Printer brands, models, and their different iterations, depending on when they were manufactured, don’t always blend well. At times mixed printer fleet management feels like trying to host a dinner party where one guest is on a keto diet, another is vegan, and someone else brought their own food.
Here’s how to channel Padmé and the senators of the Rebel Alliance in a galaxy far far away and federate your fleet (i.e. create a unified printing experience).
The silent struggle of mixed printer fleets
Mixed printer fleets are rarely intentional. More often than not, they are a result of one-off purchases that build up over time, are often made up of laser printers, inkjets, and a few relics from the good old days. And while we think that diversity is vital everywhere else in a business, when it comes to printer fleets it can mean you’re left working with the equivalent of a toaster from 1982, a hot new microwave with touch controls, and a cooktop that needs an open flame and a hazard suit, all in the same hectic kitchen.
This is essentially what IT teams are faced with when managing a mixed printer fleet, as printers from different manufacturers have different drivers, accessories, unique quirks and capabilities, and typically require varying levels of support.
Will Ferrell famously said that if you really want to get to know someone you should “first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are” and this extends to the workplace and temperamental printers too - and this is where centralized printer management comes into play.
Consolidating device management: The ultimate control room
Implementing centralized printer management guarantees a more consistent user experience, regardless of which printer is in use. This approach involves standardized print settings and the use of a single interface for managing all devices.
Think of it as giving your kitchen one control panel that can operate the old toaster, the new microwave, and the gas cooker - so instead of getting stressed you’re now the one who knows exactly which buttons to push.
Streamlining print management means consolidating device management so there’s no longer a need to call for internal and/or external support to figure out why marketing’s printer is on strike (again). And why is it always marketing?
Centralizing print server infrastructure gives IT admins a bird’s-eye view of the entire fleet, making it easier to deploy updates, apply security patches, and monitor print usage. Issues can be addressed, and resolutions can be managed remotely from any device, reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
Achieving user-centric printing in a heterogeneous environment
Creating a user-friendly print experience in a mixed environment requires a focus on usability. There’s nothing more frustrating than spending 15 minutes configuring a printer that refuses to recognize a print job because it’s from a different brand. Users don’t care if their document goes through a Kyocera or a Xerox, they just want it printed correctly, quickly, and without drama.
With unified printing solutions, you can provide a consistent user experience across a diverse fleet by containing the complexity behind one interface or app. Users see one simplified process, while the system handles the details of which machine actually does the printing for a seamless and stress-free experience.
Cost-effective printing in a multi-vendor world
The key to printer fleet optimization in a multi-vendor world is a strategy that ensures each device is used to its full potential. With the right analytics tools IT teams can identify underutilized devices and reallocate or remove them. This trimming leads to leaner, more efficient print environments with substantial savings and simplified management. Defaulting to duplex printing and other waste minimizing print policies are great places to start and optimizing printer placement based on usage patterns should be an integral part of the strategy.
Integrating legacy printers with modern cloud-based solutions
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using a dot matrix printer from the 90s because it just won’t quit, if it suits your business. But managing legacy printers alongside modern devices can feel like a flip phone trying to keep up with a smartwatch: they speak completely different languages.
Integrating legacy devices into a unified printing infrastructure is the equivalent of adding Bluetooth to a vintage turntable. It bridges the gap, extending the life of older devices by providing compatibility that enables them to function within a modern environment.
Protecting sensitive data across a mixed printer fleet
The phrase “mixed fleet security” makes at least some of your colleagues break out in a cold sweat, because being accountable for cybersecurity security in a heterogeneous environment can feel like plugging one hole just as another one opens up.
The risks are real, and printers can be an overlooked chink in the armour - but there is security in diversity too. Centralized printer management solutions designed to ensure security across all devices enable secure print release, data encryption, and monitoring of printer activity for suspicious behavior.
Seamless printing from any device
Remote work and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies have made mobile printing a must. Modern solutions for enabling this feature in a mixed fleet environment involve integrating cloud services and providing user-friendly apps that support printing from any device.
With the right setup, users can send documents to print queues from any location and collect them from the printer of their choice. This reduces the need for direct device-to-printer connections and minimizes compatibility issues.
How to leverage data analytics and insights
Just as fitness trackers reveal how many steps we’ve taken, print analytics help to optimize mixed printer fleets by giving a clear picture of how they’re performing. Tracking this data sheds light on usage trends, pinpoints bottlenecks, and picks up on inefficient devices that would otherwise be steadily guzzling resources.
With this data admins can better strategize device placement, printer retirement, and automated print rules.
Why unified printing is now more important than ever
Using multiple print servers is the equivalent of installing separate internet routers in every room of a house. Combining everything into one central server simplifies and streamlines operations, making the overall process cleaner for your IT team.
- Sustainability: Unified printer fleets require fewer devices and promote a much more efficient use of resources, resulting in less waste and reduced energy consumption. Double-sided printing, limits on color printing, or automatically rerouting large jobs to the most energy-efficient devices are also simplified with printer fleet unification.
- Printer fleet optimization: Disposing of old, defunct machines ensures that after The Purge each remaining device’s role in the business is evaluated and adjusted. This allows a business to extend printer lifespans and cut out unnecessary maintenance and replacement costs.
- Print queue management: Unless you want your print queue to feel like waiting in line for Taylor Swift tickets, you’ll need centralized print queue management to direct jobs to the right printer at the right time. In increasingly competitive markets maximising efficiency can have a huge impact on business success.
Creating a unified printing experience with the right tools and strategies, and sophisticated features working cohesively, creates a seamless experience for users printing from a desktop, hot desk, laptop, tablet, or phone. As an added bonus it also has the potential to eradicate the corporate walk of shame (wandering through the office searching for printouts that never arrived).
