Why Print Costs Drift in
Professional Services Firms
In many professional services firms, printing remains an important part of daily work.
From contracts and engagement letters to financial documentation, reports and client correspondence, printed documents continue to support a wide range of operational and client-facing processes.
However, over time many firms find that print costs gradually increase without a clear understanding of why. This often happens not because of excessive printing, but because print environments evolve organically as firms grow.
How Cost Drift Happens
In professional firms, printing infrastructure is rarely designed all at once.
Instead, devices are often introduced at different stages of the firm’s development. A printer may be added when a team grows, when a device fails, or when a department wants more convenient access.
Over time this can lead to:
• different printer models across departments
• separate contracts arranged at different times
• small desktop printers appearing across the office
• limited visibility of overall print usage
• unclear cost-per-page structures
Individually these decisions make sense. Collectively, they can make the overall print environment difficult to manage and predict financially.
Departmental Printing
Professional services firms often have distinct teams with different working styles, such as:
• partners and fee earners
• finance teams
• administrative support
• compliance teams
As a result, departments may adopt their own printing arrangements to suit their immediate needs.
While this can improve convenience in the short term, it can also create fragmented device setups and inconsistent printing costs across the firm.
Multiple Contracts Over Time
Another common cause of cost drift is contract layering.
Firms may have:
• devices added under new agreements
• older printers still operating under legacy contracts
• different suppliers for different equipment
• service arrangements that have never been reviewed
Without consolidated visibility, it can become difficult to understand how much the firm is actually spending on printing overall.
Limited Usage Visibility
Many firms do not regularly review print usage data.
Without reporting, it can be hard to identify:
• which departments print the most
• whether colour printing is being overused
• whether devices are appropriately specified for their workload
This lack of visibility makes it difficult to manage costs proactively.
A More Structured Approach
Some professional firms periodically review their print environment to better understand how devices, contracts and usage fit together.
This type of review often considers:
• device locations and usage levels
• cost-per-page structures
• contract timelines
• departmental printing patterns
• overall print spend
The aim is not necessarily to reduce printing, but to ensure the environment is structured in a way that supports both operational efficiency and predictable costs.
Bringing Costs Back Into View
Print costs rarely increase suddenly. More often they drift gradually as environments evolve.
By introducing clearer visibility across devices, contracts and usage, professional firms can regain a better understanding of how their print environment operates and how it supports the wider business.
Understanding Your Current Print Environment
For firms that want a clearer picture of how printing is currently structured, Orchard offers a Print & Document Risk Snapshot designed for professional environments.
This short review helps organisations understand:
• how devices are currently configured
• whether printing costs are clearly visible
• where contracts may have become fragmented
• opportunities to improve cost predictability
Firms that would like to better understand their current setup are welcome to contact the Orchard team for an initial conversation.