Print Automation: How to Automate Workplace Printing and Save Time

What is print automation?

Print automation is the use of software, print management systems and connected equipment to reduce the manual work involved in printing and processing documents.

Instead of relying on someone to make the same decisions or perform the same actions every time a document is printed, predefined rules and automated workflows can take care of suitable tasks.

This might include automatically:

• Deploying printers to employees
• Creating or assigning print queues
• Applying print policies
• Routing documents to the appropriate printer
• Defaulting jobs to double-sided or mono printing
• Releasing documents securely
• Monitoring print usage
• Generating print reports
• Monitoring printer consumables
• Processing printed documents ready for mailing

The objective isn’t to remove people from the printing process altogether. It’s to remove repetitive steps that don’t need someone’s attention every time.

Why automate workplace printing?

Every workplace has small, repetitive tasks that only take a few minutes but can consume hours over the course of a week. Printing is a good example.

PaperCut highlights how tasks such as printer deployment, driver management, reporting and user provisioning may be relatively straightforward individually, but become a significant administrative burden when they’re repeated across an organisation.

The larger the business and the greater the number of users, locations and printers, the more apparent that problem can become.

Effective print management and automation can help reduce that workload while creating a more consistent printing environment.

1. Automate printer deployment

Setting up printers manually for every employee can be time-consuming, particularly in businesses with multiple departments, offices or locations.

Employees may need access to different printers depending on where they work or what they do.

Instead of asking IT teams to configure each user individually, printer deployment can be automated.

PaperCut highlights the ability to assign printers according to criteria such as a user’s location, department or role.

For example, someone joining the finance team could automatically receive access to the printers they need without an IT administrator having to manually configure every device.

For growing businesses, automating printer deployment can remove a considerable amount of repetitive IT administration.

2. Automate print queues and printer drivers

Printer setup isn’t only about choosing the right device. Print queues and printer drivers also need to be correctly configured.

When these processes are handled manually across multiple computers, they can create extra work for IT teams and potentially lead to inconsistent setups.

Print management software can help automate elements of printer and driver deployment, making it easier to maintain a consistent printing environment across an organisation.

This can be particularly valuable when businesses add new employees, replace printers or operate across multiple locations.

There are particularly important reasons to keep firmware updated.

3. Automate print rules and policies

How much does your business rely on employees remembering the correct way to print?

Perhaps documents should normally be printed double-sided. Maybe colour printing should only be used when necessary. Certain departments may require different print permissions.

Instead of relying entirely on individual users, automated print rules can apply these policies as part of the printing process.

Depending on the print management system, organisations may be able to:

• Default documents to duplex printing
• Encourage or enforce mono printing
• Control access to colour printing
• Route particular jobs to specific printers
• Apply different rules by user or department
• Restrict access to certain devices
• Introduce secure print release

PaperCut discusses rules-based printing as a way to automate these decisions.

This can make company print policies easier to apply consistently while reducing the need for employees to remember individual rules.

4. Automate print routing

Not every document needs to be sent to the same printer. A small desktop printer might be suitable for a short document, while a high-volume print job could be better suited to a larger multifunction device.

With automated print routing, predefined rules can determine where a job should be sent. Depending on your print environment, routing rules could consider factors such as:

• Number of pages
• Colour or mono requirements
• Paper size
• User or department
• Printer capabilities
• Print volume

This can help businesses make better use of their printing equipment without requiring employees to decide which device is most appropriate for every job.

5. Automate secure print release

Documents left sitting unattended on printer trays can create both waste and security concerns.

Secure print release changes the process. Instead of a document printing immediately, the job can be held until the authorised user is ready to collect it.

The exact method will depend on the print solution being used, but secure print release can help businesses create a more controlled document workflow.

It can be particularly valuable when printing confidential documents such as HR information, financial records, contracts or customer information.

6. Automate print reporting

Understanding how much your organisation prints can be difficult if usage data has to be collected manually. Print management systems can automate much of this reporting.

PaperCut, for example, highlights automated reporting as a way of providing information about printing activity without requiring IT teams to repeatedly compile reports themselves.

Depending on your system, automated print reporting can potentially help you understand:

• Overall print volumes
• Colour versus mono printing
• Device usage
• Departmental printing
• User activity
• Print costs
• Environmental impact

Better visibility can help businesses identify unusually high usage, underutilised devices and opportunities to improve their print environment.

7. Automate printer setup during employee onboarding

A new employee usually needs access to several workplace systems from day one. Printing shouldn’t require a separate manual process.

