Print has changed, but have you?

Digital transformation has had a profound impact on the way we print.

The devices to which we now send countless document types and the way in which user habits can be analysed is a far cry from the age of the dot matrix printer.

Printing, scanning and copying processes have all been influenced by digital advancements to make life better for employees and easier for companies to monitor, track and maintain printing.

From desktop-only to multi-device

Printers used to be connected directly to specific desktop computers, with only rudimentary sharing made available to business users.

Now, we can send print jobs from virtually any device, be it a laptop, tablet, smartphone or form of USB storage. And, with bluetooth and WiFi printing commonplace, the restrictions and complication inherent within wired connections have been eradicated.

Digital transformation has mobilised and removed virtually every barrier from printing.

User behaviour under the microscope

Businesses can now learn so much from their printing devices, thanks to user analytics.

Fostering a culture of sensible, efficient printing by identifying needless reproduction of emails and poor device selection saves time, reduces overheads and helps coach new hires.

Achieving a consistent approach to the print policy has never been easy, but with user behaviour increasingly under the microscope, informed decisions can now be made based on facts and real-time data.

The rise of smart printing

Remember when you had to wait in-line for your confidential document to be printed? The rise of smart printing has removed frustrations of that nature with features such as ‘follow me’ printing enabling jobs to output on any device, at just the right time.

Despite this, security remains a key concern, because while smart printing has broadened the ability of devices, the possibility of hackers gaining access to internet-connected printers and scanners has also risen.

Therefore the more your business invests in smart printing, the smarter it’ll need to get about preventing cybercrime.

More approachable printing devices

There was a time when a degree in computer science was advantageous if you wanted to explore the depths of a printer’s capabilities, but modern devices benefit from interfaces that mirror our smartphones and integrations with cloud services that make document management incredibly straightforward.

The new batch of printing devices are more approachable and capable than ever, and continue to serve the needs of an increasingly tech-literate but time-poor society.

Has your business embraced the change?

The changes brought about by digital transformation are fundamental, and businesses need to adapt quickly if they’re to take advantage of modern print devices and analytics tools.

Do the above changes ring true with your organisation, or are you suffering from an old, inefficient printing infrastructure?