Most businesses underestimate what printing actually costs them — not just in toner and paper, but in IT time, device downtime, security exposure, and the slow drain of staff hours spent troubleshooting printers that should just work.
Managed print services address all of it. But a lot of people still have misconceptions about this increasingly popular service. So in this blog, I’ll explore what it is, how it stacks up against the alternatives, and what you can realistically expect it to do for your organization.
What managed print services include
Managed print services (MPS) is an arrangement where a provider takes responsibility for your entire print environment — the devices, the supplies, the maintenance, and the strategy. Rather than buying a printer and figuring out the rest yourself, you work with a managed print services company that assesses your current setup, right-sizes your fleet, and manages everything on an ongoing basis.
A managed print services provider typically handles:
- Fleet assessment and optimization
- Device procurement, installation, and configuration
- Automatic supply replenishment
- Proactive maintenance and remote monitoring
- Help desk support for print-related issues
- Print security configuration
- Usage reporting and cost tracking
Essentially, the right managed print services software gives you real-time visibility into usage across your fleet — which devices are being used, how much, and what it's costing — so decisions get made on data rather than guesswork.
How managed print compares to the alternatives
There are three main ways businesses handle print:
- Managed print services
- Purchasing and managing devices in-house
- Working with an outside print vendor for individual jobs
A lot of organizations are still using a hybrid of the second and third.
Unfortunately, in-house management tends to put the full burden on your IT team — procurement, troubleshooting, supply ordering, and maintenance across every device. It works when the print volume is low and the environment is simple. But as your fleet grows, so does the administrative load.
Print vendors handle specific jobs on demand, which is fine for occasional, specialized work. It's not a practical model for businesses with regular, high-volume print needs.
Managed print services are usually the right fit when printing is a consistent operational function, and you want the cost, management, and risk off your plate. The businesses that see the clearest return are those with distributed print environments, multiple device types, or IT teams that are already stretched thin.
The benefits of managed print services
Some benefits of this service are often surprising to companies that haven’t used a provider before:
Predictable costs
Print environments are notoriously hard to budget. Devices break unexpectedly, supplies run out without warning, and the true cost of managing printers — including staff time — rarely shows up in a single line item.
Managed print services consolidate those costs into a predictable monthly structure, typically priced per page or per device. You know what you're spending before the month starts.
Reduced IT burden
Printer support is one of the most time-consuming and least strategic tasks an IT team handles. In most managed print programs, print-related issues route directly to the provider's support team — not your internal staff. That's help desk tickets, supply calls, and device troubleshooting that your IT team gets back for higher-priority work.
Right-sized fleets
One of the first things a managed print services assessment uncovers is fleet inefficiency — devices that are underused, overused, or simply in the wrong location.
Right-sizing your fleet based on actual usage data typically reduces device count and the per-page costs that go with it. Fewer devices also means fewer failure points.
Automatic supply management
Running out of toner mid-job is a workflow interruption that managed print eliminates. Most managed print programs include remote monitoring that tracks supply levels and triggers automatic replenishment before anything runs out. No manual supply orders, no emergency runs, no downtime waiting on a shipment.
Print security (if included)
Unsecured printers are business liabilities. They connect to your network, store document data, and — if left unmanaged — create the same vulnerabilities any other networked device does.
A managed print services provider can (and we believe should) configure devices with security settings appropriate to your environment:
- Unique passwords
- Secure print release
- Encrypted data transmission
- Proper decommissioning protocols when devices are retired
This is an area businesses often overlook until there's a problem. Building it into a managed print program means it's handled from day one.
Sustainability and waste reduction
Unmanaged print environments tend to generate significant waste — unnecessary print jobs, oversupplied toner, and devices running past their useful life.
Usage reporting through managed print services software identifies where waste is concentrated, and policy controls (defaulting to duplex, restricting color where it's not needed) reduce it systematically. For organizations with environmental commitments, this is a measurable outcome.
Ongoing visibility and optimization
Managed print services isn't a one-time setup — or at least, it shouldn’t be.
A good provider will review usage data with you regularly and adjust the program as your business changes. The goal is a print environment that keeps pace with how you operate, not one that gets set and forgotten.
What to look for in a managed print services provider
Not all managed print services companies structure their programs the same way.
Here are a few things to evaluate:
Local service capability
Remote monitoring and predictive maintenance can prevent most disruptions, but responsive, on-site service still matters. Make sure your provider can get to your location quickly when something needs hands-on attention.
Their response times should be spelled out in their Service Level Agreement.
Assessment before recommendation
A provider who recommends a program without first assessing your current environment is guessing. That’s not a good way to make big decisions!
Their assessment should quantify your current costs, identify inefficiencies, and form the basis of whatever program is proposed.
Integration with your broader IT environment
Print is an IT function. A managed print services provider with IT depth can connect your print program to your broader technology strategy — including security posture, device lifecycle management, and network configuration.
Transparent reporting
You should have ongoing visibility into what your fleet is doing and what it's costing. If a provider can't show you that data on demand, that's a gap.
Our Insights Cloud Portal gives clients the ability to see analytics on their printers in real time, plus our own service metrics.
Up-to-date capabilities
Businesses are printing less, which means many providers are operating a little leaner. The result? Some have put off modernizing their software. That may mean they’re less able to help you automate supply orders and predict maintenance needs on some brands.
Brand alignment
Not all providers are able to support every brand. We’ve kept our services broad (we can even support industrial printers), but you should definitely check to make sure your provider can support the equipment you like.
Business model
In this area, businesses built around service tend to outperform businesses built around manufacturing. When equipment manufacturing is a company’s core mission, they don’t focus as much on providing elite support, and that may mean important service needs get lost in the cracks.
See what managed print services look like for your business
Managed print services is a broad term, and every provider works differently. Ultimately, the right program depends on your fleet size, locations, volume, and how much you want to manage yourself versus hand off.
My team created a definitive guide on this service, including provider red flags to watch out for. Click the link below to review it.
