• Printing and printers can be a hassle, but it doesn't have to be with these tips. First, choose a printer that's economical and eco-friendly.
• Next, when choosing ink, buy from the OEMs; don't risk breaking your printer and wasting more money just to save a little money.
• Make sure your printer is reliable and come up with a printing plan to prevent employees from wasting paper and money.

Looking at the printer, you would think that it is a humble contraption that will do exactly what you need when you need it to at a minimal cost. It’s not until you actually purchase it that you start to come across subtle frustrations that cost you both time and money when you are running a startup. The Oatmeal made light of the common situation by publishing this post on their website. More often than not, it is the cheaper solutions that tend to cost entrepreneurs more over the long-term.

It’s important that startups implement a print management setup from the outset. Not only will it save you more money and time, but it will also give you better peace of mind so that you can run your startup without any unnecessary hassles.

1. Choose a printer that produces economical printing

This is one of the major areas that startups get wrong. As they try to save on costs, they often choose a cheap printer for less than $100, thinking that it will do the job and that it will cost them less in prints. The upfront cost is cheaper, however, the long-term costs tend to be much more. This is because the cost per printed page is significantly higher. Instead, startups need to look at the cost per print and then forecast the amount of printed sheets that your startup will make annually. That way, you can invest in the most economical printing solution for your startup.

2. Choose a printer that is eco-friendly

Another factor that is generally overlooked is the energy consumption from the printer. Printers generally remain in an idle mode throughout the day and still consume energy, which will increase the overhead costs for the startup. Investing in an eco-friendly printer will help the startup to save money by powering down the printer when it is idle.

3. Purchase ink cartridges that are from OEMs

When people look at the prices of printer cartridges from OEMs, they tend to get put off by the price. They then look at other ‘knock-off’ solutions that claim that they can produce the same quality prints. This is a hit and miss and more often than not, it is a miss. There’s a chance that you can damage your printer and get poor quality prints, which will actually cost your startup more in the long-term.

4. Avoid refills

Startup owners usually try to cut costs in order to make or maintain a profit. When it comes to printing, one of the ways they try to do this is by using refills instead of purchasing printer cartridges from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

There are people that use refills successfully, however, if it is done incorrectly, it will damage the printer and it will either cost more to repair the printer or the startup owner will need to fork out more money to purchase a new printer.

5. Invest in a printer that isn’t known to jam

This is one of the most frustrating problems that people experience. Investing in a printer that continually jams wastes paper, ink and time. It might also force you to call on the IT expert several times to fix the printer in the office. This is another cost in itself. If the jamming gets really bad, it will force you to invest in another printer over the long-term.

6. Implement a process that prevents people from wasting paper

People will always use the options that are presented to them. When it comes to printing, people will make several unnecessary printouts, which will add unnecessary costs to your startup's operations. Instead, aim to implement a paperless environment and encourage people working in your startup to print only when it is absolutely necessary.

Investing in an efficient printing management as a part of your startup will save the company from wasting hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in printing related issues. Implement a management strategy that will allow you to manage and control these costs before they start controlling you and your startup.

What kind of printer does your startup use? Share in the comments and on social media; we want to hear from you!