How Printing Processes Can Inform Businesses

When many area people think about managed print services, they often associate them with the copy machine repair in Las Vegas that businesses have access to. But MPS is about much more than copier and printer maintenance, repairs, and supplies. It’s about collecting data from printing processes and automated workflows and then using data analysis techniques to reveal ways that companies can cut costs and use time more efficiently.

Better Distribution of Workloads

Printers can collect information about workloads. In a supply chain environment, one printer that consistently prints more labels than others reveals a problem with how a workload is being distributed. This can apply to office environments as well. If two departments have the same copier but one department consistently copies 20 percent more pages, then that says something about reducing costs.

Individual Usage Patterns

For security purposes, many copiers and other office machines support logins and privileges. A benefit to this beyond security is the capability to track usage on a per-user basis. This allows you to accumulate averages that can be used to set forecasts. It will also reveal outliers, and outliers can indicate an employee who has too much on his or her plate or is perhaps being inefficient.

Inventory Control

Your printers and copiers can also inform you of how much paper and toner you’re actually using. You can then compare that to your inventory. If there’s a discrepancy, then there may be an issue with storage, you may be purchasing too much in advance or you may have a problem with theft.

A Comparison Metric for Disparate Projects

How many pages are copied or printed is just another lens through which you can compare projects. A task that’s particularly efficient in this regard can be further reviewed to identify what went well, which can then be applied to future projects.