Closing off the accounts and liaising with the accountant, reviewing annual sales and expenditure and setting budgets for the next 12 months. The end of the financial year typically invokes a flurry of activity in Australia’s two million-odd businesses, with most eager to get their houses in order, on the finance and administration fronts, by the time June 30 rolls around.

Printing can be one of the big office expenses for small and mid-sized enterprises. EOFY is a good time to review your print strategy and usage and make changes that can help trim the size of your printing tab. Here are four ways to do so.

1. Choose cut-price consumables

Do you opt for the generic brand when you’re having a script filled at the pharmacy, or choose OEM parts and consumables when your car is in the repair shop? If so, you’re familiar with the concept of receiving equivalent quality goods without the big brand price tag.

Taking the same approach to printer consumables – opting for reputable generic substitutes rather than the manufacturer’s own lines – can result in savings of up to 30 per cent. It’s a straightforward way to cut costs – significantly easier than, for example, asking employees to ‘think before they print’ or adopt paper-free practices that aren’t compatible with the way your business does business.

2. Stock the store room

If you have a good idea of your printing requirements over the next 12 months, and money in the office supplies budget to spend before 1 July, stocking the storeroom with consumables can be a tax effective move. Having a stash of supplies on hand reduces the need for regular reordering and means one less task for admin staff to stay on top of in the new financial year.

3. Crack down on colour

Do you have rules in place which dictate whether your employees can print their documents in colour, or is it a matter of anything goes? Some of Australia’s largest organisations, including many government departments and agencies, have cut back on colour and are reaping significant savings as a result.

Printing in colour can cost up to 10 times more than doing so in black and white – think around five cents a copy versus 0.5 cents, for those on managed print service agreements. Cutting back on colour needn’t be something that’s arduous for businesses to police – scan codes or cards can be used to determine who can and can’t have access to the colour toner drums.

4. Buy black and white machines

One way to sidestep the colour question entirely is to buy or lease machines which only print in black and white. It’s not the preferred option for printer resellers, who typically push the colour option enthusiastically. Higher unit prices and higher consumables costs mean more money in the till and that’s part of the reason why an estimated 90 percent of office printers in Australia have a colour option.

The good news is, there are plenty of mono printers on the market which can turn out equally high-quality pages. If your business has no, or limited, need to produce colour documents, opting for one or several black and white printers can mean more money in the bank. You may wish to explore various printer options that suit your requirements at Cartridge World Australia.

You may even wish to explore our flagship Why Buy A Printer program where you receive a free printer along with service and ongoing maintenance at no additional costs, if you purchase Cartridge World branded inks & toners.

Time to act

“A penny saved is a penny earned” for many small and medium-sized businesses in Australia looking for ways to maintain financial viability in today’s uncertain economic times. Rationalising printing costs can be a painless way to reduce your outlay without affecting your operations or the quality of your output.

Peter Mitropoulos
Group CEO and Owner, Cartridge World Australia & New Zealand
This article was first published in Inside Small Business Australia