We are in the digital age, aren’t we?
Or is this back to the future? Everywhere we look, people are texting and chatting on their smartphones, sharing and storing digital files on their tablets and laptops. And still, we are seeing businesses buying office printers and copiers in almost every office.
How come?
We are in the digital age. We find it very convenient to share digital files, but there is still a need for paper. People still sign contracts and some legacy holdouts still like the touch and feel of paper. We have evolved and we are using less and less paper, but it’s not as bad as this article and infographic provided in 2014 by a paper and catalog company want to make you believe: Average U.S. Office Worker Uses 10,000 Sheets of Paper Per Year.
And you can be glad we are in the digital age because in 2015 if we wanted to print the Internet, it would only take 136 billion pieces of standard letter-sized paper. I think mother earth can be thankful that no one has attempted this.
In the digital age, more and more businesses are going “paper-free” or “paperless” in the office and dealing with documents digitally. We work odd hours and many of our staff even work virtually. Even with our clients, we see the amount of scanning of paper documents to digital documents is on a steep rise.
However, businesses still need the capability to print hard copies. Just think if you showed up to a meeting and not everyone had an electronic device with them. You print hard copies so that everyone can see exactly what you are reading from or presenting. Yes, most meetings today present on a large monitor so everyone can see and participate, but sometimes even then it’s a little difficult for those in the back of the room. Not all customers want to review or sign a contract on a digital device. Heck, everyone thought the email was going to be the death of fax machines, so why are they still in the office.
Two recent studies by Wakefield Research and Info show that although there has been an increase in scanning with multi-function devices, paper printing is still a popular trend and not going away anytime soon. You can read more about their findings in this summary.
How about the legal, medical, and insurance industries? Would they be able to do business if everything was done digitally? We are moving forward and every year more of our lives become integrated into the digital world, but for now, we still see ongoing purchases for copiers and multi-function printers (MFPs) for just about every business.
Have Realistic Expectations. Get over it, printers and paper are still a thing…
As technology grows and develops, more and more companies are going paper-free and abandoning hard copies in favor of dealing with all of their documents over e-mail or in the cloud. Why? This is fantastic news on many levels; not only does this result in less paper and waste, but it makes many employees’ lives easier. It’s about streamlining work, productivity, and space. Technology and costs are mainly driving this trend. However, even in this digital age, it’s still necessary for offices to have the ability to print hard copies.
Your office might be paper-free, but not all businesses and customers are on board yet. Hence, it’s important that your office has the ability to print hard copies for those clients who need documents in physical form. You should invest in a copier or MFP if you don’t have one. If you have one, but it’s not in working condition, call professionals who specialize in copy machine or multi-function printer repairs. Not sure how to pick the right one? Here’s an article on how to find the right printer repair company: Who provides the best copier or printer repair service?
If your location is around Miami, you may also visit the Miami Copier Lease Service.