What to Do When Everyone Wants Their Own Printer

A smarter, scalable way to manage printing in a growing office

The Problem: It Starts with Good Intentions… and Ends with 100 Printers

If your office has grown quickly, there’s a good chance your print environment has gotten out of hand. You start with a few desktop printers for convenience, and before long, every employee has one sitting beside them.

It seems harmless—until you’re juggling:

• Dozens (or hundreds) of different toner models

• A rising volume of IT tickets for printer support

• Ongoing maintenance for devices you never planned to manage

• Untracked printing, rising supply costs, and increased security risks

Managing a scattered fleet of personal printers is unsustainable. What started as convenience becomes a slow leak of time, money, and productivity.

The Overcorrection: One Big Copier for Everyone

In an effort to gain control, some companies go all-in on a central copier strategy. One large multifunction device becomes the only print option for the entire team.

That might work—but only if it’s done carefully.

If not, it brings new challenges:

• Long lines and slower workflows during busy times

• Abandoned documents left in the output tray

• Lost privacy and sensitive information exposure

Without the right tools and policies, it can feel like going from chaos to control at the cost of employee satisfaction.

A Better Approach: Educate First, Then Optimize

At Novatech, we don’t come in with a cookie-cutter plan or a rigid playbook.

We start by understanding how your business operates today—what’s working, what’s not, and what’s causing friction. Then we show you real data:

• How much your unmanaged printing is costing you

• Where security risks are lurking

• How IT hours are being consumed by printer problems

• What solutions can streamline operations without disruption

Instead of dictating how you print, we work with you to develop a smarter, more efficient setup.

Flexible Solutions That Actually Work

Here are some strategies we often recommend:

1. Badge Release Printing
Nothing prints until the user authenticates at the device. This eliminates abandoned pages, protects private information, and reduces paper waste.

2. PIN-Based Secure Printing
For departments like HR or accounting, users can send sensitive documents to a shared copier but release them only after entering a private PIN.

3. Strategic Hybrid Environments
Rather than removing every desktop printer, we help you build a balanced mix:

• Shared multifunction devices for departments

• Personal printers only where absolutely necessary

• Centralized toner and supply management

4. Print Tracking and Analytics
We provide tools to monitor usage by user or department, so you can identify overuse, reduce unnecessary printing, and forecast supply needs more accurately.

The Outcome: Secure, Streamlined, and Scalable

When printing is designed with intention, your business benefits:

• Lower supply and maintenance costs

• Reduced strain on your IT team

• Increased document security

• Better user experience with fewer headaches

You don’t have to choose between control and convenience. With the right strategy, you can have both.

Let’s Simplify Your Print Environment

If your team is drowning in printers—or resisting change—let’s talk. We’ll help you cut through the clutter, reduce waste, and implement a solution that supports how you work.

Schedule a free print environment review with Novatech.