Printing rarely shows up as one line item, which is exactly why it is so easy to overspend on. Toner comes from one supplier, repairs from another, paper from a third, and nobody ever adds it all together. Once you do, the total is usually higher than expected, and almost always reducible.
Start With a Print Audit
You cannot cut a cost you have not measured. A print audit tracks every device, its monthly page count, and its true cost per page, including toner, parts, and service calls, not just the sticker price of paper.
Black-and-white laser printing is the cheapest per page. Colour pages cost several times more once you include hidden toner and servicing costs. Once you know your real per-page cost, it becomes obvious where the waste is.
Where Businesses Overspend on Printing
Uncontrolled Colour Printing
Colour costs several times more per page than black and white, yet most offices have no default setting or approval step stopping staff from printing internal emails in full colour.
Oversized or Underused Devices
A high-volume production printer sitting idle most of the day still carries its full lease and service cost. Matching device capacity to actual volume is one of the fastest wins in a print audit.
Manual, Untracked Consumable Ordering
Without usage tracking, toner gets ordered reactively, often through rushed, unplanned purchases at a higher price than a scheduled order would cost.
Practical Cost-Cutting Steps
- Set black-and-white as the default print setting across all devices, with colour requiring a manual switch.
- Consolidate underused devices instead of running several half-empty printers.
- Move to a rental model so maintenance and consumables are bundled into one predictable cost. See our printer rental vs buying comparison for the full breakdown.
- Track usage by department so cost accountability sits with the people actually printing.
- Standardise on fewer printer models to simplify consumable stock and reduce per-unit pricing.
Digitizing Documents to Cut Print Volume
The cheapest page is the one never printed. Routing approvals, invoices, and internal forms through digital workflows instead of paper cuts volume directly, and document management software like PaperCut or MyQ can enforce print rules automatically, such as blocking colour for internal documents or requiring a login to release a print job.
This also reduces the secondary costs of printing: physical storage, filing time, and the risk of misplaced paper records.
When Managed Print Pays for Itself
Once a business is running several devices, the admin cost of managing consumables and repairs separately often outweighs the price of a managed contract. Our managed print services guide breaks down exactly what is included and what typical pricing looks like, so you can compare it directly against your current spend.
Getting a Free Print Cost Assessment
Monostat offers a free, no-obligation print cost assessment. We review your current devices, volumes, and invoices, then show you exactly where the savings are before you commit to anything.
Request a quote to get your assessment started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a business typically save?
Savings depend on your starting point, but businesses moving from unmanaged, ad-hoc printing to a right-sized, monitored setup commonly cut printing costs by a meaningful margin once colour control, device consolidation, and bundled maintenance are all in place.
What is the first step to reducing printing costs?
Start with a print audit. You cannot make a meaningful cost decision until you know exactly what each device costs you per page today.