Printt is a platform that connects those needing to print with those who have the facilities. Think of it as printing-as-a-service. Users upload any file type to the Printt app or website, and if it’s A4, they can get it printed. Then, we either deliver their printing to the address of their choice, or they can pick it up from our network of print shops.
Businesses can also set up a Printt account for unlimited users, which is completely pay-as-you go, with trackable spending and budget limits, and added security for GDPR compliance and protection against data breach, leak, or theft. In the world of hybrid work, traditional office and business printing become even more complex, less convenient, and less economical. Nobody needs to own a printer any more, and that can save everyone a lot of money and do a lot of good for the planet.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
We had the idea while we were at university. We realised that the old way of printing just didn’t make sense any more. More and more services are switching to an on-demand model, and it was obvious to us that printing needed to go that way too.
Most people who have a printer don’t use it that often, and those who do have to replace their ink all the time, keep buying paper, and of course deal with the all the malfunctions and error messages that personal printers are prone to. Home printing seemed old fashioned, like owning VHS tapes in the age of streaming. Plus, thousands of personal printers end up in landfill every year, which just means more plastic and chemicals polluting the Earth.
Then we thought about businesses too. 90% of companies don’t track their printing costs, or even know how many printers they own, and half of IT helpdesk queries are about printing. A lot of companies disregard the cost of printing because their contracts are too complex and difficult to understand, and they don’t realise how much money they’re leaving on the table. We realised we could make the process transparent, predictable, and modern.
On top of all of that, traditional printing is terrible for the environment. We realised we could fix that too, and all of the facilities we use and partners that we work with are carbon neutral, and all of the paper we print on is FSC-approved.
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How has Printt evolved over the last couple of years?
Our reach has grown enormously. We’re up to 400,000 individual users, and over 1,000 business accounts, among which are the likes of Microsoft, Slack, Nike, NHS, Specsavers, Disney, and the Home Office.
We’ve also hugely expanded our network through our partnership with Ryman, which has given us over 300 click-and-collect locations in the UK.
What can we hope to see from Printt in the future?
We’ve just raised over £1,000,000 to expand even further, which we’ll be using to expand our network of partners and reach more businesses. Businesses are always going to need to print documents, but they don’t need the complexity of providing printing hardware, or approving and paying individuals’ printing expenses.
We’re helping to move the UK away from expensive ink, costly maintenance, time-consuming IT support, and untracked spending. It’s wasteful, it’s bad for the environment, and we have the solution.
The post A Chat with Ruslan Khazarchiev, Co-Founder & CEO at Personal Printing Service: Printt appeared first on TechRound.