Our mission is to help organisations print more sustainably. We understand that sustainable practices and corporate responsibility are not just our ethical and moral imperative. They also make smart business sense. In our current climate, where 80% of greenhouse gas emissions are indirect emissions that occur across a company’s value chain, a sustainability strategy can affect operating profits by as much as 60%.

Further, it’s important to be aware that global trends are seeing a rise in greenwashing, a phenomenon to which savvy customers, partners, potential employees, and investors are more attuned than ever. This means it’s absolutely vital to substantiate your sustainability claims and ESG commitments with tangible, actionable solutions. We can help you avoid environmental, reputational, and financial losses.

Introducing the IM C Range: our most sustainable multi-functional devices yet

If you want to print more sustainably, but are not sure where to start, consider right-sizing your print fleet with our new IM C range of all-in-one office devices — our most sustainable yet.

Print more sustainably: upgrade today

The mainframes of our new devices are constructed of 50% post-consumer recycled materials. That’s ten times better than the previous model. Coupled with industry-leading TEC values and a 50% reduction in plastic packaging, these credentials will help you reach your ESG goals.

To print more sustainably, consider your carbon footprint across the life cycle of your print infrastructure

Carbon footprint quantifies a product’s environmental impact in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. This applies across the product’s entire life cycle. It ranges from raw materials, sourcing, and production, through to transportation, usage, maintenance, disposal, and recycling. The IM C line’s carbon footprint is 27% lower than that of predecessor models, and has a lower carbon footprint cradle to grave.

When designing your infrastructure to print more sustainably, consider looking into end-of-life-cycle initiatives such as our smart return programme. Ricoh participates in a circular economy. In fact, the reduction of our ecological footprint is such a priority to us that in 1994 we established the Comet Circle, our own circular economy model. The Comet Circle explains our approach to reusing parts and recycling materials within our organisation and across our wider economic activities, supplier network and product life cycles.

Marginal gains for fundamental change

Sustainability is such an all-encompassing and constantly evolving goal. So it can be difficult to immediately visualise the fundamental changes that can be implemented through marginal gains. In other words, why put off until tomorrow what you can put in motion today? Take the first steps and lay a solid foundation to reach your ESG goals with the new IM C range.

For example, our new toner composition fuses at 14 degrees lower than the previous model. This is a big contributor to reduced power consumption. Additionally, with our new higher yield cartridges, you can benefit from fewer shipments and replacements. This enables greater productivity, as toner cartridges will not need to be changed as frequently as before. Furthermore, our new toner lock mechanism does not allow toner cartridges to be removed until a cartridge is empty. This means you get 100% of the usage benefits, with significantly less wastage.

The new IM C range also has a quicker warm up period than previous models, and 50% energy usage reduction while in eco mode (which it enters as a default). This results in lower energy consumption overall.

Make connections with ESG leaders to print more sustainably

A certain way to print more sustainably within your organisation is to partner with a company known for its sustainability credentials, and benefit from their experience and offerings. With the new IM C range, we offer a Carbon Balanced Service that can provide you with a CBP certificate for 5 years, boosting your ESG values in the eyes of customers, potential employees, and investors. You’ll also enjoy access to a portal with data insight to help you manage your print more sustainably.

Click to read ESG Ricoh UK

Incorporate sustainability into all aspects of your business

By building sustainability into all areas of your business, you can approach your ESG targets holistically and consistently, rather than conceptualising them as their own discrete set of objectives. The new IM C range can help you print more sustainably across the entire lifecycle of your print infrastructure, introducing gains for fundamental change, and empowering you to make connections with sustainability experts.

Learn more or get in touch here

The post How To Print More Sustainably appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

Office print devices are no longer the one-dimensional products of the past. Today they have the functionality to accelerate multiple business-critical processes. They’ve become a staple part of any modern-day office and have become core IT assets in their own right. Their computing capability has grown significantly and their accessibility to both on-site and remote workers has transformed productivity and flexibility.

But this growth in use and flexibility has also increased the potential security threats. A survey by IT analyst Quocirca found that 63 per cent of companies surveyed suffered at least one printer-related security breach.

Discover some of the key security threats to your office print devices and the steps to take to ensure they are made safe and secure.

Why office print security is so important now

Organisations are still very reliant on office print in their day to day workflow. With the arrival of the digital office, many thought the need for office printing would lose relevance. But as businesses have transformed and productivity expectations have increased, office print manufacturers have embraced product innovation to facilitate new levels of interaction and communication. 

Office print devices now use cloud technology to support fully accessible workplaces. Whether that’s for individuals within the office environment or for remote users connecting to devices externally. Today’s workplaces rely on the ability for users to seamlessly connect to other users, software or services via a cloud network. In the same way, they also connect to office print devices to print, scan, send and receive mail.

Productivity software such as document management further accelerates the need to provide this level of accessibility. So the security of connected print devices is vital.

What are the potential security threats for office print?

