Knowing when your resources are better spent on managed print services vs internal print management could save your company more money than you might think.
At Copy Print Services, we can free up your time and reduce your spending by maintaining, repairing and servicing your print machines for you.
Understanding managed print services
Managed Print Services (MPS) are services that help businesses manage their printing and document management needs.
MPS offers businesses the flexible and reliable printing solutions they need to streamline their printing environment, improve productivity and reduce printing costs.
What is internal print management?
Internal print management is the process of managing an organisation’s printing devices in-house rather than using a third-party company.
Internal print management is usually run by a business’s IT department and involves daily operations such as:
Choosing the most efficient devices
Managing print jobs and ensuring they meet the deadline
Tracking printing costs and consumables
Monitoring user behaviour across departments
Ensuring security of the printing fleet
Making choices about ink, paper and determining which is the best low energy and low cost equipment
Pros and cons of internal vs managed print services
When an organisation begins to focus on their print environment, it can be hard to choose between internal print management or MPS.
We’ll break down the pros and cons of each to help you choose which is best for your business.
Internal print services pros and cons
Some organisations may prefer the security that their IT team can implement rather than using that of an external supplier.
The major downside of internal print services is that they can be expensive to maintain since you will need to be on top of ordering your own print supplies and materials, as well as potentially paying for a printer specialist for maintenance if your printer breaks down.
Internal print services also heavily rely on in-house IT departments, which can cause strain within the business and prevent the team from doing what they do best.
Managed print services pros and cons
MPS can help businesses save money since all the expenses you would have to pay yourself with internal printing are covered in the monthly fee. This means you don’t have to worry about replacing inks and toners or paying for maintenance and repairs. As a rule of thumb, for anyone printing 500 or more pages per month, it is worthwhile investigating a managed print service if cost is the major factor for you.
Any business that prints documents will benefit from efficiencies that engaging with an MPS specialist can bring.
MPS can also help by optimising your print environment and reducing any unnecessary printing, while increasing security measures through technology such as ‘Follow Me Printing’.
A disadvantage about MPS is that the device is usually leased or rented, meaning that you never own the machine. However, this does mean there is room to upgrade to a new printer at the end of the lease or add on additional products where you see fit.
Working with a Managed Print Service provider
Working with an MPS provider means you will have all the support you need when it comes to creating an effective and efficient print environment.
At Copy Print Services, we take the hassle out of looking after your own printers and photocopiers, leaving you with more time to spend on important areas within your business.
When you work with an MPS provider, such as ourselves, you can expect to see a number of benefits, including:
Save money on printing - We will spend time with you to run through what is currently being used in your business, what network they are connected to and how much you are spending on the different components that are required to run your organisation's printing. From here, we can calculate what machines and plans would be best suited for you to help reduce overall printing costs.
Save time on printing - Our clever software solutions mean you no longer have to check how much toner is left or spend time on the phone trying to fix a printer issue.
With our MPS, we will proactively monitor your print devices so you don’t have to.
Printing equipment is supplied directly - We will always ensure that your printer is consistently stocked with the necessary printing supplies such as toner, ink, consumables and parts or spares.
4 hour response time - We offer a highly efficient 4 hour response time and can help your team with a number of issues through remote support.
Managing print output in-house
When you’re managing your business’s print output in-house, it’s worth noting that you will have to take full responsibility for your print devices, including finding someone to maintain them, ordering print supplies and implementing security policies.
You will need to have a full overview of your print environment and find the best print devices to suit your specific needs, which can be very research heavy if you don’t know what exactly you’re looking for.
It’s important not to guess things when you’re managing print outputs as this can skew your overall costs and you may end up spending too much in areas you don’t need to.
