Printing volumes on the rise as digital content increases

Digital content is actually leading to an increase in printing, despite the common misconception that digitisation will help companies to reduce their reliance on paper. In a recent survey by Danwood of 1,000 office workers, almost half (46%) say they print daily, with 84% of workers believing print is an important aspect of work.

The findings correlate with recent research by IDC, which reveals that 49% of businesses expect print volumes to increase in their organisations over the next two years. The IDC survey highlights that although businesses are printing a smaller percentage of the content they receive the digital information received is growing exponentially, which is causing an increase in print volumes.

Despite the drive for digitisation, 80% of office workers surveyed by Danwood say they need physical paper documents in order to do their job. The key drivers for printing include reviewing documents (48%), posting (42%), presentation handouts (33%) filling and audits (32%) and annotating (30%).

Wes Mulligan, CEO, Danwood, said: "Despite a move to digitisation, organisations remain reliant on print. Businesses are mindful of unnecessary waste when it comes to physical documents, but print and digital will continue to coexist in today's organisations. The easiest way to strike a balance is to look at ways that you can better integrate paper and digital processes to have a real impact on efficiency, productivity and cost reduction."