Threats to office print security fall into the following four categories;

1. 1. Theft of printed assets from the document tray or being able to access previously scanned documents from the memory
   2. Remote cyber-attacks that aim to make the system fail by submitting phoney print jobs to using the device as a Trojan Horse to launch DDoS attacks by hackers
   3. Network vulnerability due to an unsecured print device that can leave the entire organisations network at risk
   4. Data breaches of secure information such as customer data, confidential documents and financial details caused by hackers or internal agents getting access to the printer cache

For this reason, organisations need to ensure they have a strategy to enable them to maintain a secure office print estate across their entire organisation.

Discover the four steps to securing your office print devices by reading our handy security guide.

Click to read 4 Steps to Secure Your Multifunction Printer

How the latest office print devices provide greater security

Modern office print devices use innovative technologies to provide enhanced protection against security threats. As a standard you need to ensure your print supplier can offer the following;

The ability to lock down printers

Access control, authentication, and other built-in security features ensure only authorised individuals have access to specific printers. Access can be provided and recorded via the use of individual pin codes, proximity badges, security cards and tags for individual users.

Printer and data encryption

Built-in encryption and Data Overwrite Security enhancement are incorporated to ensure all data passed from the device to the network is encrypted. Any temporary data stored on the device is overwritten.

Device management

Modern office print devices now utilise advanced technology and automatic software updates to ensure optimum protection from digital security threats. Being permanently connected allows the device to ensure it’s always running the most up to date software.

End of life cleansing and disposal

Redundant hardware requires careful management. Just as you would wipe any laptop clean before disposal, office printers must be managed in the same way. Your print partner will provide certificated end of life cleansing or hard drive removal to ensure all data is removed prior to disposal and recycling.

How to find your perfect and secure office print solution

Making sure you have secure office print devices is essential for the future security and safety of your organisation. That’s why it’s important to find a print solution that suits your organisation and a partner who understands and values the importance of security.

Different print partners have different methods for ensuring the security of your print devices. We encourage you to survey the market for one that matches your business’s values.

We value office print security

If office print is a crucial part of your business then you need to trust that it is safe, stable and secure.

Learn more about Ricoh’s office print security values with our ‘Finding Your Perfect Print Solution’ guide.

Click to read Finding your Perfect Office Print Solution

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So, where do you start? As with most purchasing decisions, you need to understand your needs and any special requirements you may have. 

Set your criteria before you start the process of buying a new printer

To start with, do you know which printer you need? What would best meet your requirements? Do you need a printer or a multifunctional device? Is a laser printer better than an inkjet printer? What does it cost to run a print device? These are all critical criteria when buying a new printer.

Before exploring the options available to you, it is worth spending some time considering what you will use the printer for and why. Do you need a personal printer or one shared across multiple users? Do you need to scan and archive digital documents as well as print and copy? How many pages are you likely to print each month, and what quality do you need? Will the device be secure yet easy to connect and use?

Seven simple questions to ask yourself when buying a new printer

When buying a new printer or multifunction device for your organisation, it’s essential to make the right choice. Some printers may end up costing you more than you anticipated and break down often if not selected correctly.  Also, modern printer technology and service support are evolving fast, so you don’t want to invest in a product that becomes unusable in a short space of time.  

1. Does it meet or exceed my monthly volume requirements? How much printing does your business do now, and how might this change in the future?
2. What features do I need?  Think about colour output, scanning, stapling, printing from Mac or PC
3. Is the device configured for evolving technologies? Can you scan to personal and business cloud storage? Can your employees access the device remotely from multiple devices like mobiles and tablets? 
4. What level of information security does it include? Your printer should protect your business from security threats and meet the General Data Protection Regulation.
5. Is it user-friendly? New multifunctional devices are very feature-rich these days – so just how easy are they to use? Ask about screen customisation and options to make your day-to-day functions as simple as possible to use.
6. Am I investing wisely?  Have you considered the total cost of the purchase and print output over its usage period based on your volumes? In the main, inkjet is still more suited to low volume use, with laser being more cost-effective for higher print volumes.
7. Does your provider/vendor offer an excellent customer support service and experience?  If something goes wrong, how responsive and effective are they, and do they really understand your challenges?

A term you may come across while doing your research for a new printer is ‘printer duty cycle’. But what is a duty cycle, and what does this refer to? Look at our recent article on Why it’s important to know your printer’s duty cycle to learn more.

Buying a new printer for your organisation?

If so, are you buying a new printer or print solution? In today’s digital and agile working environments, the primary function of an office printer has evolved. They are now highly versatile connected devices that sit at the heart of an organisation’s ability. Implementing digital document management workflows, document intake, scanning, hybrid mail, and so much more. 

As a digital services business at the forefront of workplace automation since 1977, we understand the changing workplace and what you value in a partner today. Our guide is your first step to understanding your future printing needs and an essential read when buying a new printer.

Download Your Copy Now

The post Buying a new printer? Ask these seven questions to get the one you need appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.