In the modern office, printers and copiers are network accessible, and usage is shared by individuals and departments.  In managing printer resource utilisation across a company network, it is important to collect accurate usage statistics in order to determine operational costs and implement cost reduction actions.  The identification of the actual user and tracking of the number of pages printed, type and weight of paper, volume of ink or toner, colour usage, and number of staples used, can assist in the billing for usage back to individuals, contractors, cost centres, or departments.  It's no secret that most businesses are constantly searching for cost-cutting measures, however, in their search many seem to overlook one important area where they can save significant amounts - their printing environment.

 

Some examples of how resource accounting and management software can be used include:

• Determining whether the workload distribution across multiple printers is evenly or unevenly spread;

• Information on total page count, monochrome or colour page count, pages counts for single-sided and double sided printing, number of printed copies by size and type of medium used;

• Viewing the amount of each colour toner (black, yellow, cyan, and magenta) used for each job and in total;

• Calculating the length of time the printer has been utilised;

• From a security point of view, knowing what documents are printed, is important - determined by document file name and/or title;

• Determination of print job completion status as to whether it was successful, cancelled by user, or aborted due to system failure such as paper jams, connection failure, or finished toner/ink.