Southern Solutions
2784 Old Washington Rd
Waldorf, MD  20601
(301)632-5555
info@southernsolution.com

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Easy Green Printing

Nowadays, everyone is looking for ways to cut down their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, it can be fairly expensive to “go green”. Having a green printing strategy can help you save money at the same time as saving the environment.

iStock_000003292097SmallOffice printing consumes a lot of paper and energy. Based on average usages, it is very easy for your office to contribute tens of thousands of pounds of greenhouse gases to the environment a year.

One simple and effective way to reduce your office’s carbon footprint is to set your printers and copiers to default with two sided printing. By turning two pages into one, you can reduce paper usage by 50%. This small step can save up to 60 trees annually and eliminate up to 14,000 lbs of greenhouse gases. It could also save your company money by using less paper!

Another step to take would be to consolidate your printing and copying devices. These machines use a significantly less amount of energy. By consolidating with a multifunction system you use fewer devices and therefore you require less energy to operate them. This will save you money in electricity costs and also reduce greenhouse gases.

Implementing a green printing strategy can give you the peace of mind that you are reducing costs while preventing harm to the environment. continue reading...

Free Up Office Space with Multifunction Devices

Not long ago, cellular phones were simply used for phone calls. However, today we can e-mail, text, surf the internet, take pictures, and even watch movies on our cell phones. It is very clear that we expect a single device to do more than just one task. This should not be any different in the workplace.

With the digital revolution in full swing, people are getting more and more used to working with a myriad of devices, each designed to make our lives just that little bit more convenient. The traditional office probably includes printers, faxiStock_000001266405Small machines, copiers and scanners. These devices not only take up physical space, but they also consume financial resources. 

Just as our cell phones have integrated with other devices, a multifunction printer (MFP) can combine various document-related tasks into one easy-to-manage machine. With a MFP, your company can cut overhead costs and free up valuable space. Plus, you can help enable remote employees with easy online integration.

In addition to combining printing, scanning, copying and faxing into one machine, the addition of electronic document management will free up even more space and increase productivity. Digital storage is extremely cost-efficient and works in conjunction with a MFP.

It is very easy to take advantage of a single device that can do the job of multiple pieces of equipment. No longer will you have to decide if you should purchase another copier or another desk. Multifunction printers will save your business money and improve workplace efficiency. continue reading...

Relieve Your IT Department with MPS

It is very easy for your IT team to become overwhelmed by end user issues and lose sight of your company’s core business initiatives. Many of these end user issues relate to office printing. Paper jams, offline systems and supply shortages consume IT professionals because rarely can they fix these issues remotely.

How can I help you? Luckily, there is a solution. Managed Print Services (MPS) can help your IT personnel focus on their tasks. Furthermore, MPS will make your entire printer fleet more efficient and cost effective by eliminating printer management from the tasks of your IT team and providing the following services:

· On Site Service: A certified technician will come to your office to take care of any service issues with your devices.

· Maintenance: Like all mechanical devices, printers require maintenance. With MPS, your devices will receive preventative maintenance to minimize printer downtime.

 

· Help Desk Support: MPS provides your end users with a number to call for all their printing questions, reducing distractions to your IT department.

· Supplies Management: Manage Print Services will monitor supplies for all your various devices. You will receive supplies as necessary to avoid extra storage needs without being stuck without supplies when necessary.

IT resources are critical to the success of your company. Now you can ensure your IT department can stay focused by enrolling in Managed Print Services. continue reading...

Reduce the Costs of Your Print Environment

Did you know that documents can cost your business up to 3% of your annual revenue? And a large portion of this expense comes from office printing. However, when properly managed, you can reduce your printing expense by nearly 30% while simultaneously increasing productivity in your office.iStock_000003117570Small

The first step to decreasing costs is to centralize the purchase of printer supplies. Often times, print supplies are purchased by individuals or departments. Furthermore, print cartridge expenses become buried in supply budget lines, making print costs impossible to track.

By centralizing your printer supply purchasing, you will be able to take advantage of several vital benefits, including:

· Management Control: By moving printer operation costs from departmental supply budgets to a single manageable line item you will be able to easily identify the areas that have the highest print costs

· Lower Costs: Take advantage of centralized purchasing by consolidating print cartridge purchasing. Supply orders can be made in bulk and inventory can be reduced to lower total costs.

All it takes to start saving is a print management assessment. We can help you identify printer cost savings and employ tactics to lead to a more profitable print environment. To learn more, contact us today. continue reading...

