Research shows print management solutions can reduce managed print costs by 30%. Print management solutions can not only save money but improve security and productivity.
The use of print management solutions is only continuing to grow. Two of the most popular solutions on the market include PaperCut and uniFLOW, but which one would be best for your business? Usherwood has partnered with the vendors of these solutions for years and understands them well.
What is uniFLOW?
uniFLOW is a Canon-owned print management solution that provides cost recovery and accounting at the click of a button. uniFLOW offers its clients secure print rights and HIPAA compliance and requires user intervention to retrieve print jobs.
This can also help with cost reduction by eliminating unnecessary printing from jobs left on the tray. It also provides users' clients with correct statistics of work performance, so they know how much to charge them back. After installation, the product is designed to integrate seamlessly with Canon products.
uniFLOW is also known for its ability to be customized depending on the needs of the business environment. uniFLOW can be configured on-prem (traditional SMB print), in the cloud as uniFLOW Online (client-based printing - MSI package), or can be set up as a hybrid, so you get the best of both worlds.
uniFLOW can be an on-ramp to serverless printing and can get you there at your own pace. Beyond the built-in customizations, integrations into 3rd party systems for billback purposes, custom device behaviors, and scanning to repositories such as iManage are a few of the popular requests.
Overall, uniFLOW is a seamless, customizable, and functional option for businesses that prioritize security and productivity and have Canon-based devices.
What is PaperCut?
PaperCut is a print management solution. It is versatile and can work with different brands. It can also support environments with or without a print server. Whereas uniFLOW pairs nicely with Canon, PaperCut is typically used with Xerox or HP lines but can ultimately be paired with multiple manufacturers.
It offers benefits like uniFLOW; cost recovery, statistics, reporting, and print security. However, PaperCut is targeted to be more agnostic and analytical. It can also save time for IT administrators by deploying print queues and drivers efficiently at scale.
PaperCut has a powerful feature set and can reduce support tickets with an automated printer configuration that's "no-touch" for end users, even as they move between sites. PaperCut's Print Deploy makes it easier to set up print queues and install printer drivers in managed environments.
PaperCut is the easy option for integrating easily with third-party systems, tracking/controlling printing, and maintaining flexibility as a tool in supporting multiple environments.
How Do They Compare?
Both print management solutions offer similar features. As solutions for your print environment needs, they both assist with maintaining print security by offering end to end print encryption. Both also ensure smooth and efficient print and scan workflows while keeping a record of cost savings. Scanning to cloud environments such as Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc. is a convenient feature both also offer.
How Are They Different?
Papercut uses spool file accounting, which reads the spool file rather than detecting paper out of a device. uniFLOW uses CPCA accounting which detects paper out of a device for accurate accounting. We’ll use a 50-page print job to highlight this: a user prints a 50-page document and it errors on page 3 in the print process because of a jam. PaperCut records a 50-page job, while uniFLOW would record a 3-page job.
PaperCut is manufacturer-agnostic and can play nicely with practically all makes and models, therefore some integrations at the device level just aren't there. uniFLOW works well with Canon devices, managing security roles at the application level, and eliminating the need for individual device management.
With PaperCut each device is managed individually with rights access (local admin account). uniFLOW leverages access control within the application, so end users that have been set as system managers can seamlessly log into devices with AD credentials to gain admin access to those units.
This difference between the two can affect the productivity and efficiency of a business. It depends on where an organization’s main priorities lie and how many tasks they are running in terms of which solution may be the better fit for them.
Which Service is Better?
The decision on what print management solution a business utilizes should come down to what that business's environment looks like and what device brand is used. If your company has a fleet of devices, not a consistent brand but more of a mixture, PaperCut is probably the best choice. PaperCut offers the flexibility to be paired with numerous manufacturers and is scalable for small businesses or even large multi-site organizations.
If your business is devoted to Canon or perhaps a larger-sized company, uniFLOW would be worth the investment due to the tight-knit integration between the two you won't find anywhere else.
Choose What's Best for You
Having central print management is essential for many businesses. To speak to a managed print expert who can help you make that a reality for your business, click the button below for a print assessment.
