Office printing best practices: cut costs, waste and security risks

Most printing costs come from habits rather than from the machine itself. A few sensible defaults and routines can lower your monthly bill, reduce paper waste and keep confidential information where it belongs, without making life harder for your team.

Set smart defaults

• Make double-sided printing the default on every computer and on the device itself.
• Default to black and white, and let people choose colour when they need it.
• Use draft or toner-save mode for internal documents.
• Encourage print preview so mistakes are caught before they are printed.

How can secure printing reduce waste and risk?

Secure (or 'follow-me') printing holds each job until the person who sent it signs in at the printer with a PIN or access card. Documents are no longer left sitting in the output tray for anyone to read, and jobs that are never collected are never printed, which cuts waste. It is one of the simplest ways to protect personal information and meet your obligations under POPIA.

Control access with user codes

User or department codes show who is printing what. That visibility on its own tends to reduce unnecessary printing, and it makes it easier to allocate costs to departments or projects. Most modern multifunction printers can report usage by user so you can spot unusual volumes early.

Scan instead of copying

Scanning straight to email, a shared folder or the cloud is often faster than photocopying, and digital copies are easier to search, share and store securely. Searchable PDFs created with OCR mean you can find a document in seconds instead of looking through filing cabinets.

How often should an office printer be serviced?

Follow the manufacturer's service schedule and log faults as soon as they appear rather than working around them. Regular servicing prevents small issues, such as worn rollers that cause paper jams, from turning into breakdowns. Store paper flat in a dry place, because damp paper is a common cause of jams.

Manage toner and consumables

• Use genuine or supplier-approved toner to protect print quality and the machine.
• Let your supplier monitor levels and deliver toner before it runs out.
• Keep one spare cartridge, not a cupboard full; toner has a shelf life.
• Return empty cartridges for recycling instead of sending them to landfill.

Keep firmware and security up to date

Printers are network devices, and outdated firmware can leave security gaps. Make sure firmware is updated regularly, default admin passwords are changed, and unused features and ports are switched off. Ask your supplier to include this in routine servicing.

Review usage every few months

Look at your page counts and usage reports regularly. If your volumes have grown or shrunk, your machine or agreement may no longer be the best fit, and adjusting it can save money. A quick review with your supplier is usually all it takes.