Office Process Automation

If you own a production printer and wonder why you’re not getting flawless output and are struggling with color consistency, file issues, or slow turnaround, don’t blame your printer just yet.

Here’s a truth we see often in the field: most production print challenges don’t start at the printer itself. They start earlier in the workflow, where files are processed, colors are interpreted, and jobs are managed. Digital front ends (DFEs) play a critical role in production printing, and Fiery, in particular, comes up often in these conversations.

Before we go any further, let’s be upfront. At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas, we work closely with Xerox production printers, many of which offer Fiery digital front ends. We install them, support them, and train customers on them regularly.

If you’re running a medium-sized business, your printer fleet probably didn’t start out complicated. A few devices here, a few there, and things worked well enough. But over time, growth has a way of sneaking up on your print environment.

Suddenly, IT is fielding toner requests again. Someone complains that the printer “isn’t working” (but can’t explain how). Finance wants to know why printing costs seem higher this quarter. And somehow, there are now five different printer models doing roughly the same job.

According to industry research, businesses often underestimate their true printing costs by as much as 30–50%, largely due to poor visibility and decentralized management. That gap becomes especially noticeable in mid-sized organizations, where growth outpaces process.

Have you ever had a printer mysteriously “act up” after someone changed a setting or discovered a security feature turned off without anyone knowing? Misconfigurations are one of the most common causes of security vulnerabilities in office technology. Something as simple as an incorrect setting can lead to a cybersecurity incident.

Printers are no exception; in fact, they’re some of the most vulnerable devices. It’s easy for settings to get tweaked, features to get disabled, and security gaps to quietly open. Most teams don’t realize anything happened until IT is troubleshooting or a risk assessment reveals an exposure.

This is where Xerox’s Configuration Watchdog becomes a powerful safety net for organizations that rely on secure, well-managed print environments.

Before we get into the details, the goal of this blog is simple:

Can you say for certain whether the documents you send through your office printer are 100% secure? Printers can seem harmless, but as they modernize, they behave much more like networked computers than simple office appliances. And like computers, they’ve become real targets.

In fact, according to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, exploitation of vulnerabilities now accounts for 20% of data breaches. Even more concerning is that 22% of those attacks targeted edge devices like printers and VPNs.

In other words, printers are no longer “set it and forget it” devices. They should be active parts of your security measures, and if they’re not properly protected, they can quietly become one of your biggest vulnerabilities.

As a print vendor, we specialize in securing print environments. And as Xerox partners, we know that the right security features can make all the difference.

It’s not easy running a business right now. Between rising costs, technology growing faster than budgets, and the ongoing tug-of-war between in-office and remote work, many small business owners in Texas are feeling stretched thin. While the goals of profitability, growth, and stability remain the same, the path to reach them has become less predictable.

At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas (STPT), we work daily with local businesses such as independent medical practices and school districts, as well as marketing agencies and construction firms. While every organization is unique, we’ve noticed five recurring challenges that nearly every Texas SMB is trying to overcome, and more importantly, the smart ways they’re tackling them.