If your office is full of different printer makes and models, you already know the pain: random toner orders, confusing error codes, and constant “my printer doesn’t work” tickets. That’s where printer standardization comes in. By simplifying your fleet, you can cut costs, reduce downtime, and make everyone’s life easier—including your IT team and your finance department. Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. helps businesses do exactly this every day.
Why Too Many Printer Variants Cause Big Headaches
Most offices don’t start with a plan. Devices are added over time:
A desktop printer for a manager who “needed one quickly”
A color MFP for marketing
A bargain inkjet someone picked up on sale
A few leased devices from different years and vendors
Suddenly, you’re managing a small museum of printers.
Here’s what that chaos costs you:
Higher supply costs – Every different model needs its own ink or toner, drums, and maintenance kits. That destroys your purchasing power and makes bulk buying impossible.
More IT tickets – Each model has its own drivers, quirks, and error codes. Your IT team wastes time troubleshooting one-off problems.
Inconsistent user experience – Employees move desks or offices and have to “relearn” how to print, scan, and copy on each new device.
Security risks – Older or unmanaged printers may not get firmware updates or security patches, leaving gaps in your network defenses.
Printer chaos doesn’t just annoy people—it quietly drains your budget every month.
What Is Printer Standardization?
Printer standardization means deliberately choosing a small set of approved devices and phasing out everything else. Instead of 15 different models, you might standardize down to:
1–2 workgroup MFPs (print/scan/copy) for shared office use
1 high-volume production device if you print large runs
A very limited number of specialty devices (e.g., label printers) if truly needed
The goal is not to take away functionality—it’s to deliver the same or better capabilities with fewer device types.
When Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. helps a client standardize, we look at the entire fleet, map out actual usage, and then recommend a small, smart group of devices that cover 95–100% of day-to-day needs.
Benefits of Printer Standardization
Once you reduce variants, you start to see benefits across the business.
1. Lower, More Predictable Costs
You buy fewer types of toner and parts, often at better prices.
Service contracts become simpler and easier to forecast.
You can identify true “cost per page” and eliminate the random money pits in the fleet.
2. Simpler Support and Less Downtime
IT only needs to support a small number of drivers and interfaces.
Helpdesk fixes become faster because technicians know the devices inside and out.
Users get back to work sooner instead of standing at a jammed or confusing machine.
3. Better User Experience
Employees can walk up to any standard device and know exactly what to do.
Scan workflows, print defaults, and finishing options are consistent across the office.
Training new team members becomes much easier.
4. Stronger Security and Compliance
Standardized devices are easier to keep patched and updated.
You can consistently enforce secure print, authentication, and audit trails.
It’s simpler to align with compliance frameworks and IT security policies.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the industry side of this topic, organizations like the PRINTING United Alliance offer helpful resources on print fleet optimization and best practices.
A Step-by-Step Printer Standardization Guide
Here’s a practical roadmap you can follow, modeled on how Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. approaches real client projects.
Step 1: Audit Your Existing Print Fleet
Start by gathering the facts:
How many devices do you have (printers, MFPs, copiers)?
What brands and models are in use?
Where are they located?
Who uses them and what for (volume, color vs. black-and-white, scanning)?
What are you currently paying (leases, supplies, service)?
Pulling this into a simple spreadsheet gives you a clear picture of your “before” state.
Step 2: Group Your Needs by User Type
Not every department has the same needs. Think in terms of roles:
General office staff – everyday printing, scanning, and copying
Finance/HR – secure documents, longer reports
Marketing – higher-quality color prints, occasional heavier media
Operations/warehouse – labels, packing lists, work orders
For each group, identify minimum requirements, not “wish lists”:
Do they really need color, or is black-and-white enough?
How many pages per month do they print?
Do they need stapling, hole punching, or other finishing?
This helps you avoid overbuying features.
Step 3: Choose Your Standard Devices
Now match those grouped needs to a short list of devices:
Pick one or two core MFP models that cover most general-office scenarios.
Add specialized devices only if there’s a clear business case (e.g., high-volume color or wide-format).
Favor models that:
Are reliable and widely supported
Have good security features (user authentication, hard drive encryption)
Offer scalable supplies and reasonable cost per page
Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. usually builds a fleet plan with tiers (e.g., small workgroup, large workgroup, production) but keeps models within each tier consistent.
Step 4: Create Simple Print Policies
Standard devices work best when backed by clear rules. Consider policies like:
Default to duplex (double-sided) printing to save paper
Default to black-and-white for most users; color only for those who truly need it
Secure print for sensitive departments so jobs only release when the user is present
Print quotas or reporting to discourage waste
These policies help sustain cost savings long after the initial rollout.
Step 5: Plan a Phased Rollout
You don’t have to rip everything out at once. A phased approach often works best:
Start with one floor, building, or department as a pilot.
Replace aging or most expensive devices first.
Monitor feedback and adjust placement or settings.
Roll out the standard devices in waves across the organization.
Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. often coordinates this with lease expirations so clients aren’t paying for overlapping equipment.
Step 6: Train Your Users
Even the best standardized fleet will fail if users don’t understand it.
Offer short, focused training sessions when new devices appear.
Provide simple one-page guides at the device: how to print, scan to email, and secure print.
Record quick screen capture videos for remote or hybrid staff.
Your goal is to make every device feel familiar and easy to use, no matter where someone works.
Step 7: Monitor, Review, and Optimize
After standardization, keep an eye on:
Monthly print volumes by device
Service tickets and downtime
Supply usage and costs
User feedback (bottlenecks, slow devices, location issues)
Use that data to tweak your setup—maybe moving a high-use device closer to a busy team or adding one more MFP in a growth area.
How Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. Can Help
Standardizing printers can feel like a big project when you’re busy running the rest of your IT and operations. That’s where a partner like Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. makes a real difference.
We can:
Perform a detailed print environment assessment
Design a right-sized, standardized fleet for your office
Coordinate delivery, installation, and user training
Provide ongoing managed print services so your devices stay secure, updated, and running smoothly
You get fewer surprises, fewer support headaches, and a simpler, more secure print environment.
Ready to Reduce Variants and Headaches?
If you’re tired of juggling a dozen printer models, now is the time to take control. Printer standardization is one of the fastest ways to reduce costs, simplify support, and improve the daily experience for your team.
Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. is ready to help you audit your fleet, design a smart standardization plan, and keep your print environment running at its best.