SPONSORED POST: Have you been taking your printer for granted?

If your printer works, it’s doing its job and that’s all that matters, right? And double points if you’ve had that printer in the office for 10 years and aside from the occasional “anyone know how to change this toner?” call out, no one has ever complained. You probably haven’t given your office printer a second thought, which is understandable when there are so many other things demanding your attention.

However, printing has greatly evolved over the last couple of years. New innovations, new savings and new capabilities are just a small handful of developments worth discussing.

New printers today can deliver your business important savings, including costs, energy and time, and all without you having to lift a finger.

The big one – saving money

If you’re worried about paying money for a printer that you don’t think you need, then know this: selected HP printers actually pay for themselves¹ through the energy and paper saved by using more efficient devices. Here are some of the ways you can cut print costs:

• Energy efficiency: All new printers now offer great energy efficiency and savings. The latest HP Officejet Pro products reduce energy consumption by up to 50%².
• Paper saving: Upgrading your printer means you can set it up so it automatically prints double-sided pages. This simple change to duplex printing can reduce paper usage by up to 30%. Another way to reduce paper wastage is with the introduction of pull printing. Some printers allow users to collect their printing by swiping a card at the printer when they’re ready for it, thus saving paper on printouts that aren’t collected.
• Colour printing: If you’re concerned that installing a colour printer will mean that you have to pay for your staff printing in colour unnecessarily, you can use a tool to manage colour access. Tools such as HP Colour Access Control mean businesses can decide who can print in colour and even what type of documents can be printed in colour.
• Carbon tax: With the introduction of the carbon tax, small businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million can claim the instant asset write-off for any depreciating assets that cost less than $6,500.

Where does printing fit with a mobile workforce?

This year, research firm IDC claimed that by 2015 the world’s mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion, which is 37.2% of the total workforce³. Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) will see the largest increase in total number of mobile workers with 601.7 million mobile workers in 2010, which is predicted to rise to 838.7 million in 2015.

The continued increase in the mobile workforce, along with employees embracing the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and consumerisation of IT trends, creates change as employees more frequently use their personal mobile devices for work purposes – blurring the line between personal and work technology.

In an environment where employees are accessing business materials from their smartphones, tablets or personal notebooks, small businesses need to ensure they have the infrastructure in place for remote or traveling employees to still get the job done.

In our highly digital age, it’s important for small businesses to embrace the cost-saving advantages that web-connected innovations have to offer. As employees use their own devices for working remotely or on the road, they can utilise cloud-connected printing innovations to streamline their digital workflow and be more productive on the go – saving both time and resources.

With this technology, employees can print from any web-connected device, including smartphones, tablets or notebooks, by sending an email directly to an HP ePrint printer without needing to be in the office⁴. This provides small business employees with greater freedom and flexibility on the road or when visiting other office locations – while also maintaining a connected office environment. For example, by leveraging the company’s cloud-based infrastructure, a sales consultant can send a potential client a document on the spot without needing to wait until they are back in the office, therefore saving time and boosting productivity.

Or for those working from home, sharing a printer with their partner and children, ePrint can stop the need for people to jump on your PC “just for a moment” so they can print something they’ve emailed to you. Instead they can print directly from whatever device they’re using, without interrupting you and clogging up your email.

Most new HP printers are web-enabled and come pre-loaded with a range of printer applications, which allow users to access and print content, including news headlines, weather, children’s games and recipes, directly from the printer without needing to log into a PC⁵.

The best printer for your business

If you are planning on embracing new technology for your business, when including a new printer it’s important to evaluate which product will work best. The HP Carbon Footprint Calculator can help you evaluate the options available by looking at printer energy and paper usage, carbon impact and estimated monetary costs, among other things.

And finally, if you’re working in a small or medium business, you’ve probably been weighing up whether laser or inkjet printers are the best option for your business. With current technologies, both ink and laser can be cost-effective options. We strongly recommend that each business looks at the way they print – how much, the associated costs, and the document workflows – and choose a printer to suit their needs. For example, the Officejet Pro products suit those printing below 300 pages per week and have less than five users, while HP’s LaserJets are ideal for customers who print over 300 pages per week and have more than six users.

I hope this overview has given you food for thought as you plan for making 2013 a standout year for your business.

Ben Vivoda is the Business Manager, Printing Systems for HP Australia. For more information on HP printers head to www.hp.com.au/officejet

FOOTNOTES:

(1) Energy use based on HP testing using the ENERGY STAR program’s Typical Energy Consumption (TEC) test method on HP LaserJet products with Instant-on Technology vs. top competitive models as of March 2009 and paper savings based on automatic two-sided printing available on select models.
(2) Energy use based on HP testing using the ENERGY STAR program’s TEC test method criteria. For details, see www.hp.com./go/officejet
(3) IDC study, Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2011-2015 Forecast, Doc #232073, 5 January 2012
(4) For full details, go to www.hp.com.au/eprint. Requires an internet connection to the printer. Feature works with any connected Internet- and email-capable device.
(5) For full details, www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter. Requires a wireless access point and an internet connection to the printer. Services may require registration.