Zen and the Art of Printer Maintenance
A greater understanding of the impact print consumables have on your business can help unlock precious extra peace of mind, says, Ivana Laskodyova, Consumables Manager at OKI Europe
Peace of mind can be hard to find, especially for today’s business decisionmakers. Inner calm can be hugely beneficial in both our working and personal lives, but it can feel near enough impossible to control all of the factors that deny us that peace of mind.
Nearly two-thirds of professionals say their stress levels at work are higher than they were five years ago according to a recent survey by global consulting firm Korn Ferry. It also revealed that workplace stress levels have risen nearly 20% in three decades. So why would you knowingly make a decision that will take away your sense of security and increase your stress levels?
In business it’s easy to overlook the little things that can have a big impact on stress levels. Take print consumables for example. There are common myths businesses often fall for which ultimately impact our ability to find precious peace of mind through the smooth day to day running of business in an increasingly disruptive world.
- A Common Misconception
It’s all too easy to be tempted by the lower cost of print consumables manufactured by a third party rather than buying the real deal from your device’s manufacturer. But the lower cost of those third party products is only an upfront cost. You’ll often end up paying a higher price in the long run.
In many cases, third party products can corrupt your device, impacting print quality and making those simple everyday print jobs frustrating experiences. Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI) testing revealed that pages printed using third party consumables were of visibly poorer quality than pages printed using consumables from the test device’s manufacturer.
Pages printed using third party consumables were impaired by toner contamination, excessive spotting and vertical lines which indicated drum surface damage. The testing also revealed that third party consumables impacted device reliability. Testing against OKI original consumables in an OKI device, BLI found that the third-party consumables impacted device reliability. OKI consumables on the other hand provided ‘flawless’ reliability.
Using more paper, ink and toner as you reprint and reprint chasing the quality you expect to experience also means mounting print costs. What’s more, using third-party compatibles could damage your device and invalidate warranty. The unexpected cost of fixing a printer out of warranty can add to your frustration. And what about the afterlife of your print consumables?
- Make Planet Earth Greta Again
With global warming accelerating and young activists like Greta Thunberg delivering exasperated calls for action from world leaders, there’s no denying we all have a role to play in curbing climate change. The frequent headlines about rising sea levels and CO2 emissions can trigger ‘eco-anxiety’, but actively doing something to address climate change can help us find peace of mind in uncertain times. That rush you feel after doing a good deed is known as a ‘helper’s high’ and this sensation is caused by your brain releasing feel-good endorphin chemicals.
We’re all aware of the importance of recycling, but what if you’ve bought third party consumables that can only be sent to landfill? Often, third-party compatibles are harder to dispose of through environmentally friendly means. Businesses throwing these away risk adding to the harmful toxic materials that are being sent to landfill sites. This can play on your conscious and diminish the corporate social responsibility (CSR) credentials of your business. A consumables recycling programme like OKI’s helps our customers meet this responsibility. In turn, this can help to increase their peace of mind.
For more than a decade the OKI Europe’s consumables returns programme has enabled customers to return their empty ink and toner cartridges to us free of charge so we can arrange to have them recycled safely and responsibly. Our recycled consumables often get a second life.
It’s easy to overlook sources of frustration that are right under your nose, such as struggling to get the print results you expect from third party consumables. It can be equally as easy to overlook simple gestures that can make your life simpler and boost to your positivity, such as knowing your used consumables are being put to good use rather than contributing to the climate crisis. By increasing your awareness of the impact your printing operations have on your business and the environment, you can gain more precious peace of mind.
