Consolidating printing needs around multi-function printers (MFPs) can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and help the environment. MFPs allow organizations to cut costs associated with toner, paper, and IT support time spent on printers. They also improve functionality by providing scanning and mobile printing capabilities needed for digital workflows. MFPs are more environmentally friendly than individual printers as they reduce energy use and waste from excess printing. The document recommends organizations optimize their printing around centralized MFPs to realize financial, functional, and environmental benefits.

1. EFFICIENCY THROUGH
MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING:
How consolidation around MFPs cuts cost, improves
performance and helps the environment
PREPARED BY

2. 2EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
Countless documents continue to be printed and scanned, and must be
managed manually. In fact, in the final two decades of the last century
the use of office paper doubled. Technology advancements, and a new
generation of workers, has helped move the needle towards reduction in
the last 10 years, but still there are numerous inefficiencies that turn the
attention of IT departments squarely to printing and document produc-
tion, creating a costly administrative burden and loss in much-needed
productivity.
Worse, for many organizations, this is a hidden loss, masked by inadequate
tracking and silos of responsibility. But it’s not all bad news. IT and busi-
ness leaders are beginning to understand the potential impact of reducing
the multiple copiers, printers, scanners and fax machines will have on their
bottom line.
The industry is getting wise to the costs: studies by IDC have shown that
average annual document costs are between five and 15 per cent of a compa-
ny’s revenue. In addition, IDC research suggests that IT departments spend
approximately 15 per cent of their time on printer-related issues. As organi-
zations turn to IT more and more to help fuel the technological innovation
needed to drive business success and growth, can they afford to have more
than one-sixth of IT time spent dealing with the print environment?
The dream of the paperless office never
materialized to any major degree. While
reduction in paper can save money, increase
productivity and reduce space, it continues
to elude many, if not most, organizations.

3. 3EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
The solution to this problem is to optimize document workflow around con-
solidated multi-function printers (MFPs), an initiative that benefits the orga-
nization in three interrelated areas: financial, functional and environmental.
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
Too often, the decision around printing device acquisition is focused exclusively
on the capital cost of the device. But, as we all know, with printing there are direct
and indirect cost. In addition to the “hard” costs of toner, paper and equipment,
which may be easy enough to calculate, organizations must look at the “soft” costs:
lost IT time, reduced employee productivity and even congested network traffic.
Turning to managed print services has helped some organizations over-
come some of the challenges, and to a limited extent they have succeeded
in partially reducing costs and increasing efficiencies. Still, the preva-
lence of single-function printers (SFPs) on networks continues to place a
financial burden.
For IT, SFPs represent a double-edged sword. Easy to procure and implement,
there are huge costs associated with their convenience. It’s estimated that 55
per cent of network traffic is printer-related, and Gartner has discovered that
up to 50 per cent of help desk calls are printer-related. Meanwhile, these SFPs
are heavily underutilized—it is estimated that only five per cent of their total
capacity are used. This represents a significant opportunity to consolidate.
The myriad of different makes and models, many of which sit mostly collect-
ing dust, must be serviced and supported, leading to an inventory of low-yield
toner and drum cartridges that must be maintained. In fact, a March 2013
poll of IT World Canada readers found that 64 per cent of respondents cited
the cost of consumables to be a major problem with single-function printers,
followed by 25 per cent who cited lack of scanning capabilities.

4. 4EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
Because they are cheap and easy to procure, it is easy for them to accumu-
late over the years, compounding an already large inventory of consumables,
and drivers, and ultimately increasing the learning curve and reducing
productivity of IT support staff.
But single-function desktop printers create another significant cost, one asso-
ciated with waste. Polling data from IT World Canada also showed that 55 per
cent of its readers would likely print more with a desktop printer. Simple prox-
imity and convenience causes users to print more than they otherwise would. In
fact, studies show that only 25 per cent of what we print at work is really needed.
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS
In fact, the majority of document workflow software is designed with a
MFP environment in mind. While all types of printers have software to
optimize their workflow, for truly scalable capabilities, organizations must
Yes
No
Does your company have environmental policies such as
default 2-sided printing using recycled paper?
64%
36%
Statistic based on 88 respondents

