The high cost of printing is often a frustrating inevitability of running a business. This cost can be especially difficult to account for because tracking printer usage is an inherently difficult task. Printer IDs are a common solution to this concern, however, there are both positives and negatives to their use.


Increased Tracking and Accountability

One of the struggles of tracking business costs is not being able to accurately track where your business’s money is going. By implementing printer ID’s, it becomes much easier to establish metrics that show printer usage by time, location, and employee. This allows business owners and managers to identify specific usage cases to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. Further, it allows specific employee performance to be monitored to reduce misuse or personal printing.


Higher Complexity and IT Costs

While the increased ability to track printer use is a large advantage of employee IDs for printers, there are also downsides in the form of complexity and up-front costs. By installing printer ID systems on your business’s printers, you are adding a layer of complexity to the network and printing system. Further, you are adding an additional step and cost to the onboarding process of any new employee. Depending on the IT capacity of your business, this may be a worthwhile cost, or it may be a misleading headache. If you have any questions about the implementation or operating expense of such a system, it is worthwhile to speak to an expert in printer services in Las Vegas.


Employee Moral Effects With Printer IDs

An often-overlooked aspect of printer IDs is their effect on employee morale. While it is possible to reduce costs by making employees accountable for their printing activity, this can also cause animosity to grow between employees and their employees. In extreme cases, this feeling of being over-managed can lead to a decrease in productivity, reducing the efficacy of the system overall.