When most people think about business costs, they look at rent, staff, and maybe IT. But what about printing?
For many Central West NSW businesses, office printing is a hidden drain. It’s not just about how much you print – it’s how you manage it. And the truth is, small printing mistakes can quietly rack up hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year.
Here are some of the most common printing problems we see in the field, and what you can do about them.
1. Printing in Colour When You Don’t Need To
One of the simplest mistakes? Colour printing everything by default. Even documents that don’t benefit from colour, like internal reports or invoices, can chew through expensive toner.
Fix it: Set your default printer settings to black-and-white for all general documents. Colour should be opt-in, not automatic.
2. Ignoring Double-Sided Printing
It’s surprising how many offices still print everything single-sided. Not only does this double your paper use, it adds to bulk in filing, postage, and storage.
Fix it: Make duplex printing the default for all users. Most modern devices support it, they just need to be set up correctly.
3. Using the Wrong Printer for the Job
That desktop inkjet from the big-box store might have seemed like a bargain, but if it’s doing 500+ pages a week, you’re probably overspending. Desktop printers are often slower, less reliable, and more expensive to run per page.
Fix it: Make sure your devices match your usage. High-volume teams need high-capacity machines. A quick review can help you consolidate devices and save money.
4. Wasting Time and Money on Manual Supply Orders
If your team waits until the toner runs out before ordering more, or sends someone across town to grab emergency stock – you’re burning time and money.
Fix it: Consider automated toner supply or set reorder points in advance. Select Digital clients enjoy flexible options that take the stress out of restocking.
5. No Print Monitoring or Reporting
If you don’t track who’s printing what, it’s impossible to manage usage. Some departments may be printing more than they need. Others may be printing sensitive documents without proper security.
Fix it: Use print tracking software to monitor volume by user, department, or device. You can then spot waste, assign budgets, or introduce print rules (like restricting colour to certain teams).
6. Leaving Sensitive Documents on the Tray
Not only is this a privacy risk, especially in healthcare, finance, or legal environments – but it also leads to reprints, misfiled documents, and frustrated staff.
Fix it: Enable secure print release on your networked devices. This means users authenticate at the machine before their print job is released, improving both confidentiality and accuracy.
7. Hanging Onto Outdated Machines
Older printers might still “work,” but they could be costing you more than you think, through higher power usage, expensive consumables, slower speeds, and more frequent breakdowns.
Fix it: Don’t wait until your printer dies. A performance review can highlight which machines are costing you more than they’re worth, even if they’re still technically operational.
8. Using Staff Time for Printer Issues
How often are your team members clearing paper jams, rebooting devices, or troubleshooting error messages? If it’s happening regularly, that’s time they’re not spending on their actual job.
Fix it: Proper setup and proactive maintenance can eliminate most of these issues. And if problems do arise, having access to local, responsive support (like Select Digital offers) makes all the difference.
Ready to Take Control of Your Office Printing?
Even if you’re not ready to upgrade your hardware, small changes in your printing habits and setup can deliver big savings.
Select Digital works with businesses across Central West NSW to help reduce waste, improve security, and streamline daily operations, all without overcomplicating things.Book a free print audit today and let’s uncover where your business could be saving.
