How to Conduct a Complete Print Fleet Audit: Methodology and Checklist
How to Conduct a Complete Print Fleet Audit: Methodology and Checklist
A print fleet audit is much more than a simple inventory of your equipment. It’s a strategic analysis that can reveal substantial savings, identify bottlenecks and prepare your business for the future. In Belgium, companies that regularly carry out this exercise save an average of 25 to 35% on their printing costs. Here is our complete guide to successfully conducting this essential process.
Why conduct a print fleet audit?
Before diving into the methodology, let’s understand why this exercise has become essential for modern businesses.
The hidden costs of printing
Most managers significantly underestimate their printing expenses. Beyond the purchase price or rental of your copiers, you need to consider:
- Consumables: toners, cartridges, paper
- Maintenance: interventions, spare parts
- Energy: electrical consumption of devices
- Time lost: breakdowns, queues, poor configuration
- Unnecessary printing: documents never collected, errors
A recent study shows that printing costs represent between 1 and 3% of a company’s turnover. For a Belgian SME achieving €2 million in revenue, this represents €20,000 to €60,000 per year!
The concrete benefits of an audit
A well-conducted audit will allow you to:
- Reduce your costs by 20 to 40% on average
- Improve team productivity
- Strengthen document security
- Reduce your environmental footprint
- Plan your future investments with confidence
Phase 1: Audit preparation
Define the scope
Before starting, clearly define the scope of your analysis:
- Location: all sites or just the head office?
- Equipment: network printers, individual printers, multifunction devices, scanners?
- Users: all departments or certain pilot services?
For multi-site companies, particularly those present in Brussels and surrounding areas, it’s wise to start with a test site before generalising.
Assemble the project team
An effective audit requires a multidisciplinary team:
- An IT manager for technical aspects
- A purchasing manager for financial data
- Business representatives to understand real needs
- A management sponsor to legitimise the approach
Collect preliminary data
Gather before starting:
- Existing rental or purchase contracts
- Consumable invoices for the last 12 months
- Maintenance contracts
- IT incident reports
- Organisation chart and team distribution
Phase 2: Physical inventory
Map the equipment
Create an identity card for each device including:
| Information | Example |
|---|---|
| Brand and model | Konica Minolta bizhub C458 |
| Serial number | A7PY021XXXXXX |
| Installation date | March 2022 |
| Location | 2nd floor, open space |
| Type | Colour multifunction |
| Connectivity | Network + WiFi |
| General condition | Good / Average / To replace |
Assess technical condition
For each device, note:
- The number of pages printed since origin (counter)
- The age of the device
- Recurring faults reported
- Consumable availability
- Compatibility with your current systems
Identify ghost equipment
“Ghost printers” are those devices that nobody uses but which consume energy and occupy space. Our experience shows that 15 to 20% of printers in a company are under-used or unused.
Phase 3: Volume and flow analysis
Measure print volumes
Over 1 to 3 months, collect the following data:
- Total volume: number of pages printed/copied
- Colour/black and white breakdown: generally 30/70
- Single-sided/double-sided breakdown: target > 70% double-sided
- Breakdown by department: identify heavy consumers
- Peak usage: hours, days, periods
Analyse document flows
Understand how documents circulate:
- Which documents are systematically printed?
- Which could remain digital?
- Are there obsolete paper workflows?
- How are documents archived?
Calculate the user/equipment ratio
The optimal ratio varies by sector:
| Sector | Recommended ratio |
|---|---|
| Administration | 1 multifunction for 15-20 people |
| Legal/Accounting | 1 multifunction for 8-12 people |
| Creative/Marketing | 1 multifunction for 10-15 people |
| Industry | 1 printer for 25-30 people |
Phase 4: Financial analysis
Calculate Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
TCO includes all costs over the equipment’s lifetime:
TCO = Acquisition + Consumables + Maintenance + Energy + Labour
Example for a multifunction over 5 years:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Acquisition/Rental | €8,000 |
| Consumables (5 years) | €6,500 |
| Maintenance | €2,000 |
| Energy | €500 |
| Total TCO | €17,000 |
Determine cost per page
Cost per page is the key indicator:
Cost/page = TCO ÷ Total number of pages
For the example above with 200,000 pages over 5 years: €0.085 per page.
Compare this figure with your current contracts and market offers. Contact our experts for a personalised analysis.
Identify avoidable overcosts
The most frequent sources of waste:
- Excessive colour printing: colour costs 5 to 10x more
- Non-optimised consumables: poor quality generic cartridges
- Non-preventive maintenance: avoidable breakdowns
- Oversized equipment: paying for unused capacity
- Unsuitable contracts: packages too high or not enough
Phase 5: Real needs assessment
Interview users
Prepare a simple questionnaire:
- Which device do you mainly use?
- Do you encounter recurring problems?
- What functions are missing?
- Do you feel the current equipment is sufficient?
- Do you print documents that could remain digital?
Analyse needs by department
Each department has specific needs:
- Accounting: high volumes, A4 formats, mainly black and white
- Marketing: colour quality, varied formats (A3, leaflets)
- Management: confidentiality, finishes (stapling, binding)
- Logistics: labels, delivery notes, robustness
Anticipate evolution
Project yourself 3-5 years ahead:
- Staff growth or reduction?
- New sites or closures?
- Digitalisation of certain processes?
- Regulatory evolution (legal archiving)?
Phase 6: Recommendations and action plan
Rationalise the fleet
Based on your analysis, propose:
- Equipment to remove: ghosts, duplicates
- Equipment to replace: obsolete, costly
- Equipment to pool: logical grouping
- New needs: missing equipment
Optimise contracts
Negotiate better terms:
- Page packages adapted to actual volumes
- Inclusion of preventive maintenance
- Automatic delivery of consumables
- Intervention time commitment (SLA)
Implement best practices
Establish a printing policy:
- Double-sided printing by default
- Black and white by default
- Quota per user if necessary
- Secure printing (badge) for confidential documents
Complete audit checklist
Here is your summary checklist:
Preparation
- Scope defined
- Project team assembled
- Contracts and invoices gathered
- Schedule established
Inventory
- Complete equipment list
- Technical specifications filled in
- Physical condition assessed
- Ghost equipment identified
Volume analysis
- Counters recorded
- Measurement period defined (min. 1 month)
- Colour/B&W breakdown calculated
- Peak usage identified
Financial analysis
- TCO calculated per equipment
- Cost per page determined
- Market comparison done
- Overcosts identified
Needs
- Users interviewed
- Needs by department documented
- Evolution anticipated
Recommendations
- Rationalisation plan drafted
- Contract negotiations prepared
- Printing policy defined
- Implementation schedule established
Recommended frequency
To maintain an optimised fleet, we recommend:
- Complete audit: every 3 to 5 years or during major changes
- Volume review: quarterly
- Cost analysis: annual
- Satisfaction survey: biannual
Conclusion: take action
A print fleet audit is not an expense, it’s an investment. Companies that take the time for this methodical analysis reap lasting benefits: financial savings, increased productivity and reduced environmental impact.
Would you like support in this process? Our experts carry out free, no-obligation audits for Belgian companies. Contact us to schedule your personalised diagnosis.
This article was written by the Photocopieurs.be team, your partner for professional copier rental and maintenance in Belgium.
📍 Service available in: Brussels