Quick Tips for Reducing Everyday Business Expenses

The cost of everything has skyrocketed over the last couple of years. From technology to office supplies, prices have increased. Supply chain challenges have created shortages in all products. Add to this the human resources issues that all industries are finding themselves struggling with and it’s no wonder that costs have increased tremendously.   

From a business perspective, it is a struggle to balance what is required to achieve your objectives and service your customers and keeping costs at a reasonable level. However, there are some simple things that can help with reducing costs and keeping expenses down.  

One of the areas that is sometimes overlooked is office supplies, specifically paper. At first glance, it may seem like an odd place to start but anyone who has been paying attention has noticed that the cost of printer paper, file folders, and storage boxes has gone up significantly. Add the supply chain issues and it may not seem that odd to look at how reducing the consumption of paper can help reduce your expenses….and, maybe help the planet. 

Here are a few tips that could help your business or organization especially when it comes to printing documents. 

1. Think about what you are printing. Often, we print documents because that’s what we have always done. It’s part of our routine. Ask the question: Does this document NEED to be printed? What purpose would printing the document serve?

2. Print on both sides of the paper or in duplex mode. Printing double-sided will decrease the paper use by half.  

3. Use the “print preview” function before printing the document. Using the “print preview” function before printing allows you to view the document and choose the pages that need to be printed as opposed to printing all the pages and realizing that there are blank pages or parts of the document that do not have to be printed. Do a quick ‘print preview’ before printing to make sure you print only what needs to be printed. 

4. Proofread documents on-screen. Proofreading documents on screen allows for edits, typos, and corrections to be made before a document is printed and saves you from reprinting a document because of an error. 

5. Reuse paper. The paper a document is printed on that is no longer needed can be reused as scrap paper for notes, reminders, and doodles, especially if it’s only printed on one side. Of course, if the printed document is confidential or includes private information, it should not be used as note paper and should be disposed of in a secure fashion.  

These are just some of the quick and simple things that can reduce waste and expenses that are sometimes overlooked. There are other technologies that can help reduce the need to print paper and store documents which will be addressed in upcoming blog posts. 

MicroAge can help determine what the best IT services and solutions are to help your organization achieve your business goals. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.