Columbus, Ohio – State Chief Information Officer Steve Edmonson today announced the release of standard ITS-PLF-03, “Printer Total Cost of Ownership,” which is expected to provide significant cost savings on new computer printer acquisitions within state government. The standard will go into effect on July 1, 2007.
Considering a printer’s total cost of ownership (TCO) is a method for evaluating cost beyond the purchase price of the equipment. Additional costs to consider include consumables, such as ink or toner, and the cost of maintenance. The standard is accompanied by a set of implementation tools to help state agencies with total cost of ownership calculations.
“A printer with the lowest purchase price may have a higher total cost of ownership than a higher-priced printer due to the cost of consumables,” said Edmonson. “The printer standard and implementation tools provide guidance for cost-effective decision making.”
Prior to being submitted for approval, the printer standard was used in pilot tests by agencies in purchasing five categories of printers. Estimating the total cost of ownership according to the standard in the pilot tests resulted in a potential savings range from 7% to 38% over the lifetime of the printers. The pilot tests also revealed the largest portion of cost savings was attributable to the lifetime cost of consumables.
“Based on the pilot test, the printer TCO standard has the potential to immediately drive significant cost savings for the state when implemented by state agencies,” said Edmonson.
The Standards Subcommittee of the Multi-Agency CIO Advisory Council (MAC) established the Printer Working Group (PWG) to research and recommend where enterprise standards for printers could yield value.
The standard was subject to a rigorous research, development and quality control process involving the efforts of agency chief information officers, industry subject matter experts, legal counsel and a working group representing 19 state agencies. State information technology standards may be obtained online at www.ohio.gov/itp.
The mission of the Office of Information Technology is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Ohio government by providing statewide leadership, oversight, products and services for activities related to information technology.
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