because of this, printing and document production can result in a bigger expense than you might expect.
- If your print environment is unmanaged, you are essentially allowing every employee to make a buying decision each time they decide to click their mouse and select print. With black-and-white printing running at a cost of approximately 2.5-cents (based on cost-per-impression, paper and toner costs) and colour prints ranging anywhere between 7-cents to 50-cents depending on the device and supply variables, it is important to have some control over what is printed and how often. If you use ink jet printers in your business then your costs can be even higher, often at more than $1 per page.
A print assessment can reveal hidden opportunities to reduce your costs while also improving your office efficiency, workflow and productivity. The business benefits are well worth the effort.
Have more questions? We would like to hear from you.
Dragonfly Business Solutions is a office technology and managed print services provider in Vancouver, British Columbia
More Reading
5 Ways to Control Colour Printing Costs
10 Things to Consider When Buying a Multi Function Printer
With tighter budgets and sustainable business initiatives on most business owners and managers minds, we get asked virtually on a daily basis by our customers about ways their businesses can implement cost cutting measures and sustainability programs. Effectively managing your printing, paper use and toner consumption in your office environment can add up to some significant savings while also reducing waste and contribute to your businesses’ sustainable programs.
Most of our customers are not aware of how much paper is actually consumed in their offices on a daily basis, but they do know that they are not being as efficient and environmentally friendly as they potentially could be.
Here are a few statistics to help shed some light on typical office printing habits. If your office seems to have any of these similar habits, don’t despair. We have put together a list below of some budget cutting and environmentally savvy ideas you can easily implement in your office today.
- The typical office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year. This is more than a single tree can produce.
- On average, the amount of paper produced by a single tree (measuring 820 cubic feet) is 8,333 pages.
- In North America, 19.5 million pages are printed every 5 minutes
- The average lifespan for these sheets of paper are a short five minutes before they meet their end in a recycle bin or shredder.
4 Office Printing Tips
-
Set the default settings on your printers to double-sided printing. By using both sides of one sheet of paper instead of multiple sheets, consumption is reduced by an average of 30%.
-
Advise your employees that printer use is being monitored. This simple statement is often enough to ignite individual self-censoring with respect to how often a mouse is clicked and print is selected.
-
User codes and quotas can be implemented to gain greater control over how much printing is done by individuals or departments.
-
Add a “go green” logo and/or a statement as the default footer at the bottom of e-mails to remind the recipients to think before they print. This if often enough to make the user write down the key points or file the email for later use instead of clicking to print.
A green strategy that is supported by a Managed Print Program designed by a recognized service provider can help support your cost cutting and business sustainability initiatives. Small and medium sized businesses and large enterprises alike can benefit from such professionally designed programs. According to Gartner, actively managing your print fleet can permanently reduce your office print spend by 10 to 30%.
The latest in technological advancements the print industry has seen has to be the arrival of solid ink. Though it has existed since the early 1990s, this technology, which uses a solid wax, has been perfected over the past few years. Because solid ink is currently a colour print solution that is offered exclusively by Xerox, many have been quick to dismiss the option by creating myths about what solid ink can or can’t do.
Are you curious about solid ink and what it can do for your office and your colour printing needs? Here are some quick facts for your consideration:
- Quality: Solid ink provides high quality colour prints that are often likened to those created by a professional printing press. Regardless of chosen media, solid ink provides a more consistent quality of printout than those printed using laser or ink jet printers.
- Simplicity: Because solid ink printers use a clean, solid, non-toxic wax colour that is similar to a crayon, you will not have to worry about loading and unloading messy ink and colour toner cartridges that can stain your clothing and skin. Also, paper curling and wrinkling, so often a curse of laser or ink jet printers, does not occur with a solid ink printer, which still uses regular paper.
- Less Waste: Without the need for all those cartridges, you will reduce your impact on the environment by creating less waste, and you won’t have a pile of toner cartridges cluttering your office while you wait for them to be taken for recycling!
- Fewer Parts: The printer itself contains fewer parts. This means the opportunity for something to ‘go wrong’ is greatly reduced, which will in turn reduce the need for costly service calls, repairs and replacement parts.
- Colour Range and Speed: Solid ink provides a broader range of colours than the traditional laser printer is able to create and prints at a faster pace than inkjet printers.
If you’re considering implementing a colour print option in your office, or want to upgrade the quality of your colour prints, solid ink may be just what you need.
Let’s face it: all of the benefits offered by colour printing – increased brand awareness, readership, and sales – come with a price but, are essential in growing your business.
If your office is an unmanaged print environment, you are essentially giving your employees the power to make buying decisions each time they push ‘print’ on their computer or multi-function printer.
With colour printing costs running between $0.05 and $0.50 per print, those decisions can severely impact your bottom line.
There are multiple ways that your colour print environment can be managed to better control costs. Here are 5 ways for you to consider:
Restrictions:
Place user restrictions on your employees and limit how many colour prints individual users can produce. There are software programs that can aide you by easily implementing this cost-saving measure.
Track it:
Communicate to your employees that their printing activities will be tracked to determine your office’s printing statistics. This is often enough to create a reduction in print volume by as much as 10%.
Use defaults:
Set your printers defaults to black and white, and allow colour to be selected for specific purposes. (often requiring approval)
Single-page printing:
When printing multiple images or collecting text from multiple sources, gather all of the items onto a single page for printing, instead of printing multiple pages.
Policy:
Create and implement a print policy that defines usage protocol in detail for each department or user.
Research:
Print-related expenses, such as costly colour cartridges, can miss a formal procurement process as the costs are hidden in departmental budgets. Research the providers in your area and accurately determine who can provide your supplies at the best cost for your needs.
Applying one or more of these strategies can help you reduce costs by better managing your print environment!
