30
PRINT.IT
01732 759725
SOFTWARE
Challenge
n
Escalating print costs
n
No visibility into print
costs
n
Diverse, complex and
unmanaged print fleet
Strategy
n
To deploy Nuance
Equitrac
n
To integrate it with
modern Multifunction
Printers
n
To introduce Follow-
You and Mobile Print
functionality to aid
security and boost print
flexibility
Results
n
On track to make
print savings of
approximately 20%-30%
n
Rapid Return on
Investment
n
Managed Print
model’s success to be
replicated across other
AMC Networks offices
in Europe
Dedicated to producing quality
programming and content for more
than 30 years, AMC Networks
Inc. owns and operates several
of the most popular and award-
winning brands in cable television,
including AMC, IFC, SundanceTV,
WE tv and IFC Films. It also runs
AMC Networks International
(AMCNI), its global division, and
BBC America, through a joint
venture with BBC Worldwide.
In the UK, AMC Network
International (AMCNI-UK) employs
200 people in North West London.
Like many organisations, AMCNI-UK
is using the Equitrac Office Suite
from Nuance Communications to
monitor and control printed output
and ease the transition from paper-
based to digital document workflows.
A new vision for print
AMCNI-UK employees print a
variety of generic office documents,
including letters, presentations
and training materials. In a bid
to reduce the spiralling cost of
unmanaged printing and the
amount of time spent managing
a large number of small printers,
Nigel Proctor, IT Manager at AMCNI-
UK, identified the need for a new
document imaging strategy that
would enable staff to benefit from
advances in printing and document
workflow and give insight into and
control over print volumes.
“We had a mix of print devices,
from mono and colour printers to
MFPs and about 20 desktop-based
inkjet printers. This unmanaged
print model wasn’t sustainable.
Beyond that, we wanted to
encourage a broader, best-of-breed
approach to IT, print and business
solutions across Europe,” he said.
“With that in mind, we wanted
to optimise the deployment of
MFPs and remove smaller desktop
printers. We also wanted to
maximise the document workflow
efficiency and cost benefits that
a modern MFP offers through
capabilities like swipe cards,
OCR and scanner functionality.
Additionally, we needed an
intelligent print management
solution that would give us features
like Follow-You Printing, Secure
Print and reports that would shine
a spotlight on who is printing what
and when, print volumes and costs.”
Cutting costs with Equitrac
AMCNI-UK’s print supplier assessed
the company’s print challenges
and future needs and proposed a
print strategy designed to deliver
cost savings of approximately 30%.
This included the replacement
of existing devices with 10
multifunction printers (MFPs)
integrated with Nuance Equitrac,
which Nigel had experience of in
previous jobs.
“I had used Equitrac in previous
companies, and it had always
impressed me, so I was happy to
consider deploying it again,” he said.
As well as monitoring device
usage, Equitrac applies print rules
stipulating that all print jobs default
to mono, resulting in considerable
savings on the cost of colour
printing, and to duplex, saving
money on paper.
Further savings come from
Equitrac’s secure print and Follow-
You print functionality, which
eliminates unnecessary printing
and improves productivity. “If a
printer breaks down, staff can just
walk to another device and retrieve
their print job from that. They don’t
have to waste time waiting for a
device to be fixed,” explained Nigel.
He adds that another Equitrac
feature, mobile printing, has proved
popular with staff located in other
offices. “Mobile print functionality
is a real boon to visitors to AMCNI’s
London office. It makes it really
easy for executives from other
offices or guests to print to any
device,” he said.
A warm reception
Although the new deployment
requires employees to work in a
different way, Nigel says Equitrac’s
ease of use has helped overcome
any teething difficulties. “Equitrac’s
interface is very intuitive, so
the training was very easy and
straightforward,” he said. “The
MFP supplier’s experience in large
scale deployments meant that the
deployment was non-disruptive and
the process was quite seamless.”
He added: “We were really
happy to see that the secure print
function could be integrated into
the existing door swipe entry cards
used by staff.”
The new managed print model
based on MFPs and Equitrac
software has proved to be so
successful that AMCNI now plans
to extend it to its other offices
across Europe.
How AMC Networks International is using Equitrac
to cut print costs by as much as 30%
The main
attraction
Fear The Walking Dead:
Image Frank Ockenfels 3 AMC
Mobile print
functionality
is a real boon
to visitors
to AMCNI’s
London office