5. 5EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
look upwards to MFP document workflow solutions. Software designed to
handle SFPs will fall short in helping users to utilize the features of a MFP.
Of course, it is all about consolidating around the capabilities users
need, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the majority of users
need more than printing in today’s workplace. A March 2013 poll
of IT World Canada readers found that 18 per cent of them scanned
documents every day. Furthermore, another 51 per cent scanned
documents one or more times a week.
During an average work week, how often do you scan documents
Everyday
1-3 time a week
More than 3 time a week
Never
18%
40%
11%
31%
Statistic based on 131 respondents
Scanning is part of a universal need organizations have to implement a
digital workflow, yet typically desktop printers or desktop MFPs don’t
incorporate robust scanning capabilities. As soon as an environment
begins to implement any degree of digitizing documents and introducing
workflow for productivity, SFPs or desktop MFPs don’t cut it, and stifle progress.

6. 6EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
And yet, document workflow and management represents a significant area of
savings. It is estimated that for every $1 spent on printing, there is an addition-
al $9 spent in order to manage that document. In an era of tight IT budgets,
there’s no question this is money that can provide more business transforma-
tion elsewhere, for example, dealing with mobile computing and the cloud.
As use of smartphones and tablets continues to grow in business environ-
ments, so too does the demand for mobile printing solutions that allow
users to print directly from them. But truly implementing mobile print-
ing requires a consistent fleet of MFPs, so users can print from anywhere
without confusion around numerous mobile print applications. This is
typical of mixed vendors or inconsistent environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
It is almost obvious that shared MFPs provide environmental benefits over
a mixed fleet of MFPs and desktop printers; however, even many well-in-
tentioned users enjoy the convenience of a printer in arm’s reach enough
to look past the waste.
Considering that 75 per cent of print outs are often shredded and are not
necessarily recycled, that is a tremendous amount of waste, adding to
the organizations ecological burden. Centrally located MFPs reduce that
waste, since as the polling data shows employees are more likely to print
only when necessary.
Remember, polling data showed 55 per cent of users would print more
with a desktop printer. Consider the ramifications of this data: out of
sheer convenience, more than 55 per cent of users would print documents
they presumably do not have to, if they could. How many do that today on
the glut of desktop SFPs on their organizations’ networks?

7. 7EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
As well, the scanning capabilities of full-feature MFPs and easy-to-use touch
screens make it easier to deploy paper-reduction strategies in the office.
Scan-and-send functionality further reduces waste, and paper-based pro-
cesses can be replaced with digital workflows, adding waste savings to the
productivity gains already discussed.
MFPs reduce energy consumption, even when compared with Energy
Star-compliant SFPs. Even though the average printer operates below 5 per
cent of capacity, more printers in the organization naturally create more of
an energy drain. Centralizing them reduces that.
In addition, typical SFPs combine the toner and drum into a single consum-
able, and have a low yield. Every time the toner is used in such an SFP, the
drum needs to be replaced even if it has not been fully consumed, increasing
overall waste. In most MFPs, drums and toner are two separate components,
with their own yield, allowing them to be replaced only when fully consumed.
Are you more likely to print if you had a desktop printer on your
desk versus walking to a central multifunction Printer?
55%
45% Yes
No
Statistic based on 69 respondents

8. 8EFFICIENCY THROUGH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING
CONCLUSION
Financial, functional and environmental factors are tightly linked when it
comes to efficient printing and document management. The functionality
gains from converting one’s printer fleet to MFPs significantly reduce hidden
costs, while the ability to consolidate devices reduces environmental impact.
Organizations care about their impact. IT World Canada’s readership when
polled said nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of their businesses have imple-
mented some technologies, such as two-sided printing, in a bid to reduce
waste. But at the same time, nearly half admit they would print unnecessari-
ly more if made easy enough.
Organizations looking for ways to make the most of technology and to free
up IT for more business-driving applications need not look far. Look at
breaking the psychological dependency on SFPs and freeing the lost produc-
tivity time and funds trapped in those devices. At its heart it may be a way
to reduce the effect printers have on their bottom line, but it quickly—si-
multaneously, in fact—becomes a way to have more productive employees
and improve the environment.
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