Upgrade Your Systems for Cost Savings

Offices everywhere continue to explore how they can reduce their carbon footprint. However, many offices fail to realize that some of the biggest power consumers are copiers and printers.Pen on Positive Earning Graph

With today’s multifunction systems, it is very easy to install a single machine that will print, copy, scan and fax. A typical workgroup consumes 481 kWh per month and costs over $600 per year to power. Now think about how many workgroups are in your company and see how more devices, may not always be better.

Reducing the power consumption of your printer and copier fleet makes both environmental and economic sense. Here are a few ways that we can help you accomplish this:

Solution 1: Device Consolidation

A practical solution for decreasing costs is consolidating devices with multifunction systems that print, copy, fax and scan. Today, there are many options available that include compact desktop systems, robust workgroup and even departmental systems.

Solution 2: Power Saver Modes

Energy Star certified devices are the best at saving power whenever possible. These devices can be set to enter sleep mode and even turn off automatically at night. Older systems take a long time to warm up, and therefore discourage offices from turning them off. However, most new systems have technology that lets them warm up from sleep mode quickly, minimizing the interruption to your work.

Solution 3: Retire Older Devices

Some of the biggest power hogs may be older printers and copiers that have been kept around for convenience and because they aren’t technically broken. Many of these are hidden under desks and shoved into corners. While they may be convenient, it probably does not make sense to power a printer that is only printing a handful of pages every month, especially when power is so expensive. In the interest of power savings, it may make sense to retire and recycle these systems in exchange for a more cost-efficient device.

We can help you reduce the power usage and carbon footprint of your organization. Contact us today to learn more about how you could start saving the environment and money today! continue reading...

Step One Step Closer to a Paperless Office

Interactions with your clients generate a lot of paper work including consultations, office visits, contracts and invoices. In order to manage the vast amount of documents and information that inundates your office, it is imperative to have an innovative and efficient system that allows for easy storage and quick retrieval.iStock_000004077201Medium With a document management system, you will be able to access all of your documents from the convenience of your computer’s desktop without sacrificing information security. Whether you are in the medical industry, education, or other professional services, a document management system can fit your business.

With a document management system, you can easily create custom folders to manage all your company’s information. The integration of a document management system allows for a more efficient and cost effective way to grow your business and improve customer service. The system endows you with an accessible and user-friendly access point for all client records. The system takes you one step closer to a paperless environment by making it easier to replace your bulky filing cabinets with streamlined hard drives.

Document management systems capture and store the scanned documents using a simple multifunction system. You can easily convert paper documents to a digital format. Once you have a digital document, you can easily pass them from department to department and even to your clients. Retrieving documents has never been easier. Instead of sifting through hundreds of paper files, you can call up documents by keyword or date.

You can easily email or fax multiple electronic documents and also scan and upload multiple documents at once in an efficient manner. You will be able to communicate important information to colleagues, clients, prospects and business partners. With all the possible benefits, there is no doubt your company could grow with a document management system. continue reading...

Going Green Brings Financial Benefits

The health of the environment is a pretty hot topic these days. Hybrid vehicles, biodegradable packaging and reusable grocery bags are just some of the ways society has been inundated by environmental friendly technologies.

corporate online trainning - man presenting It didn’t take long for companies to realize they need to reduce their carbon footprint, too. However, in today’s tight financial economy, it can be hard to adopt expensive albeit green technology. Luckily, designing and implementing a green printing strategy can help save the environment and save money.

A green printing strategy starts with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of office printing by targeting paper usage and energy usage. When these areas are optimized, the combined environmental and economic impact is amazing.

1. Reduce Paper Usage

It take almost two thirds of a tree to create one case of paper and the production of a single ton of copy paper produces almost 6,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.

The average office employee consumes 2 cases of printer/copier paper each year. Therefore, a company with 100 office employees will consume 120 trees per year and releas over 28,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses just in their paper usage. With a case of paper costing over $30, the annual cost for this company would be $6,000 or $500 per month.

One simple strategy to reduce paper usage is to set your printers and copiers to default to duplex (two sided) printing. This easy step can reduce your paper usage by up to 50% and save over 60 trees per year. On top of saving the environment, reducing paper usage can save the company up to $3,000 per year.

 

2. Consolidate Printer and Copier Devices

Printers and copiers use a considerable amount of energy. The average office copier consumes 285 KWh of electricity each month while an average printer consumes 49 KWh. A company with 10 copiers and 50 printers requires electricity that takes approximately 46,500 pounds of coal. Burning this much coal emits 132,525 of greenhouse gasses each year and costs about $6,000.

