University Business - January 2012 - (Page 48)

TECH SPOTLIGHT: Printers Printer Purchase Pointers Features to nd and practices to protect the investment By David Geer lthough printer purchases aren’t an everyday occurrence on campuses—or at least the procurement office hopes not— when it’s time to buy new printers, department and purchasing leaders can look to features in new models that can save time and money. By staying abreast of available features, tweaking replacement planning with new strategies, preserving printer life, and increasing productivity, institutions can turn printing into a fast, efficient, costeffective service. Printers Trend Toward Savings, Efficiencies Printer vendors know schools need savings. One way to achieve it is by extending the life of ink and paper. According to its promotional materials, one vendor touts up to a 50-percent ink cost reduction when using its newer model inkjet printers. Another 48 | January 2012 A vendor claims its inkjet machines help organizations lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 50 percent, part of which comes from savings on ink, according to Barbara Richards, senior consultant of digital peripherals solutions at InfoTrends, a digital imaging market analyst firm. Another brand differentiates itself through a combination of price and performance available to schools using its ink technology, notes Shelly Ortelt, research analyst of network document solutions for the firm. Other printer manufacturers profess long-term ink savings for schools that purchase high-volume printers, which are compatible with large, high-yield cartridges, according to Cathy Martin, senior consultant of communication supplies at InfoTrends. “These cartridges and canisters can be expensive,” explains Rob Enderle, a technology analyst and principal at the Enderle Group. The price is reasonable when the print volume demands these devices. As for paper, vendors promote fully automated duplex printers that deliver pages quickly. “Duplex printing is becoming increasingly desirable as a cost-saving measure and an environmental initiative—the less paper an organization uses, the lower its printing costs and the more trees it spares,” says Keith Kmetz, vice president for hardcopy peripherals solutions and services at IDC, an analyst firm. Some printer models boast seven to nine pages-per-minute in automatic duplex print speeds. Print speed is important for rush jobs that must be printed and put together at the last minute, according to Paul Erickson, assistant director of information and communications at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. For additional savings, vendors offer solutions that manage printing and curtail universitybusiness.com  http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - January 2012

University Business - January 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Human Resources
Campus CFo
Getting Carded
Choosing telepresence
boosting the bottom line
Printer Purchase Pointers
Money Matters
Viewpoint
End Note

University Business - January 2012

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/ub0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/ub_cg09
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pmg/educomm2009
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com