Are you worried you’re spending more than you need to on printing? Tired of the logistical headaches associated with outsourcing your print jobs? Do you feel like you lack control over the finished product? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be time to consider bringing printing in-house with an office device.
Yes, but…
At this point you’re likely thinking “Being able to print my projects off in-office would be amazing, but I won’t receive nearly the same quality and it’ll cost me way more!” While this may be true for larger print jobs, in most cases, a production printer or even MFP can deliver comparable quality for less.
We’ll explore the cost benefits of moving away from outsourcing in-depth in a later article, but the savings associated with increased control shouldn’t be overlooked. Read on to learn more about two benefits of printing in-house — control and flexibility.
Out of control outsourcing
A major reason companies often choose to fill their printing needs through in-house office equipment is control. When you send jobs off to a printer, you’re forced to order a pre-set number of prints. While this method is great for large projects that rely on lower per-unit cost, it can easily backfire.
For example, companies that send print jobs to outside vendors usually end up ordering significantly more copies than they need. This, of course, is due to the fact that they don’t want to risk running out of whatever it is that they’ve printed.
Unfortunately, these excess copies usually end up getting tossed. Not only does this waste money, but it also increases your environmental footprint. As more companies realize the benefits of going green, most are beginning to see this as truly a no-win situation.
How flexible is an outsourced print strategy?
Now let’s take the above issue a step further. Imagine you’ve just ordered five hundred copies of a marketing flier from a commercial printing company. After using only three hundred of these fliers, however, something changes and the information on the leaflet is no longer relevant.
You’re now left with two options; either you continue to use the outdated flier or you can cut your losses and throw them away. In either case your business loses — customers either receive obsolete information or you’re flushing money down the drain.
Encountering this problem once is bad enough, but organizations that rely on outside printing often experience this over and over again. To make matters worse, this problem is completely avoidable.
What is print on demand?
When you possess an office printer, you’re empowered by something called print on demand (POD). Essentially, this means that you have the ability to print what you want, whenever you want. Instead of ordering five hundred fliers, you’re now free to print off your documents as you need them. In doing so, you minimize the risk of unneeded extras or dated information.
Print-on-demand allows you to avoid trashing excess or outdated copies by giving you complete control of your printing environment. Find a typo on a brochure? Change it. Need to update the details of a promotion? Not a problem. When you print in your office, you ultimately save money just by having more control and flexibility.
While these factors are beneficial to any organization, they’re especially valued by retailers and marketing firms. These organizations are constantly printing off promotional materials, so being able to make changes on demand is a must. However, flexibility is a competitive advantage regardless of industry. Thus, most organizations stand to gain by bringing their production in-house.
Take control of your costs
Are you ready to get control over your printing costs and enhance your office’s flexibility? Our experienced technology consultants can help. We’ll conduct a thorough needs assessment and provide best-fit device recommendations. We’ll then work with you to provide a solution that meets your unique demands and keeps your costs in check.
With ten Midwest locations, we’re always nearby. Call us today at 612-861-4000 or fill out our office assessment form to get started.