ENERGY EFFICIENT PRINTERS
Finding efficiencies Growing awareness of environmental issues, along with a focus on reducing costs, means that energy efficient printers are in increased demand – and manufacturers have responded to this, giving plenty of features for resellers to highlight to customers.
For businesses across the spectrum, being sustainable and environmentally conscious is now not just something that is ‘nice to do’ but a requirement. For those bidding on public sector or large corporate contracts, environmental credentials are a required part of the process. This, allied to continued high energy prices, means that many businesses are seeking ways to cut their energy usage to save carbon and pounds and are looking at all areas to do this, including printers. This is something that manufacturers have responded to. “Demand for energy efficient printers from end users has been steadily increasing in recent years,” notes Phillip John, category manager – office at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd. “With growing awareness and concern about environmental sustainability, consumers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly options when it comes to their office equipment, including printers. “Energy efficient printers are designed to consume less energy during operation, resulting in lower electricity bills and reduced environmental impact. This is why manufacturers like Konica Minolta are always looking to improve on energy efficiency when launching a new range. “The demand for energy efficient printers from end users is expected to continue
growing as environmental concerns and sustainability considerations become increasingly important in purchasing decisions, as does reducing carbon footprint. Cost savings and financial benefits also play a significant role in the demand for energy efficient printers. “With running costs and sustainability being closely linked, end users are looking for products that provide both, inevitably making energy efficient printers an attractive option. This dual focus on financial and sustainability aspects reflects a growing awareness and understanding of the need to balance economic considerations with environmental considerations in purchasing decisions.” Phillip adds that there are many energy saving functions built into printing devices that allow end users to control how their machines work and balance economy with usability and performance. “Features like Sleep Mode and Automatic Power Off allow the printer to enter low power modes when not in use, which helps reduce power consumption and can result in significant energy savings,” he says. “Other features like duplex printing can also help save energy costs in running devices and of course save on paper and waste. All these features are controllable by customers, who can decide on the best mix for their needs.” Measure and reduce There are many solutions that help customers to measure, manage and reduce their energy consumption, adds Angie Heather, senior product marketing manager at Ricoh UK. “For instance, our SmartMeter for print devices provide data on print usage and customers can access green reporting, including paper and energy consumption and environmental sustainability reports which shows CO2 trends,” she says. “We also provide a Carbon Balanced Production Printing service that lets customers calculate the carbon footprint of each print job, reduce or optimise the process wherever possible and then offset the remaining,
Philip John category manager – office
konicaminolta.co.uk
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