How to Reduce Office Printing Costs in 2025 | A Smarter Approach for Colorado Businesses

In a world buzzing with digital innovation, it’s easy to overlook how much money is quietly leaking from your printers. Office printing—often considered a minor line item—can quietly balloon into a major expense when unmanaged. From excess toner usage to outdated hardware, many companies are spending more than they realize.

But here’s the good news: cutting printing costs doesn’t mean printing less. It means printing smarter.

Whether you’re running a law firm in Denver, a startup in Boulder, or a medical office in Colorado Springs, taking control of your print environment in 2025 can lead to immediate savings—often up to 30% or more annually.

So how can you slash printing costs without disrupting your workflow? Let’s walk through the most effective strategies—backed by real-world insights and tailored specifically for Colorado-based businesses.

1. Start with a Print Audit: Know What You’re Spending

Before making changes, you need a clear picture of what you’re currently doing. A print audit is like turning the lights on in a dark room—it reveals inefficiencies you didn’t even know existed.

At ABT, we use advanced print tracking tools to help companies in Colorado assess:

Total monthly print volume
Color vs. black-and-white usage
Device-by-device performance
Most active users and departments
Hidden costs from maintenance, downtime, and supply overuse

You’d be surprised how often teams over-rely on expensive desktop printers or overuse color when monochrome would suffice. Even subtle habits—like reprinting due to errors or using the wrong paper settings—can quietly drain your budget.

2. Consolidate & Right-Size Your Fleet

In many offices, the print environment has grown organically (read: chaotically). That one legacy printer in accounting, the five all-in-ones in HR, and the forgotten inkjet in the breakroom—each device adds supply, service, and maintenance costs (not to mention security risks!).

Instead of running a scattered fleet, right-size your printer lineup. That means:

Replacing multiple small, inefficient machines with centralized multifunction printers (MFPs)
Selecting devices that align with actual workload needs
Retiring or repurposing high-cost-per-page machines

One of our Fort Collins clients reduced their fleet from 27 to 11 devices and cut supply expenses by 40%—without sacrificing performance. The key is smarter deployment, not fewer resources.

3. Control Color Printing (It Adds Up—Fast)

Color prints look nice, but they’re a luxury cost if left unmanaged.

A single color print can cost 3–5x more than a black-and-white one. When color usage is unrestricted, teams tend to print unnecessary full-color presentations, charts, or even email signatures—all of which quietly rack up costs.

Smart strategies to tame color usage include:

Setting default print mode to grayscale
Restricting color usage by user or department
Implementing “color alerts” so users know when color is being used
Monitoring usage through Managed Print Services (MPS) software

Colorado businesses using ABT’s print monitoring tools often find their color printing drops by up to 50%—without anyone feeling the pinch.

4. Implement Managed Print Services (MPS)

Think of Managed Print Services as a personal trainer for your printing environment. It’s not just about fixing printers when they break—it’s a proactive, data-driven approach to reduce waste, manage supplies, and optimize output.

With MPS, you get:

Automatic toner delivery (so you never overstock)
Real-time device monitoring and remote diagnostics
Usage reports for accountability
Preventative maintenance to reduce downtime

Here’s where MPS becomes a game-changer: It shifts printing from a reactive task to a managed business process. And it doesn’t just cut costs—it reduces IT burdens and improves uptime, too.

If you’re in Colorado, having a local partner like ABT means faster response times and in-person service when needed. That’s something national providers can’t offer.

5. Go Paperless—Where It Makes Sense

Let’s be real: Most companies aren’t going fully paperless anytime soon, and that’s okay. But digitizing specific workflows can drastically reduce print volume—and associated costs.

Start small:

Replace printed forms with digital PDFs and e-signature tools
Move employee onboarding docs to an intranet or HR platform
Digitally archive invoices, receipts, and contracts

Not only does this cut printing, but it also reduces filing needs, saves office space, and improves data access—especially important for hybrid and remote teams. If your company is scaling or managing multiple locations across Colorado, going partially paperless is a strategic move.

6. Train Your Team: Awareness Drives Change

Your team probably doesn’t mean to be wasteful with printing—they just don’t realize the impact of their habits.

That’s why print behavior training can go a long way. Simple awareness efforts can include:

Signage near printers with reminders (e.g., “Think before you print” or “Print double-sided!”)
Usage reports shared monthly with department heads
Print policies outlined during onboarding

You can also introduce secure print release, which holds jobs in a print queue until the user authenticates at the device. This reduces abandoned prints and prevents accidental double jobs.

7. Upgrade Outdated Devices

Older printers may seem fine on the surface—but behind the scenes, they’re often guzzling resources.

Outdated devices typically:

Consume more energy
Require expensive or hard-to-find supplies
Break down more often (causing IT disruption)
Lack eco-friendly or duplexing features

Modern multifunction printers from brands like Canon, Kyocera, and HP are built with cost control in mind. Features like toner-saving modes, automatic duplexing, and remote fleet management all contribute to long-term savings.

And with ABT’s device leasing or financing options, upgrading doesn’t require upfront capital—ideal for SMBs and nonprofits in Colorado.

🔄 Looking at Printing Through a New Lens

If you’ve tried the standard approaches and still feel like you’re missing something, you’re probably right. Here are five powerful shifts in thinking that can take your print strategy to the next level:

🔹 1. Treat Printing as a Service

Instead of managing printers piecemeal, integrate them into your overall IT and communications stack. Consider leasing and bundling print with services like UCaaS or managed IT. This reduces costs, simplifies billing, and strengthens security.

🔹 2. Introduce Print Governance

Set clear policies and permissions across departments. Who can print in color? How many pages per month are reasonable? Governance builds accountability and allows you to monitor and adjust usage by user, team, or location.

🔹 3. Integrate Printing into Workflow Automation Reviews

Many print-related tasks are part of outdated workflows. During automation projects, look for opportunities to eliminate printing entirely by introducing e-signatures, digital routing, and cloud storage.

🔹 4. Use Print to Support ESG Goals

If you’re working toward sustainability or social responsibility targets, print reduction can be part of your public ESG reporting. Green printing practices also resonate with clients, partners, and employees—especially in eco-conscious Colorado.

🔹 5. Measure Print’s Impact on Productivity, Not Just Cost

How much time do your employees spend dealing with print issues? Improving print reliability and access isn’t just a cost win—it can also reduce stress, improve workflows, and boost morale.

✅ Print Cost Reduction Assessment

Want to take action right away? Reach out now to assess your current print environment and identify quick wins for your business. Additionally, our team will help you view other opportunities within your organization that may be in the position for a technology upgrade or enhancement!

✔️ What it’s all about:

Questions to evaluate your print usage
Device health check guide
Print policy template outline
Key metrics to monitor monthly
ESG alignment action items
Tips for selecting an MPS partner in Colorado

Final Thoughts: Printing Smarter in 2025

Cutting office printing costs in 2025 isn’t about slashing services—it’s about using the right tools, policies, and partners to gain control. From leveraging managed print services to reframing printing as a productivity tool, there are smarter ways to manage this essential part of your business.

🚀 Let’s Help You Save

ABT has been helping Colorado businesses streamline their print environments and save thousands per year. We offer:

Free print environment assessments
Local service and supply delivery
Flexible printer leasing and DaaS models
Full-service MPS programs for every business size

👉 Schedule your free consultation today, and let’s find your smarter printing strategy.

Cut Office Printing Costs in 2025 | Expert Tips for Colorado Companies