If employees in particular departments or locations have predictable printing requirements, printer access can form part of an automated onboarding workflow.

PaperCut gives printer deployment and user provisioning as examples of processes that can be automated.

Rather than asking IT to manually configure printers every time somebody joins the business, users can receive the appropriate printer access and settings based on predefined rules.

It’s a relatively small improvement, but one that becomes increasingly valuable as a business grows.

8. Automate printer consumables monitoring

Few things interrupt a printing workflow quite like discovering the toner has run out halfway through an important job. Consumables management is another area where automation can help.

Depending on your printers, print management system and supplier arrangements, businesses may be able to introduce:

• Low-toner notifications
• Automated meter readings
• Consumables alerts
• Scheduled replenishment
• Automated consumables ordering
• Managed print services

The aim is simple: identify requirements before they become problems. Automating monitoring can also reduce the amount of time employees spend manually checking printers and stock levels.

9. Automate high-volume document printing

Automation isn’t limited to managing printers themselves. Businesses that regularly produce large quantities of similar documents should also consider the complete print workflow.

Examples might include:

• Invoices
• Statements
• Customer letters
• Payslips
• Appointment letters
• Membership communications
• Direct mail
• Regulatory correspondence

Rather than employees printing these documents individually, it may be possible to generate and print them automatically or process them as batches.

If documents are being produced from information already held in another business system, ask whether some of the manual steps between generating the document and printing it can be removed.

10. Automate what happens after printing

For many businesses, printing isn’t actually the end of the process. It’s the beginning of another one. When you’re processing a handful of documents, carrying out these jobs manually may be manageable. When you’re processing hundreds or thousands, it can become a significant workload. This is where print automation and mailroom automation can work together.

A folder inserter, for example, can take printed documents, fold them to the required format, insert them into envelopes and seal them ready for mailing.

Franking equipment or other print and mailing solutions can then streamline the process of preparing those envelopes for postage. Find out more from our sister company My Mailing Room. 

Instead of viewing printing and mailing as completely separate activities, look at the entire journey from digital document to physical delivery.

What are the benefits of print automation?

The potential benefits will depend on the size of your business, your existing print environment and how much you print.

However, automating repetitive print processes can help organisations achieve:

• Less IT administration – reduce repetitive printer configuration and management.
• More consistent printing – automatically apply appropriate print rules.
• Better cost visibility – understand where and how printing is taking place.
• Improved security – use controls such as secure print release where appropriate.
• Reduced print waste – introduce rules and controls that encourage more efficient printing.
• Faster document processing – reduce manual steps in high-volume print workflows.
• More efficient mailing – automate what happens to documents once they’ve been printed.

The important point is that print automation doesn’t have to mean replacing your entire print environment. It can start with identifying one repetitive process that’s taking more time than it should.

Which printing processes should you automate first?

Start by looking at your current printing workflow.

Where is employee or IT time being spent?

• Are IT teams repeatedly installing printers? 
• Are employees choosing print settings manually? 
• Are reports being created by hand? 
• Are large document batches being printed one at a time?

Then look beyond the printer itself.

• What happens to the document once it comes out?

If somebody spends hours folding hundreds of printed invoices and putting them into envelopes, automating the printer alone isn’t going to solve the whole problem. Mapping the complete process helps you identify where automation could have the greatest impact.

From automated printing to an automated mailroom

For businesses sending regular physical communications, the biggest efficiency gains may come from connecting the print and mailing processes.

With the right combination of software and equipment, more of that process can potentially be automated.

The appropriate setup will depend on your print volumes, document types, mailing requirements and existing equipment.

But the principle remains the same: every repetitive manual stage is worth examining.

Could your business printing process be more efficient?

If your business produces large volumes of printed documents, even relatively small improvements can add up. Start with the tasks that happen every day.

Look at printer deployment, print rules, document routing, reporting and consumables. Then follow the document beyond the printer and examine folding, inserting and postage too.

The objective isn’t automation for automation’s sake. It’s a printing workflow that’s easier to manage, more consistent and requires less repetitive work from your employees.

My Group Printing helps businesses improve the way they print, process and mail documents. From workplace printing and document handling to folder inserters, franking machines and wider mailroom solutions, we can help you identify opportunities to create a more efficient workflow.

Explore the My Group Printing Knowledge Hub for more practical advice on printing, business mailing and mailroom efficiency.

Source

This article was inspired by and adapted from insights published by PaperCut in “What can be automated at work to make life easier?” PaperCut Software.

Read the original article on PaperCut