For a printing company, the path to maximum profitability is boosting efficiency as much as possible. Your printing presses need to be operating at full capacity to increase the number of client orders you’re able to take. Boosting efficiency also involves eliminating any unnecessary expenses you incur while printing. To learn three ways a printing company can increase profitability by becoming more efficient, read on.

1. Use Just-in-Time Printing to Reduce Inventory Space Needs

Smaller warehouses cost less to lease, so you can lower operational expenses by reducing the amount of inventory you store. The best way to keep storage requirements low is to use a just-in-time printing system. With just-in-time printing, you order all of the materials you’ll need for a printing project when a client sends you an order. When you order materials as they’re needed, you don’t have to store as many in your warehouse. With the lower requirement for warehouse space, you can lease a smaller and less expensive one than you’re currently using.

2. Have Your Printing Presses Inspected and Maintained

For maximum efficiency, it’s important to keep your printing presses running at full capacity. Having your printing presses regularly inspected by a service reduces the risk that they’ll break down. If one of your printing presses stops working, you’ll waste time waiting for it to be repaired. Your clients will be unhappy with the long turnaround time, and the broken printing press won’t produce any revenue until it’s fixed.

Having your printing presses inspected regularly also reduces the chance that they’ll malfunction and ruin a print job. A technician can fix problems found during the inspection before they can affect your products. If the finished result is defective because the printing press isn’t working properly, you won’t be able to send the printed products to your client. Defective products waste a large amount of ink and printing materials, which needlessly adds to your operating expenses.

3. Ask Your Employees What Slows Them Down During Printing

Your employees can help you spot operational inefficiencies in your printing process. Ask your employees to record a video of a print job from start to finish, and then go over the video together in a meeting. Employee feedback tells you where the trouble spots in your operations are. For example, they may have difficulty finding the correct inks for printing or may have trouble loading the printing press with the materials. You and your employees can come up with a plan to stop these common problems from slowing down your printing speed, allowing you to take more orders from clients.

Ultimately, identifying trouble spots during the printing process makes sure your printers are idle as little as possible. When they’re operating at full capacity, you’re able to make more revenue by taking on more client orders. Keeping your printing presses inspected and maintained also helps you run at capacity by reducing the chances that they’ll suffer a mechanical breakdown. When your printing operations are efficient and your presses are running at full speed, your printing company will maximize its revenue and its profits.