Actually, I am the IT Administrator for my company. I do have responsibility to reduce the cost of IT supplies.
It is impossible to monitor all printing jobs every time. So, I decided to find better solution to control it. Above mentioned methods was implemented in one of my friend's office. They observed that they can reduce up to 40- 50% unnecessary printing jobs.
Anyway, Thanks for your wish
What I've done in the past for this type of issue is set up a print server to control all printing in a centralised location, (the excludes certain specialist devices such as A0 Plotters which were always only available to the department that has a need for them, and the budget to use them).
Various print server hardware and software is available and a google should find a suitable option to meet your control and cost restraints.
From a users point of view it can be set-up so that they print as normal but the system logs everything sent to the printer, and can be set to record User ID, Time, Date, Number of pages, Type and complexity of print, (Indicates the amount of Toner/Ink used).
This can be set-up to produce data on a departmental or individual basis and can work with a Single Print Server or multiples
One of the best "tricks" I used was to add a header sheet to every print job which Identified the owner of the print job in large print to aid people to find their print - The other thing it did was inform everyone collecting prints from the Printer who was printing what and how often, a few strategically placed signs about paper wastage costs and simple peer pressure, did the rest, and wastage quickly fell to levels that saved many times more Paper and Toner than the overhead of printing the header
The company needs to audit the consumables used strictly and be fairly draconian in controlling usage (accidental single sided prints being recycled as "Scrap Paper", and Double sided waste as packaging filler Etc) One you know the cost of the wastage you can then add the control measures using that as a guide to budget
Last edited by Barman58; 18 Dec 2016 at 13:39.
Actually, I am the IT Administrator for my company. I do have responsibility to reduce the cost of IT supplies.
It is impossible to monitor all printing jobs every time. So, I decided to find better solution to control it. Above mentioned methods was implemented in one of my friend's office. They observed that they can reduce up to 40- 50% unnecessary printing jobs.
Anyway, Thanks for your wish
The printer ink, especially for several colors, are very expensive that can cost several hundred of dollars.
My previous company printer color ink cost S$800+
This is very high & expensive to maintenance if it is not managed properly.
Being a IT Administrator is not an easy job.
Having to monthly report on the cost of these printer and preventing "rubbish" printing is also not easy.
You are caught in-between and you need to take a firm control on this situation.
Don't bother if there are some staff may not like it.
It have to take some time in order for your colleagues to understand this situation.
Why don't check with the suppliers on these issues, as they may have some sort of way to manage.
As this is common in most Company(s) using high-end network printers.
Just good luck to you.
Eric.
I have given this a bit of thought and personally as I have done in the past when I was in a managerial role at that small hospital I would make up a policy for the use of printers and indeed anything else that goes on in the company.
The policy should state in very simple terms what can and cannot be used when accessing the printers and I have in the past ended such a policy with that any disregard or non compliance with the policy will incur disciplinary action and could involve termination of an individual's employment.
Now the governmental department I work for has such policies in place with those very terms within them however terminating someone's employ does mean the action of any said employee has to be really serious enough for that to be done in most cases would probably need the act to be of an illegal nature.
Still even so in this case I think the misuse of the OP's printers and consumables is if it is on such a large scale amounts to stealing if one wants to be honest
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