Many companies are realizing that they can consolidate printer and copier devices with Energy Star certified multifunction systems. A smaller fleet of devices requires less energy to operate. Strategically placed multifunction systems that print, copy, fax and scan can easily lessen the energy requirements necessary and save big money. By decreasing energy usage, the amount of coal burned is greatly decreased.

Creating a green print strategy is a great way to save the environment and save money for any office. continue reading...

Utilize Data Capture to Minimize Cost and Errors

Keying in data off of business forms is often a very monotonous and time-consuming process. Plus, the more the processes are rushed, the more errors are made.iStock_000004115693Medium

Fortunately, you can utilize your multifunction systems to automatically enter routine data. Data Capture software has the ability to read data from scanned documents and translate it into your business applications. It can also index the scanned documents for easy retrieval later on.

Data Capture software uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to translate scanned text into editable text. When the document is scanned using a multifunction system, it is routed to a folder where it is processed.

The software allows you to set up capture zones to handle multiple areas of information. These OCR zones can acquire the data and insert them into their respective data fields. In order for this to work correctly, all you need is a uniform form that is structured similarly every time such as an invoice, delivery ticket or an explanation of benefits. Consistent layout is key.

Data Capture technology provides the ability to replace manual data entry in a variety of ways. A couple of examples include: processing invoices, storing scanned documents for retrieval at a later date, organizing delivery/shipping tickets and even managing payroll.

Minimizing manual data entry can drastically improve the cost-efficiency of your office and it can be applied to a variety of situations. continue reading...

Utilize Print Management Software for Easy Reporting

Businessteam at a meeting In today’s work environment, expenses rarely go unchecked. It is very common for a department of a company to be required to create monthly or quarterly expense reports. However, tracking printing costs can be quite the task. Therefore, many companies simply lump the expense in with other various office costs such as supplies or furniture. Although this may seem like the easiest way to complete expense reports, it may also be the most expensive.

Print management software is an easy way to control, monitor and report the printing done by your company. Not only will your monthly reports be made simple, but you will become more aware of where your budget is spent. You will also be able to use access controls to limit printing to certain departments and set up defaults to save ink and paper.

Today’s innovative print management software provides the latest techniques to help users change their printing habits and decrease their costs. The software features easy-to-use interfaces that can be used with nearly any multifunction device, even if on a network. You can even be sent notification reports when your printers are down or low on toner. This will help your office run more efficiently.

Quarterly, monthly, or even weekly reporting is made very easy with print management software. Authorized users merely log in to the software using a pin code or password to access the reports. When installing your software, you will set it up for your needs. Therefore, reports can be printed with the touch of a single button.

Never again will you have to worry about expense reports. By utilizing print management software, you will be able to spend your time working on more important things, rather than trying to collect data on your company’s printing habits. To set up print management software in your office, be sure to contact us today!

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Ignite Productivity Through Managed Print Services

In the office, it seems we are always in a hurry. For this reason, very rarely does anyone take the time to fix a printer. Instead, they are forced to find a different device so they can complete their task in a time-efficient manner.

iStock_000000080171Medium Furthermore, IT departments rarely have the time or resources to fix mechanical issues in office devices. But still, they are forced to take control of the issue and organize some sort of fix, whether it is an easy paper jam or having to schedule a repair from a local company.

Often this type of situation is multiplied many times a week or even in a single day. It is not wonder why an unmanaged print environment can be a drain on the productivity of your office. Luckily, there is a better way. Managed Print Services Programs continually monitor your printer fleet and deliver valuable productivity benefits to your business.

Proactive Service: Managed Print Service means there will be someone monitoring your printer fleet for you. If a printer is out of service, it can often be fixed before it becomes an issue for your business’ productivity.

Automatic Supplies: Managing supplies for an entire fleet can be incredibly difficult. However, running out of toner at an inopportune time can be worse. With Managed Print Services, supplies can be shipped to you automatically as they are needed. This will reduce inventory costs and ensure you always have the supplies you need.

Preventative Maintenance: As with most machines, preventative maintenance can help avoid many problems. Managed Print Services will keep your devices proper tuned so they remain productive and last for years.

Continuous Optimization: As you company grows, your printing needs will change. It is important that your print environment keeps up with your fluctuating needs so everything runs at its most productive. Managed Print Services can monitor usage rates and reallocate print resources and update technology as necessary.

It is easy to stimulate the productivity of your office with Managed Print Services. Best of all, it can even save you money.

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