When was the last time that you checked how much your organization was printing? Was it last month? Year? Maybe never?
It’s pretty common for most businesses to overlook print costs, and focus on other, more pressing expenses. However, as a reputable print vendor we’ve seen organizations do just that, and then panic once they realize how much they’re actually printing.
That’s why we typically recommend some form of managed print services. And for companies not looking to spend money on anything fancy, Xerox Standard Accounting is the perfect solution, because it allows you to create personalized user profiles, and then set parameters on how much those users are allowed to print.
What is Xerox Standard Accounting?
Printing costs add up. There’s no way around it, that’s exactly what they’re designed to do, and why they’re set on a price for print basis. When you look at your service agreement or vendor contract, the price for print cost is extremely low, usually $0.01 for black/white and $0.07 for color prints.
Because these numbers are so low, the amount that you’re actually printing doesn’t seem to be too big of a concern. It’s kind of like the toll road, where you take the fast way to work a couple of extra times a week, and suddenly you’re faced with a $200 toll bill.
Pretty soon, you’ll receive an invoice with the exact number of prints you performed for that month, and what that number added up to. If you’re not proactively monitoring your print infrastructure, that number can be a lot higher than you were expecting. That’s when Xerox Standard Accounting comes in.
Xerox Standard Accounting is a feature that comes on most Xerox copiers/printers and is already embedded in your device and can be accessed through the machine itself as well as the print driver. This means you don’t have to download any additional software or spend hours of your IT department’s time getting it loaded.
Xerox Standard Accounting works by tracking your printing and how much your devices are being used. This way you can calculate exactly what you’re spending, and what’s being utilized.
As an administrator, you can access how much each department or user is printing, copying, scanning, and faxing, so you can appropriately assess and set specific quota limits if needed.
What Devices Are Compatible With XSA?
As of now, most Xerox devices come with Xerox Standard Accounting, including:
- The entire Xerox AltaLink Family (B/W and Color)
- Xerox VersaLink B7025, 7030, 7035
- Xerox VersaLink C7020, 7025, 7030
- Xerox VersaLink C400, 405, 500, 505, 600, 605
- Xerox VersaLink B400, 405, 600, 605, 610, 615
- Xerox WorkCentre 3335, 3345, 3655, 6655i, 7220i, 7225i
Print Quota Parameters
The biggest advantage to Xerox Standard Accounting is the ability to set print quota parameters, which are limits on how many print jobs specific users are allowed to perform. This means that each print, scan, copy, and fax is accounted for, and once a user reaches their quota, they will be unable to complete anymore.
Because color prints are more expensive than black and white, you can even set parameters on color prints and copies specifically, through advanced color tracking software. XSA keeps users mindful of the premium costs associated with printing in color and suggests methods towards being selective and strategic with color printing.
How Do I Do It?
The first step is to create personalized user profiles. To learn more about that, read our other article on Xerox Standard Accounting, Xerox Standard Accounting: Personalized User Profiles.
The following steps for setting print quota parameters are taken directly from Xerox:
Users have the option to configure the Print Quota period and pages per job estimation when print jobs cannot be parsed to determine the number of pages in the job.
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Click Account > Policies > Rules.
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To set the print quota period, select one of the following options:
- Daily – Select this option to replenish the allocated print quota every 24 hours at 00:00 server time.
- Weekly – Select this option to replenish the allocated print quota every 7 days on Monday at 00:00 local time. The duration is Monday to Saturday.
- Monthly – Select this option to replenish the allocated print quota on the first day of each calendar month at 00:00 local time.
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To set the estimated pages for print jobs that cannot be parsed to determine the number of pages in the job, in the Pages field, enter the required number.
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To save the settings, click Save. A notification appears confirming that the changes have been saved.
Setting Print Quotas for Individual Users
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Click Users, then select the required user from the list.
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Click Details.
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To override general print quota rules and display configuration options for the individual user, select the Override Print Quota Rules check box.
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To set print quota rules, choose one of the following options:
- Unlimited: This option allows the user to print unlimited page and overrules the general print quota page limit.
- Limited: This option allows you to set the page limit for the user and overrules the general print quota page limit.
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To set the print quota for the user, enter the required value.
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To set the print quota period, refer to Setting Print Quota Parameters information above.
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To save the settings, click Save. A notification displays confirming that the changes have been saved.
Interested in Learning More?
Setting print quota parameters is a strategic and effective way to stop overprinting, conserve printing materials, and have more insight into your print infrastructure. Now that you’re informed on the benefits and how to enable them, you can move forward knowing that you are taking the appropriate steps to save your organization from wasted money.
Our complimentary article Xerox Standard Accounting: Personalized User Profiles has steps on how to configure personalized user profiles, and why they are a big help when it comes to employees printing. We encourage you to check it out so you can get the full scope of what Xerox Standard Accounting is capable of.
