Konica Minolta – Print Costs Research Survey

A recent survey on the effects of Print Costs by The Survey Shop (September 2007) was sponsored by Konica Minolta. A summary is offered here, with some implications for your business. Read on, and take steps to improve your profitability now.

Commenting on the research, John Howard, head of UK marketing for Konica Minolta said: "The rate of change brought about by technology innovation is fast and increasing, Making sense of it and staying on the edge of the technology wave is a real challenge, as our recent survey results make clear. The results show that even IT managers are not always aware of the changes and benefits of new technical innovations. We know from our experience with customers that taking a structured approach to print output reaps enormous benefits including substantial cost savings. Using networked multifunctional devices such as our bizhub systems reduces operating costs; saves space and storage requirements; and has significant environmental benefits.”

Principal is an authorised reseller of Konica Minolta office systems, including the latest multifunctional printers. Also, we have over 21 years experience in helping companies through the maze of office systems costs and functionality. Thus we are ideally placed to work with you to understand your current print costs, how these are often hidden and how they affect your profitability. Further than this, we are able to recommend the right Konica Minolta system, the right purchase or lease terms and the best deployment of hardware and software within your company network to maximise your return on investment in any Konica Minolta system.

Survey Results Summary

Amongst the survey results it was found that:-

• 72% of business managers questioned said that they had no idea what printing and copying cost their organisation
• The lack of knowledge proved to be highest amongst non-IT managers ( 82% ) compared to 62% of IT managers.
• Only 56% of respondents had networked all their print and copying devices. Not surprisingly this figure was higher amongst IT managers (68%) than non-IT managers (44%).

Colour Printing

Nearly half of all respondents thought that colour output was important, or very important, to their organisation.

Only a third of respondents said their organisation would increase colour print output if the cost were cheaper. This was a clear indication that price is not the major obstacle which prevents business from using colour

In fact, 28% of respondents said that their organisation was outsourcing colour printing, a further indicator that in fact price is not a major driver here, given the costs in terms of time and charges involved.

Scanning

Interestingly, 70% of the companies surveyed scan and archive documents electronically. This re-confirms the general consensus that the use of scanned documents as attachments for internal and external mail has become a de facto business process.

Amongst IT managers the figure was over three quarters, showing that electronic document storage is recognised as beneficial by most businesses.

The survey metrics

The survey interviewed a total of 50 IT managers and 50 non-IT managers in organisations with more than 50 employees, with the following questions.

Do you know what document printing and copying costs your company annually?

• Yes 22%
• No 72%
• Not important 6%

Are your company's print and copying devices networked?

• All 56%
• Some 31%
• None 8%
• Not stated 5%

Do you outsource document copying and printing?

• Mixture of both 52%
• Networked 26%
• Personal 15%
• Not stated 7%

For document printing does your company have personal computers, printers or networked multifunctionals for workgroups?

• Yes 26%
• No 74%

Would you do more colour copying and printing if it were cheaper?

• Yes 34%
• No 63%
• Not stated 3%

Do you scan and archive documents electronically?

• Yes 69%
• No 29%
• Not stated 2%

Where would you source document print management software from?

• IT services supplier 44%
• Printer supplier 35%
• Direct from software supplier 29%

Reducing Print Costs: Your Next Step

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