Content by Delmarva Document Solutions, AI-enhanced (ChatGPT)
Many organizations don’t realize how much time, money, and productivity are lost because of an inefficient print environment. Learn how a strategic print assessment can uncover hidden costs, improve security, reduce IT workload, and optimize your printer fleet – all illustrated by the real-world modernization of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Is Your Print Environment Costing More Than You Think?
It’s Monday morning.
One employee is waiting at the copier. Another can’t find a printer that prints in color. IT has already received authentication complaints, and someone just ordered toner for a printer no one realized was still in service.
Sound familiar?
For many organizations across Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia’s Eastern Shore, these everyday frustrations have become so common they’re simply accepted as “the way things are.”
But what if the problem isn’t your printers – it’s your print strategy?
Whether you’re an office manager, school administrator, business owner, or IT leader, an inefficient print environment quietly drives up costs, consumes IT resources, and reduces productivity every day. Fortunately, many of these challenges can be solved – not by buying more equipment, but by putting the right technology in the right place.
Why Print Environments Become Inefficient
Few organizations intentionally create an inefficient print environment.
It happens over time. One department buys a color printer. Another upgrades to a faster copier. A grant funds new equipment. Older devices stay in service.
Eventually, no one knows exactly how many printers exist – or what they’re really costing.
The print environment has evolved instead of being strategically designed.
Common warning signs include:
- Multiple printer models across departments
- Several toner and supply inventories
- High-capacity devices serving only a handful of users
- Employees walking across the building for color printing
- Limited visibility into print volumes and costs
- Frequent help desk tickets
- Authentication issues that frustrate users
- Inconsistent security policies across devices
Individually, these issues may seem small. Together, they create hidden costs that affect the entire organization.
The Hidden Costs of an Inefficient Print Environment
Most people think printing costs are limited to paper and toner.
In reality, the biggest expenses are often the time, labor, and inefficiencies that quietly accumulate every day.
Lost Productivity
Every minute spent waiting for a printer, searching for the right device, or contacting IT is time employees aren’t serving customers, teaching students, or completing important work.
Increased IT Workload
Without centralized management and remote monitoring, printer issues consume valuable IT time that could be spent on higher-priority initiatives.
Limited Budget Visibility
When departments purchase equipment independently, organizations lose sight of their true printing costs. Without accurate reporting, it’s difficult to identify opportunities to reduce expenses.
Security Risks
Older printers often lack secure authentication, print release, and centralized management, creating unnecessary risks for organizations handling confidential information.
What Is a Print Assessment?
One of the biggest misconceptions about Managed Print Services is that a print assessment is simply a sales presentation.
It isn’t.
A professional print assessment evaluates how your organization prints today and identifies practical ways to improve efficiency, strengthen security, and reduce costs.
A typical assessment reviews:
- Every printer and multifunction device
- Actual print volumes
- Device utilization
- Department workflows
- Security and authentication
- Underused or redundant equipment
- Opportunities to improve efficiency
Sometimes the recommendation is replacing equipment.
More often, it’s relocating devices, removing unnecessary printers, standardizing models, or implementing better management tools.
The goal isn’t to sell more printers – it’s to build a print environment that better supports your people.
What Modern Print Management Looks Like
Today’s print environment is about much more than copying and printing.
A modern print strategy typically includes:
- Fleet right-sizing
- Secure print release
- Standardized user experiences
- Remote monitoring and support
- Centralized reporting and analytics
- Automated supply replenishment
Together, these capabilities reduce operating costs, improve security, simplify IT management, and create a better experience for employees.
A Real-World Success Story: University of Maryland Eastern Shore
These challenges aren’t unique to private businesses.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) experienced many of the same issues found in organizations across Delmarva. Years of incremental equipment purchases had created a print environment that was increasingly difficult to manage.
UMES needed to:
- Right-size its printer fleet
- Improve visibility into print activity
- Expand secure color printing
- Modernize user authentication
- Reduce IT support demands
- Improve remote device management
Rather than simply replacing equipment, UMES partnered with Delmarva Document Solutions, a Xerox Diamond Agency, to redesign its print environment around how faculty and staff actually work.
