With no substantial control over a print environment, discovering ways to optimize your fleet can seemingly twist and turn like an intricate maze, with no real end in sight. Higher visibility leads to better management — and maximizing available budget.
The stark reality higher education institutions face today? A gap in college confidence.
According to a study by TD Ameritrade, 89% of Gen Z, along with nearly 79% of young millennials, have considered an education path that looks different from a four-year degree directly out of high school. Nearly 20% of those surveyed say they might choose not to attend college.Cost is a major factor here. The average borrower now leaves college with about $40,329 of loan debt (according to mycreditsummit.org), up more than $10,000 from 10 years ago. The potential burden of student debt makes Gen Z and young millennials evaluate the necessity and financial viability of attending a college or university.
This, of course, means institutions enter an era of budget cuts, declining enrollment and decreased state funding. Every dollar spent must be maximized. Every initiative must be managed closely. That certainly includes the global print environment on campus, where wasteful habits and non-authorized print jobs may be way out of control.
With no substantial control over a print environment, discovering ways to optimize your fleet can seemingly twist and turn like an intricate maze, with no real end in sight. Higher visibility leads to better management — and maximizing available budget.
Print Management 101: 4 Ways Print Management Can Help Colleges and Universities Maximize Budgets
1. Create better visibility.
What you can’t see, you can’t manage.
According to Papercut, the average student wastes 3,200 sheets of paper annually. A Print Management Solution can create full visibility and tracking as well as enable built-in reports to see new savings and areas that need a higher degree of focus.
2. Promote better printing habits.
Is your print environment a free-for-all? Are students taking advantage of their print capabilities?
Implementing print policies such as double sided printing, color restrictions, print job authorization, feature restrictions and job routing to print center or a more cost-effective device reduces costs and keeps everyone on campus on their best print behavior.
3. Recover costs with “Pay for Print.”
While today’s students demand a streamlined, intuitive way to print, your administration needs users to pay as they go appropriately if they so choose.
The ability to track, assess, and charge back all printing, copying, scanning, and faxing costs on any enabled device is key in discovering real savings. College administrators can allocate quotes to students and departments and maintain a close eye on costs – monthly bills are an ever-present reminder that these costs deserve attention.
4. Consider a Print Management Partner.
Evaluating and improving print operations goes further than just wasted paper. One must delve into the process behind the print to bring to the surface issues related to cost and overall productivity.
Have you considered letting a Print Management Partner do the heavy lifting for you?
Implementing a Managed Print Strategy includes:
- Discovering your print environment: Identifying print devices, print usage, print applications and hidden print costs.
- Optimizing your print assets: Optimizing fleet deployment, streamlining workflow, minimizing your carbon footprint and improving total cost of ownership.
- Managing Supplies: To prevent downtime, printing supplies can be delivered to you when you need them; for large campuses, this could involve onsite supply inventory management from your print partner.
- Managing Contracts: Let your billing become more predictable by being invoiced on a fixed cost-per-page rate. Institute a quarterly review to analyze usage and performance, and discuss options to upgrade (or down grade) to match actual print volume.
Is your college or university stuck in the print management maze?
Is your institution ready to manage necessary printing and maximize your budget? Click below to learn more about what Print Management can do for your college or university!
