It is assumed that the printer usage in the company is just the cost of doing business. Nevertheless, it is an opportunity for substantial savings not only in supplies, ink and toner but also break/fix issues and a company’s man hours.

IT research and analysis company, Quocirca, pointed out in their whitepaper Managed print services: An SMB priority that “escalating print costs and demand on IT resources drive the need for managed print services.”

The whitepaper had this to say, as well:

“Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs), like larger enterprises, depend on printing for a variety of business activities. Even the smallest office needs a fast, reliable, cost-effective printer capable of professional output. Yet SMBs are faced with limited resources and expertise when it comes to the common tasks of dealing with printer problems and ordering supplies. Today, the vast majority of SMBs purchase their printer or MFP separately to supplies such as ink and toner, with most purchasing these on an ad-hoc transactional basis. Printers can place a huge administrative and support burden on staff, which diverts them from their core activities.

The solution is to use a managed print service (MPS), which combines hardware, service and supplies into a service based on a cost-per-page. A leasing model provides predictable costs as spend is moved from capital to operational expenditure, whilst automatic supplies delivery and meter reads lower the need to stockpile supplies and eliminate time-consuming manual tasks.”

Aside from not having to deal with the challenge of managing printer maintenance, MPS also impacts employee productivity, as well. Quocirca found data to support this:

“Unplanned printer downtime can have a serious impact on any business that relies on printing for business critical activities – whether it is printing out business reports, sales and marketing collateral or just content needed to be read in order to support a business decision. Device failure can be caused by paper jams, paper/ink/toner running out or more serious problems that require a service call. All require manual intervention and so hinder staff productivity. Indeed, device availability and printer functioning problems are rated as the most common problems that impact SMB employee productivity.”

For more information on how Managed Print Services can benefit your small or medium business call us at 757-545-7675.

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Construction has been slow to embrace the digital world. The tangible piece of paper makes a lot of sense in a world where you are creating a finished project—a school, a restaurant, a hospital. You feel a sense of control having your set of plans in your work van.

The reality of the digital world is finally creeping into the world of construction, though. Smaller office staffs and the costs of production of large sets of plans have pushed the reality on the contractor. Whereas a large General Contractor would have large sets of construction plans available for everyone’s use, now these plans are made available online to all parties collaborating on the project or are transmitted in some sort of digital format (either through e-mail or disc). At Hackworth Reprographics, we have redesigned our business around this new reality.

As a reprographer, Hackworth provides all the traditional support services needed for everyone in the design and build process. Large format printing, scanning, and copying, document design, and proposal support. Additionally, we have a division that can provide you with wide format printing and scanning solutions in your own office. As more of the work has moved to digital workflow, the wide format imaging business has evolved, too. There are machines that can support the large multi-user architecture firm and others that are perfect for the small plumbing contractor working out of his home.

It is our most recent partnership that ties all of Hackworth’s business units together, though. We have recently partnered with MySmartPlans to offer an incredible online resource to help tie together all steps of the collaborative process. This unique tool tracks and captures every phase of the design process from start to finish and pushes out information to all parties involved in all phases of design, allowing for faster and more cost effective design and creation. It allows the customer to fully take advantage of the digital world.

Being a local company with strong ties to our market has allowed us to anticipate these changes in the business and climate and adjust accordingly. We have invested in our business and our people to prepare with technology and knowledge to help you adapt. Together we can continue moving up in a downturn.

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