Software for Picking the Greenest Printer
Summary: The ability to redirect print jobs from bad printers to good ones is functionality every MPS provider has wanted for years. If implemented successfully it should substantially enhance MPS profit margins and lower customers’ costs
When Doc is ready to hit the print button, he’s not sure which printer to choose for the most efficient output. Is it better to use a local desktop printer or the larger MFP that sits on the network?
Well, now there is a software program that helps people choose the best printer for the job. GreenPrint Technologies recently launched a public beta version of GreenPrint Advisor, software that helps users redirect print jobs from costly or inefficient printers to more cost-effective ones.
GreenPrint Advisor categorizes all printers in a corporate environment as either “red,” “yellow,” or “green” based on the printer’s cost and efficiency attributes. When a user prints to a “red” or “yellow” printer, and a “green” printer is available, Advisor pops up with a message highlighting the undesirability of the selected printer and the savings possible if the job is transferred to a “green” printer. With a single click, the user can move the print job to the less expensive “green” printer, generating substantial savings for the customer and new revenue for the print providers in the process. In addition, the color coding can be generated automatically or custom-tailored by IT administrators, and further allows them to attach custom per-page costs to each printer.
“This is an evolutionary product that should have a huge impact on the MPS market,” said Qualpath’s President Kevin DeYoung, “The ability to redirect print jobs from bad printers to good ones is functionality every MPS provider has wanted for years. If implemented successfully it should substantially enhance MPS profit margins and lower customers’ costs.”
Advisor also has the ability to spot locally-connected printers not on the network and not easily detectable by administrators. In addition to recommending that users redirect print jobs away from these typically inefficient devices, it also highlights the printer’s presence to network administrators. These costly, hard-to-detect printers can waste millions of dollars a year at a large company–a waste directly remedied by Advisor.
Doc’s not sure he likes the idea of software that spies on employees and reports non-authorized printers to the network cops, but I suppose it’s a sign of the times we live in. The rest of the software features seem really valuable, though, so it’s worth a look.
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Doc
ZDNet introduces Doc (The DocuMentor), sponsored by RICOH. Through his blog, Doc will educate you about Document Management. So who is Doc? Doc is something of an enigma. He was born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer who some believe was running covert operations for shadowy corporate interests. Doc grew up in various locations in the United States, although no one seems to know precisely where, least of all Doc. His early schooling was unremarkable except for the time he was caught trying to replace all the mimeograph machines with high-tech color copiers that had mysteriously disappeared from a shipment to Albania. At MIT, he made a name for himself by transforming a large printer into a robot that hunts and eats Roombas. Professionally, he reportedly has seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone. Some say his obsession with paper, printing, and mechanical movement was either started by, or evidenced by, a traumatic childhood episode when he crawled inside an old Xerox 2400 and tried to print himself.
Anyway, Doc has hands on experience with stuff like printer maintenance and fleet management, but his mastery of document management leaves no stone unturned. Important issues like sustainability, security, and regulatory compliance are top of mind for Doc, as are other business technology needs like networking and IT services, making him a true blue IT renaissance man.
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Related Links
- New White paper: Managed Print Services and Beyond: How You Can Cut Costs and Go Green While Increasing Employee Productivity
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