CIO Agenda Blog

The research looked at the cost and management of print among European businesses of all sizes in 19 European countries, examining the attitudes of more than 3,000 individuals responsible for their organisation’s print function.

The study showed that in the UK, 72% of employees were unable to print at least once a month with 3 in 10 complaining of over six individual printer faults each month. These problems are not helped by the unwillingness of employees to report printer problems – 40% admit to not taking action when a device goes down according to the research.

However, the heart of the problem lies with the company owners and those responsible for print procurement. 73% of UK businesses don’t have a defined print strategy and the average IT Manager or technical support staff member spends 160 hours (over 4 working weeks) a year on fixing printer problems – time which could be spent on other critical IT functions within the business.

The survey, conducted by ICM Research, also revealed that few businesses are putting their concern for the environment into practice when it comes to print decisions. While 53% of UK respondents who are responsible for print management and procurement believe that cost to the environment was as important to them as the financial cost to their company, only 19% strongly considered the environment when making print decisions. Nearly half of UK businesses (48%) admit to not having environmentally-friendly print settings in place, which can mean a significant reduction in paper, ink and energy wastage.

70% of UK respondents believe more could be done for the environment by their business adopting more effective print strategies. Just 26% of UK employees use double sided printing as a means to cut back on paper wastage and 48% of companies do not have environmentally-friendly or cost-saving default settings on their printers.

“Print remains the last truly uncontrolled IT expenditure,” said Tracey Fielden, head of office marketing, Canon UK. “It can account for a significant cost to your business but it can also have a significant environmental impact. Companies are still not waking up to the financial and environmental savings that can be made through dedicated print strategies such as a Managed Print Service (MPS), which can not only increase the productivity and efficiency of a print fleet but also dramatically reduce its environmental burden.”

Fielden added, “An effective print strategy will save money and will create less waste by utilising more efficient devices with energy-saving features and double-sided printing as default. The older a print fleet is, the less environmentally friendly it is likely to be – in terms of energy consumption and wasted consumables. New equipment meets environmental legislation and boasts more advanced environmentally-friendly print settings. These are issues that businesses need to look closely at, especially at a time when the pressure is on to improve efficiency, save money and be more considerate to the environment, all at the same time.”