Key Takeaways
- Higher education printing costs include more than paper and toner. Equipment, maintenance, supplies, downtime, and inefficient workflows can all contribute to total costs.
- Decentralized print environments can make it difficult to understand how much an institution is actually spending.
- Print tracking and fleet optimization can provide greater visibility into usage and expenses.
- Managed print services can help colleges and universities monitor equipment, reduce inefficiencies, and improve print management.
- Offix can evaluate an institution’s print environment and recommend solutions based on its equipment, usage, and operational needs.
Colleges and universities rely on printing across administrative offices, academic departments, libraries, student services, and other areas of campus. With so many users and devices, higher education printing costs can be difficult to track.
Paper and toner are only part of the total expense. Equipment, maintenance, supplies, downtime, and inefficient workflows can also affect an institution’s printing budget.
A more strategic approach can help colleges and universities understand where their money is going and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
What Contributes to Higher Education Printing Costs?
Campus printing environments can be complex. Different departments may manage their own equipment, supplies, and printing practices.
Over time, this can make it difficult to see the true cost of printing across an institution.
Common expenses can include:
- Paper and toner
- Equipment purchases or lease payments
- Maintenance and repairs
- Replacement parts and supplies
- IT support
- Energy consumption
- Device downtime
- Underused or unnecessary equipment
- Excessive or untracked printing
Looking at these expenses together provides a clearer picture of the total cost of operating a campus print environment.
How Decentralized Printing Can Create Inefficiencies
A university may have printers and multifunction devices spread across dozens of departments, offices, classrooms, and buildings.
Without centralized visibility, administrators may not know which devices receive the most use or which cost the most to operate. Some departments may have more equipment than they need, while others may rely on devices that can’t efficiently handle their workloads.
Supply management can become more complicated as well. Different printer models may require different toner cartridges, replacement parts, and service procedures.
Evaluating the entire fleet can help institutions identify these inefficiencies and make more informed technology decisions.
Strategies to Help Control Campus Printing Costs
Reducing higher education printing costs doesn’t necessarily mean restricting access to printing. Instead, institutions can focus on creating a more efficient environment.
Track Print Usage
Print management tools can provide insight into how devices are being used across campus.
Tracking print volume can help identify high-use areas, unnecessary printing, and equipment that may not match a department’s needs.
Optimize the Equipment Fleet
Not every department needs its own high-capacity multifunction device. At the same time, placing an undersized printer in a high-volume environment can create delays and additional service needs.
Matching equipment to actual usage can help universities build a more efficient fleet.
Consolidate Where It Makes Sense
Multiple underused devices can increase supply, maintenance, and support requirements.
Strategically consolidating equipment may help reduce unnecessary devices while maintaining convenient access for faculty and staff.
Encourage Smarter Printing Practices
Simple changes can also make a difference. Default duplex printing, appropriate use of black-and-white versus color, and digital document workflows can help reduce unnecessary printing.
The goal isn’t to eliminate printing. It’s to make sure each device and workflow serves a clear purpose.
How Managed Print Services Can Help
Managed Print Services, or MPS, provides a structured approach to monitoring and managing an organization’s print environment.
Instead of treating each printer or copier as a separate expense, MPS looks at the print fleet as a whole.
Depending on the organization’s needs, a managed print strategy can help:
- Monitor device usage and print volumes
- Identify inefficient or underused equipment
- Simplify supply management
- Support preventative maintenance
- Reduce unexpected downtime
- Improve visibility into printing expenses
- Plan equipment changes based on actual usage
Offix also offers remote equipment monitoring as part of its print management and maintenance capabilities. This can help identify supply needs and potential equipment issues before they create larger disruptions.
Supporting Digital Workflows
Reducing printing costs isn’t only about managing physical devices. Colleges and universities can also evaluate processes that still rely heavily on paper.
Modern multifunction devices and software solutions can support scanning, document management, and digital workflows. This can help departments move information more efficiently while reducing unnecessary printing.
Digital workflows can be especially useful for processes involving administrative documents, student services, records, and other information shared between departments.
A combination of print management and digital workflow improvements can create a more efficient document environment across campus.
Building a More Sustainable Print Environment
Print optimization can also support an institution’s sustainability goals.
Reducing unnecessary printing means using less paper, toner, and energy. Optimizing the equipment fleet can also help institutions avoid operating more devices than they actually need.
Newer equipment may offer additional energy-saving features, while print management tools can provide greater visibility into usage.
Rather than treating sustainability and cost management as separate goals, colleges and universities can consider both when developing their print strategy.
How Offix Helps Higher Education Institutions
Offix works with colleges, universities, and other educational organizations to evaluate their office technology and printing environments. Offix’s higher-education solutions include printing equipment, print management, software, security features, cloud integration, and scalable solutions for multi-campus environments.
The process can include evaluating existing equipment, understanding print volumes, identifying inefficiencies, and determining whether devices are appropriately matched to each department.
From there, Offix can help institutions develop a strategy that may include:
- Multifunction printers and copiers
- Managed print services
- Print management software
- Document workflow solutions
- Equipment installation and training
- Preventative maintenance and ongoing support
Offix also provides Service Smart® Guarantees, including equipment, performance, response-time, uptime, training, and other service commitments subject to applicable terms.
Take Control of Your Campus Printing Costs
Understanding higher education printing costs starts with knowing what’s happening across your current print environment.
If your institution manages a large number of devices, struggles to track printing expenses, or wants to improve document workflows, evaluating the current environment can help identify opportunities for improvement.
The right strategy can help your institution manage costs, reduce unnecessary printing, improve equipment utilization, and support faculty and staff more effectively.
Contact Offix today to discuss your campus print environment and learn how we can help develop a more efficient printing strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What costs should colleges and universities consider when evaluating printing?
Institutions should look beyond paper and toner. Equipment costs, maintenance, supplies, energy use, downtime, IT resources, print volume, and equipment utilization can all contribute to the total cost of printing.
How can a university determine how much it spends on printing?
A print assessment can examine the number and types of devices across campus, print volumes, supply usage, service requirements, and other operating expenses. This provides a clearer view of where printing costs occur.
What is Managed Print Services?
Managed Print Services is an approach to monitoring and optimizing an organization’s print environment. It can include device monitoring, usage analysis, supply management, maintenance, and recommendations for improving the print fleet.
Does reducing printing costs mean removing printers?
Not necessarily. The goal is to match equipment to actual needs. Some areas may benefit from consolidation, while high-volume departments may require more capable equipment.
Can print management support sustainability initiatives?
Yes. Reducing unnecessary printing, optimizing equipment usage, and improving digital workflows can help reduce paper, toner, and energy consumption.
Can Offix evaluate an entire campus print environment?
Offix works with educational institutions to evaluate printing needs and develop solutions based on their equipment, usage, workflows, and organizational goals. Offix also provides scalable printing solutions for higher-education environments.