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Software for Picking the Greenest Printer

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
Written by Doc , Contributor

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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