Listen to our podcast that discusses the below information or continue to read the full blog below.

Listen To Podcast

Public sector organizations, including government agencies, educational institutions and special districts are constantly challenged to do more with less. With tightening budgets, staff shortages, and increasing digital demands, managing print, mail and document workflows often becomes a hidden cost center that erodes efficiency and drains resources.

At genesisONE, we specialize in helping the public sector take control of their print environments, transforming them from cost burdens into strategic assets. Here's how we do it — and how your organization can benefit.

Common Pain Points in Public Sector Print Environments

1. Lack of Standardization
Too many devices from multiple manufacturers with inconsistent service levels and supply needs — sound familiar? This lack of standardization drives up operational costs and IT headaches.

2. High Print Costs
Outdated print policies, overuse of color printing and a reliance on desktop printers can inflate costs far beyond what’s necessary.

3. Manual Processes
From bill printing and mail prep to student record requests and inter-office forms, manual workflows waste staff time and increase errors.

4. Limited Visibility and Reporting
Without accurate tracking tools, organizations are often unaware of what they print, how much it costs or how to reduce it.

5. Lack of Security and Compliance
Many public sector entities handle sensitive data. Without the right tools, documents are easily left exposed risking compliance breaches.

Our Solutions to Public Sector Print Challenges

At genesisONE, we implement right-sized Managed Print Services (MPS) and tailored solutions that support your mission. Here’s how:

Print Fleet Consolidation: We reduce the number of devices and replace costly desktop printers with shared, secure multifunction printers (MFPs).

Automated Print Rules: Set rules for duplex, B&W vs. color and more to automatically reduce waste and cost.

Production Print Efficiency: Our print production and finishing equipment allow organizations to handle monthly mailings and marketing in-house, cutting outsourcing costs.

Data-Driven Insights: With tools like uniFLOW and PaperCut, you get detailed reports and dashboards on usage, costs and trends.

Enhanced Security: User authentication and secure release printing ensure that only authorized users access sensitive data.

10 Ways the Public Sector Can Save (and Even Generate Revenue)

Implement Print Policies Across Departments

Standardizing print defaults such as double-sided (duplex) printing, grayscale output and restricting large jobs to high-efficiency devices can drastically reduce paper and toner usage.

Why it matters: Even small changes at the user level, when scaled across departments, produce exponential cost savings and environmental benefits.

Pro tip: Use print management software to enforce policies automatically—no need to rely solely on staff behavior.

Consolidate Desktop Printers

Replace them with managed MFPs for better control and lower cost-per-page.

Individual desktop printers are costly to maintain and monitor. Consolidating to shared multifunction printers (MFPs) streamlines operations, improves security and lowers the cost per page.

Why it matters: MFPs offer managed service support, proactive maintenance and built-in security features that desktop units lack.

Savings example: Swapping out 50 individual printers for 10 networked MFPs can reduce supply purchases by over 30%.

Run Bill Insert Campaigns Using Production Printing and Finishing Equipment

Use monthly billings to promote paperless billing and autopay options.

Use your monthly billing cycles to include marketing inserts that encourage digital transformation—like enrolling in e-billing or auto-pay.

Why it matters: Every mailed bill is a direct engagement opportunity. Promoting paperless options reduces long-term costs.

Cost Breakdown Example:

20,000 mailed bills/month

$0.50 printing/inserting

$0.63 postage

$0.20 labor
= $1.33 per bill → $26,600/month
Converting just 25% of users to paperless saves $79,800/year.
Bonus: In-house production devices enable this without extra outsourcing costs.

Utilize Finishing Equipment for Internal Marketing

Create professional-quality flyers, newsletters and brochures internally using folding, binding and cutting equipment already in your shop.

Why it matters: Cuts third-party printing expenses and gives departments flexibility for fast-turnaround materials.

Use case: Parks & Rec can produce seasonal program guides in-house for community distribution.

Digitize and Archive Paper Records

Reduce storage, increase retrieval speed and improve compliance.

Convert physical records to digital formats to eliminate storage costs, improve retrieval times and bolster compliance with retention policies.

Why it matters: Legal and HR departments benefit from secure, searchable records—and IT departments save on infrastructure overhead.

Pro tip: Partner with a Managed Print provider to implement secure document scanning workflows.

Use Secure Print Release to Avoid Waste

Only release jobs when the user is at the printer, reducing unclaimed prints.

Implement print release systems requiring users to authenticate at the printer (via badge or code) before documents print.

Why it matters: Reduces unclaimed print jobs, protects confidential data, eliminates costly wasted pages and keeps your printing areas clean and uncluttered.

Savings potential: Organizations have seen 10–15% reductions in print volume simply by activating secure release.

Audit and Monitor Usage by Department

Identify high-usage areas for improvement and accountability.

Use print tracking tools to monitor print volumes, flag high-usage departments and inform internal chargeback models.

Why it matters: Visibility drives accountability. When staff understand their usage is monitored, wasteful behavior declines.

Pro tip: Provide quarterly reports to department heads to engage them in cost-saving efforts.

Outsource Less

In-house production devices give you speed, control, and savings.

In-house production print capabilities enable on-demand printing for items previously outsourced—like annual reports, public notices, special event collateral or training materials.

Why it matters: Speed, control and cost savings. Outsourcing small jobs often includes high minimum order fees.

Use case: Print 1,000 water bill inserts in-house for $0.12 each vs. $0.40+ through an external vendor.

Introduce Print Quotas for Staff or Students

Cap non-essential printing and reduce overuse.

Set monthly or semester-based limits for non-essential printing. This discourages unnecessary printing and encourages digital collaboration.

Why it matters: Especially effective in K–12 and higher ed environments. When users know printing is tracked, habits change.

Savings potential: Institutions implementing quotas have reduced output by up to 20% without impacting productivity.

Leverage Equipment for Revenue Opportunities

Offer community print services, such as voter materials, education packets, or public notices for nearby municipalities.

Offer community print services to local organizations—such as elections offices, school districts or non-profits. Print ballots, outreach materials or training packets for a fee.

Why it matters: Monetize existing capacity and build stronger community ties.

Use case: A county's internal print shop prints 5,000 training packets for a neighboring township, generating $5,000 in revenue while using idle time.

Let Us Help Before Your Current MPS Contract Renews

Don’t wait until your current contract is up. Now is the time to evaluate your print environment and uncover hidden savings. Our no-cost print assessment gives you clear insights into your current state and opportunities to optimize.

Request a Free Print Assessment

About genesisONE

We empower government agencies and public sector institutions to reduce costs, improve document security and streamline workflows through tailored Managed Print and Technology Solutions. Let’s work together to help your organization operate smarter and more efficiently.