The Hidden Costs of Letting Every Department Order Its Own Print Materials

Print procurement can be an efficient process that keeps your organization stocked with marketing materials, forms, informational packets, handbooks, catalogs, documents and more. It also can be a significant cost elevated by unnecessary spending. How do you save money on printing in large and multi-location organizations?

Commercial print management with centralized print ordering can be the most cost-effective way to print business materials, and it can make the entire process easier.

If every department is ordering its own print materials, with no centralized print management strategy, the result is often inconsistent branding, duplicate orders, wasted inventory, higher production costs and increased administrative time. And these issues can have a substantial impact on your bottom line over time.

With enterprise print management, organizations can gain control over print procurement, improve operational efficiency, protect brand consistency and reduce overall costs.

Do You Know the True Cost of Decentralized Print Purchasing

Many organizations allow individual departments, branch locations or regional offices to order printed materials as needed. While this may seem convenient, it often results in a fragmented purchasing process with little oversight or standardization.

Some of the most common hidden costs of not having a print management strategy include:

• Multiple vendors charging different prices for similar products
• Rush fees caused by last-minute ordering
• Duplicate or unnecessary print orders
• Overstocked materials that become outdated before they’re used
• Employees spending valuable time sourcing quotes and managing orders
• Inconsistent branding across locations

Instead of leveraging company-wide purchasing power, every department essentially negotiates independently, resulting in higher costs and inconsistent quality. In cases like these, an organizational print procurement solution is needed.

Brand Consistency of Printed Materials Matters

When it comes to lead generation, brand consistency is important. When different teams use different printers, artwork, paper stocks or design files, the result is often inconsistent colors, logos, messaging and overall presentation. Even small differences in branded print materials can weaken your brand image.

Whether you’re producing marketing brochures, trade show displays, sales materials, business cards or direct mail pieces, maintaining consistent branding reinforces professionalism and builds trust with your audience.

A centralized print management solution helps ensure every branded print item follows approved brand standards, so your marketing collateral will be professional, consistent and attractive.

Consider Your Business Printing  Needs

Most businesses require printed materials that they purchase in bulk.

The printed need of hospitals and healthcare groups may include:

• Consent forms and medical history questionnaires
• Physician order forms, prescription pads and lab request forms
• Employee badges, signage and visitor passes

For schools, universities and colleges, print needs might include:

• Student handbooks, teacher manuals and course materials
• Enrollment packets, permission slips, reports card folders and testing materials
• Programs and campus maps

Banks and financial institutions need:

• Secure, compliant printed materials such as deposit slips, withdrawal slips, check order forms
• Loan applications and mortgage packets
• Secure envelopes, internal forms or branch signage.

Manufacturers need huge volumes of printed materials such as:

• Quality inspection forms and safety manuals
• Work instructions, lockout and tagout procedures
• Equipment labels, maintenance logs, shipping labels and packing slips

Government agencies’ printing needs include:

• Tax forms, permit applications and license applications
• Election materials, court forms and meeting agendas

These are just a few examples of the printed materials that some industries purchase regularly. Many other businesses and organizations use volumes of printed materials and need to find bulk printing options.

Reduce Employee Hours Spent on Sourcing Printing

Do you know the true cost of printing and maintaining inventory of your organizational print materials? The cost of print purchasing is more than ink and paper. For marketing teams, administrative staff, purchasing departments and office managers, these print management tasks can consume hours every month.

Think of the hours spent on print materials and their management over various industries. No matter what your organizational print needs include, to determine the true cost of printed materials for your organization, you need to consider the employee time spent on:

• Requesting quotes
• Comparing vendors
• Reviewing proofs
• Tracking shipments
• Following up on production
• Managing invoices
• Reordering materials

With a professional print management service provider, you can streamline the entire process, allowing employees to focus on higher-value responsibilities instead of coordinating multiple print vendors.

Better Buying Power Through Print Consolidation

Another good reason to take a good look at your print vendor management is cost savings. Companies that consolidate their print purchasing typically benefit from stronger vendor relationships and better pricing. Instead of individual print orders being placed throughout the organization, a centralized enterprise print management program combines purchasing volume, allowing for negotiation of more competitive pricing and improved production efficiencies.

This approach also simplifies budgeting because print expenses are now easier to monitor and forecast.

Reduce Waste With Smarter Print Inventory Management

Many companies print large quantities simply because larger runs appear less expensive on a per-piece basis.

Unfortunately, those savings disappear when:

• Marketing materials become outdated
• Employees leave the company
• Products change
• Pricing changes
• Branding is updated

Boxes of obsolete printed materials sitting in a storage room represent money that has already been spent but will never generate value.

Effective print inventory management helps businesses print the right quantities, monitor inventory levels, and reorder only when needed, reducing unnecessary waste while ensuring materials remain current.

Simplify Print Fulfillment Across Multiple Locations

For organizations with multiple offices, franchise locations, dealerships, healthcare facilities or retail stores, distributing printed materials can become a logistical challenge.

A centralized print fulfillment process allows approved users to order from a standardized catalog of branded materials while ensuring every location receives consistent, high-quality products.

Whether ordering business cards, promotional materials, forms, signage or marketing collateral, employees gain a simple ordering experience while corporate marketing maintains brand control.

Gain Better Visibility Into Print Spending

One of the greatest advantages of centralized print procurement is improved reporting.

Many businesses have little visibility into:

• Total annual print spending
• Which departments spend the most on printed materials
• Frequently ordered materials
• Opportunities for print materials cost savings
• Print vendor performance

By consolidating print management under one program, leadership gains meaningful reporting and insights that support smarter purchasing decisions and long-term cost control.

Partner With Experts Who Manage the Entire Print Process

Managing print vendors, coordinating production schedules, maintaining inventory and ensuring brand consistency requires time and expertise.

Rather than assigning these responsibilities across multiple departments, organizations can partner with an experienced commercial print management provider that oversees the entire process from sourcing and procurement to inventory, fulfillment and distribution. This allows businesses to simplify operations while reducing costs and improving consistency across every printed piece.

Need a Print Management Solution?

If you’re looking for print management services so your organization can take a more streamlined, cost-effective approach to managing large amounts of printed materials across a large company or enterprise, you need a partner you can trust.

At CMS, we help businesses simplify print procurement through customized print management services, vendor management, inventory control, fulfillment and strategic sourcing. We do it all! Whether your organization operates from one location or hundreds, our team can help streamline your print process. Contact us today.