The result was a more secure, efficient, and easier-to-manage print environment across campus.
The Results
- 40% reduction in print-related support requests
- More than 50% reduction in print administration and maintenance time
- Most printer issues now resolved remotely
- Standardized secure color printing across campus
- Significant reduction in authentication failures
- Improved reporting and visibility into print activity
The improvements weren’t just technical – they transformed the day-to-day experience for both users and IT.
As UMES Chief Information Officer Mark Van Pelt explained:
“The project has had a huge impact on our users’ ability to get printing done and move on to the next task.”
Robert Lopez, Director of Information Technology, added:
“Working with Delmarva Document Solutions, Xerox, and PrintAnyWay allowed us to modernize and simplify our print environment… These improvements have translated into measurable operational benefits for our team.”
UMES’s experience reinforces an important lesson:
Successful print modernization isn’t about adding more printers – it’s about aligning technology with the way people actually work.
See how the University of Maryland Eastern Shore reduced print-related support requests by 40%, cut print administration time by more than 50%, and modernized its campus-wide print environment.
The Business Benefits of Print Fleet Optimization
Optimizing a print environment delivers measurable business benefits, including:
- Lower operating costs
- Increased employee productivity
- Fewer help desk tickets
- Reduced IT workload
- Stronger document security
- Better reporting and budgeting
- Faster issue resolution
- Simplified supply management
- Smarter technology investments
Many organizations discover they can accomplish more with fewer devices because those devices are better positioned, better managed, and better aligned with business needs.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Ask yourself:
Do employees regularly wait for printers?
Are some printers rarely used while others are constantly busy?
Does IT spend too much time troubleshooting print issues?
Do different departments use different printer models?
Is color printing difficult to access?
Are you unsure what your organization actually spends on printing?
Do authentication issues frustrate users?
Do you lack visibility into how printers are being used?
If you answered “yes” to several of these questions, your organization could benefit from a professional print assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a print assessment?
A print assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your organization’s print environment. It examines printer usage, device placement, workflows, security, and operating costs to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce expenses.
How do Managed Print Services reduce costs?
Managed Print Services optimize printer fleets, automate supply replenishment, improve reporting, reduce service interruptions, and eliminate unnecessary equipment and waste.
How often should an organization review its printer fleet?
Most organizations should evaluate their print environment every three to five years – or sooner after expansions, hybrid work initiatives, or major technology changes.
What is print fleet right-sizing?
Right-sizing aligns the number, type, and location of printers with actual business needs instead of simply replacing existing devices one-for-one.
How does secure print release improve security?
Secure print release requires users to authenticate before documents are printed, protecting confidential information while reducing abandoned print jobs.
Why do organizations choose Delmarva Document Solutions Managed Print Services?
Organizations choose DDS because it combines industry-leading multifunction printers, advanced analytics, secure print management, workflow automation, and proactive support to improve productivity while lowering operating costs.
How can remote printer management reduce downtime?
Remote monitoring allows many printer issues to be diagnosed and resolved without an on-site visit, minimizing downtime and freeing IT staff for more strategic work.
How do I know if my office has too many printers?
If devices are underused, employees struggle to find the right printer, supplies vary by department, or your organization can’t accurately measure printing costs, it’s probably time for a professional assessment.
Ready to See What’s Possible?
An inefficient print environment quietly increases costs, consumes IT resources, and slows productivity – but those problems are often easier to solve than organizations realize.
A strategic print assessment can uncover opportunities to reduce expenses, strengthen security, simplify IT management, and improve the employee experience.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore demonstrates what’s possible when technology is aligned with the way people actually work – not with years of incremental purchasing decisions.
Download our complete University of Maryland Eastern Shore case study to see the full transformation and measurable results.
Then, schedule your complimentary print environment assessment with Delmarva Document Solutions.
As the Delmarva Peninsula’s Xerox Diamond Agency for more than 28 years, we’ve helped organizations throughout Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia improve productivity, reduce hidden costs, and make smarter technology investments. We’d welcome the opportunity to help your organization do the same.
