Taking care of one multifunction printer is relatively simple. You can even do it on your own. But when you have a lot of printers and different departments, it can get hard to manage. That’s why print management exists. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

What Is Print Management?

Printing is still crucial for many businesses. Even places that claim to be “paperless” often still have occasional need for printers. These devices are simply more reliable for essential tasks. But for printers to stay dependable, they must be managed properly. And that’s precisely what print management does. It controls, monitors, and optimizes all printing activities within an organization.

Now, “printing activities” is quite a broad term. That’s why print management also covers several services.

Device Management

There’s no printing without printers. So, it’s only natural that print management starts with these devices.

Device management makes sure all business printers are working well. This means keeping an eye on things like toner levels, print problems, and paper jams.

In larger organizations, print management also includes the so-called fleet management. Thanks to this service, configuration changes can be deployed across multiple printers at once.

Print Output Management

Once you take care of the printers themselves, it’s time to focus on what is coming out of them.

Print management includes tracking print volumes of all printers within an organization. The tracking can also single out smaller groups within the organization – a department or even a single user. This allows organizations to set and enforce print quotas.

Print output management also matters for privacy and confidentiality. By managing which print queues employees can see, you can make sure only authorized people can access important or private documents.

Cost Management

There are many reasons why your business might need print management. You may need it for your print services provider or for following regulations. However, most businesses have one goal in mind when monitoring printing activities: cost management. By setting print limits for users, departments, and the whole company, businesses can better manage their printing expenses.

Print Flow Management

No one wants to wait in line to use a printer. It’s simply too wasteful. It wastes time, productivity, space, and – let’s face it – energy. That’s why print management also includes cloud and follow-me printing services. In other words, it allows users to print from any device to any printer. No more waste – just pure convenience. One of the ways this is made possible is by installing appropriate printer drivers on all endpoint devices.

Printing Habit Management

The people in charge of print management can introduce all sorts of improvements around the office. They can make printing more flexible, secure, and cost-effective. But if employees don’t adopt good printing habits, print management won’t be helpful. After all, they’re the ones using the printers every single day.

That’s why print management also includes training employees. The aim is to encourage good printing practices throughout the company. A clerk or a CEO – they all must follow the same rules.

Why Is Print Management Important?

Print management isn’t just another task on your to-do list. No, this practice actually helps improve how your business runs. Here’s how.

Making Sure All Printers Work

Print management makes sure all printers in an organization are working well – inside and out. This keeps the printing process smooth and easy for everyone. And this is especially important in large organizations.

These organizations have many printers across different departments. However, this doesn’t mean they can afford to lose any. Quite the contrary. Those organizations wouldn’t have so many printers if they didn’t need them. Just take schools and universities as an example. There, printing is crucial for everything from assignments to administration. So, even one broken printer can cause big issues.

Print management is the only way to avoid downtime when there are dozens or even hundreds of printers to manage.

Ensuring Efficiency

Print output management lets organizations see which printers are used the most and least. The same goes for usage activity across departments and individuals. This valuable insight helps them make better use of their printers.

The goal for a business with these devices is for them to be used effectively. A printer sitting idly won’t help businesses save any money. In fact, it can cost them more. The ink or toner can dry out and damage the print head in the process.

After finding printers that aren’t used much, organizations can move them to places where they’ll be more useful. The same goes for busy printers. By relocating them, their lifespan can be extended.

Optimizing Costs

Managing costs is a big part of print management. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that this practice also helps optimize costs. Thanks to print management, organizations can track total printing costs and find ways to save money.

For example, certain employees might go too heavy on re-prints, abandon documents, or even use printers for personal reasons. Of course, the issue can also be much bigger than a single employee. An entire department might be printing too much or wasting resources. Whatever the case, print management can help put a stop to it.

Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality

Printed documents often contain sensitive information. This especially applies to industries like healthcare where privacy isn’t just desirable, it’s required by law. That’s why organizations need a way to secure their printers – both physically and digitally. Print management helps them do just that.

Physical measures – like restricting access or using secure print release – stop unauthorized people from getting sensitive documents. On the digital side, measures like user authentication and secure print workflows protect confidential information throughout the printing process.

Covering both fronts allows organizations to protect their reputation and stay compliant with privacy rules.

Managing a Better Office

There are many ways to improve print management. For example, you can invest in high-quality devices and hire managed print services. Elite Imaging Systems can help you with both. If your business is in Troy, Detroit, or Flint, reach out today to get started.