Printer Ink Cartridges And Their Effect On Productivity

2010-09-28

Employee productivity is very important to your bottom line. Time wasted is money lost and employee morale always suffers when their productivity is frustrated. One source of aggravation is changing printer ink cartridges and toner in inkjet and laser printers.

Printer ink cartridges have progressed a lot in the past decade. Employees used to waste a lot of time either filling cartridges or ordering replacements. Businesses that were trying to save money often refilled their own, some with comically disastrous results.

You no longer have to fill printer ink cartridges by hand but have several choices on how to replenish the ink in your printers. You can package them up and send them to a recycling business which will send you back discounted printer ink cartridges. This is great for both your budget and the environment but employee productivity may be impacted depending on how many printers you have and how much shipping and receiving is involved.

Of course, you can also fill your own printer ink cartridges with inexpensive kits that you can find at any office supply or big box store. This takes time and can be messy, particularly if you are trying to refill a toner cartridge in a laser printer.

Toner cartridges aren't as messy as they used to be but they can still be responsible for small disasters. Employee productivity can be significantly impacted if the cartridge is particularly stubborn and the ink ruins the person's clothing or gets on the carpet. Toner cartridges can turn a two minute chore into a 30 minute mess plus the cost of carpet cleaning.

Choosing the correct printer has a big impact on employee productivity. If you buy or lease a laser printer whose toner cartridge slides in without any need to expose the ink, you'll save your employees a lot of time and effort. Likewise, if you have an inkjet printer be sure that the cartridges are simple to access and replace. With most of the newer printers you just open a panel, slide the old cartridge out and insert the new one.

If you have a large office you probably have two or more printers that regularly need replacement printer ink cartridges. If you are just starting your business-or thinking of getting another printer for a large office-you might consider leasing a printer. Although you won't own the printer you won't have to absorb the cost of depreciation. Employee productivity can be focused in more profitable areas.

It may seem trivial to give so much consideration to printer ink cartridges but they can have a big impact on employee productivity and morale.