What Are Managed Print Services?
Key Questions:
- What are the benefits of managed print services?
- How can managed print services reduce costs and improve efficiency?
- What does a managed print services provider do?
For practically every business, documentation is the lifeblood of a company. Whether it’s invoices, order forms, agreements, memos, employee records, tax returns, or other business-related paperwork, there are countless items that need to be printed on a given day.
As a company grows, its printing demands increase exponentially. Eventually, it reaches a tipping point where successfully managing printing and its associated maintenance and operational costs becomes unsustainable.
This is why more companies are outsourcing to printing specialists known as managed print service (MPS) providers. But what are managed print services? And why should you consider enlisting their assistance?
What Is Print Management?
Managed print service providers are external printing specialists that partner with a business to optimize and manage their document output. While there are several reasons why they’ve become an integral facet of enterprise operations, there are four primary benefits they can provide:
- Lowering printing costs
- Maintaining functionality to reduce printer downtime
- Increasing security
- Creating print accountability
- Optimizing printer deployment
Why Is Print Management Necessary?
In a normal printing environment, printing costs are uncontrolled and systems are inefficient. The environment typically consists of various laptop and desktop clients that use an amalgamation of shared workgroup color printers, shared workgroup B&W and Color Laser Printers. This decentralized printing model can lead to several issues, including:
- Users printing any quantity of documents to any printer without considering costs.
- More documents printed in color or single-sided, increasing expenses.
- No incentive for users to print at workgroup printers rather than personal printers, despite the increased costs.
- Printing bottlenecks when one department or employee dominates a shared printer.
In a standard printing environment, there are no controls on costs, security, or efficiency. Left unchecked, this can become exorbitantly costly. Gartner estimates:
“Total print costs—including hardware, maintenance, supplies and support—comprise 1% to 3% of a company’s overall revenue. Studies show the average employee printing cost is approximately $150 annually just for ink and toner, and this cost can vary by industry vertical.”
Additional Maintenance and Operational Considerations with In-House Printing
When accounting for the various costs associated with printing, it’s important to think beyond surface-level supply costs for items like paper and toner. You must also consider:
- Capital investments: Companies need to purchase printers, copiers, and other printing technology hardware to meet their demands. Finding the equilibrium point between too many and too few can be a major challenge.
- Security: Companies must print confidential and essential documents related to their processes, employees, and IP. Depending on the business and industry, there may also be legal requirements and regulations to protect client privacy.
- Efficiency: Printing bottlenecks cause employees to waste time. When employees don’t control costs, you inevitably have wasted output.
- IT: An inordinate amount of an IT expert’s time is spent on printer maintenance and repair—a job that is a poor use of their skills and which they may not even be qualified to handle. According to IDC, “The average cost of a helpdesk call is between $20 and $25, and between 35% and 50% of helpdesk calls are print-related.” Multiply this by the number of employees and help-related calls, and the costs become exorbitant.
What Services Does Print Management Provide?
To control costs, a company must have a print management strategy. An MPS provider creates a managed print services implementation plan to boost productivity, cut overhead expenses, heighten security, and create accountability within the print environment.
The Initial Analysis
An MPS provider conducts a thorough audit of your printing environment to determine your needs related to scanning, printing, copying, and security. Typically, there are four primary goals of this analysis:
- Consolidate as needed: Reducing the total number of printing devices and redirecting users toward shared workgroup multifunction printers (MFP) can reduce costs and improve cyber defense.
- Replace outdated printers: Older printers may lack the features, capabilities, and security compliance a company requires. Replacing these models with newer ones can create efficiencies and reduce problems.
- Improve security and compliance: Printing can represent one of the most vulnerable security gaps. Whether it’s a document left in a printing tray or data stored in the machine, an insecure printing environment can result in costly HIPAA or PCI violations.
- Optimize printer location: The ratio of printers to employees is often higher than needed. The location of printers can impede workflows. An MPS team can determine the required number of printers and their ideal placement.
Ongoing Support
After this assessment, an MPS provider creates a strategy involving hardware replacement, parts and supplies management, maintenance, and repair. They conduct employee education, install a managed print server to heighten user accountability, and regularly conduct internal assessments and optimizations.
ManagedPrint—Your Dedicated MPS Provider
For many businesses, it’s easy to overlook the costs and potential issues of their printing environment. But such neglect can result in wasted resources and internal inefficiencies.
Working with a managed print services company is vital. ManagedPrint can assist by providing an innovative print management system that maximizes the potential of your printer fleet. With ManagedPrint, toner costs are controlled, maintenance and repair labor is free, and services are offered nationwide, saving your business time and money.
Ready to optimize your printing environment? Contact ManagedPrint today to learn more about how we can help your business.
