What is a Managed Print Service?

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what is a managed print service? Up close of printer touch screen pad

Managed print services (MPS) are services offered by an external provider to optimise or manage a company's document output. The service includes all toner, all hardware, all parts and spares, full support service, delivery, training and any remote support needed.

Also known as MPS, a Managed Print Service covers a broad spectrum of services and products. The simple definition is that it enables a key person or persons within a business to gain complete control and visibility of the company's printing.

What is included in a Managed Print Service?

The Copy Print Managed Print Service includes:

  • All your printing and printing hardware

  • All toner and ink

  • All parts and spares for the machines

  • 4-hour response time – same day, on-site

  • Support for the network environment

  • Delivery, configuration and training

  • Remote support in case of small issues

To learn more about what MPS can offer your business, call our team on 01204 208244.

How do managed print services work?

Managed print services work by offering businesses flexible and reliable printing solutions to improve productivity, reduce printing costs and increase security measures. 

It involves using a fully integrated program that helps organisations streamline and easily manage printing needs, whilst a document management expert analyses your printing to quickly identify areas which could be optimised.

Find out how MPS could benefit your business

What are the benefits of managed print services?

There are many benefits of a Managed Print Service. An MPS can help to reduce the environmental impact your printing has and can improve the document security within your business when completing general admin tasks, e.g scanning.

A managed print specialist should spend time with you and produce a complete print audit which will run through:

  • What you currently use within your business.
  • What printers are currently on the network.
  • What you are currently spending on all the different components that are required to run the company's printing as it stands.

Costs

Managed print services can save your business a lot of money. If your current operation is somewhat sporadic, you can expect the lack of efficiency to have a financial cost. Managing and maintaining individual devices can be time-consuming and costly. 

The huge advantage that comes with managed print services is the time that goes into identifying where your printing operation is costing you money and finding ways to reduce those costs. 

With a managed print service, many tasks that would have previously had to be carried out will now be in the safe-hands of your print solution provider. Re-positioning and reducing the number of printers on-site are just a few ways that a print solution provider could save your business money.

Time

Another valuable commodity in business is time. 

With the cutting edge software solutions available you will no longer need to:

  • Check how much toner is left

  • Check what the number of prints is

  • Spend time on the phone trying to sort a printer issue out

Your print solution provider can pro-actively monitor the print solution so that you don’t have to.

Ultimately, an effective MPS enables you to track, control and monitor your businesses printing, scanning, copying and ultimately saves your business time and money.

How can you save costs with Managed Print Services?

There are a few different ways managed print services can save your business costs.

Your equipment is always updated 

For most businesses, printing equipment is not exactly a top priority, so many printers and photocopiers go for long periods of time without having their software updated or even be swapped for newer models. Like many pieces of old machinery, they can be prone to damage and failures which can cost you more in the long run to repair than a new device would. 

Modern, multi-functional devices which come as part of your managed print service plan are highly efficient and can enable you to use a number of functions in just one place. 

Newer devices are also much less likely to break down, meaning the money you spend fixing the machine is removed since all repairs will be included on your service plan. 

They help you keep track of printed pages 

The costs associated with poorly managed printing can add up quickly, especially when your business relies heavily on printing and photocopying documents. 

With a large amount of documents not even being used after printing and many being left in the print tray, managed print services can help to outline the inefficiencies in your printing and outline what can be done to save costs. 

Savings on supplies

The cost of printer supplies can be significant. When you add essentials such as ink, toner, paper and other printing necessities, the cost of printing can very drastically increase. 

Thankfully, with managed print services, you will always have enough of every printing supply your printer or photocopier requires. This means you will never need to go to a printing supplier again or have to pay premium prices. 

What industries do Managed Print Services benefit?

There are many businesses that would benefit greatly from managed print services. Listed below are some industries that are already reaping these benefits:

Healthcare 

Managed print services can help by reducing administrative burdens on their staff by outsourcing their jobs to other companies. With managed print services for healthcare, no one will have to worry about replacing the printer supplies or maintaining equipment.

Education 

Many schools and universities require a large amount of printers and copiers. Managed print services for the education sector can help massively with the responsibilities that come with managing a large print fleet. 

If there are any issues with compatibility between devices, the burden is removed from teachers and other staff since managed print services will ensure devices work together with little to no workflow interruptions. 

Legal industry 

The legal industry is another profession which relies heavily on printed documents, and many legal firms could benefit from managed print services by tracking the costs associated with printing. This can be achieved through tracking everything which is printed, establishing print rules and using tools correctly that are built into multifunctional printers.

Legal managed print services can also benefit massively from the advanced security solutions that come with managed print services. These include security features such as two-factor authentication, encryption and pull printing to help protect data. 

What printers can I get on a Managed Print Service package?

At Copy Print Services, we have a variety of different printers to choose from. 

We offer a wide range of services to suit your specific business needs, such as Konica Minolta managed print services in which you can choose from their BizHub collection. 

We also offer managed print service packages for Xerox, Develop,  Epson and Olivetti, which both have a great selection of printers suitable for smaller offices, as well as larger ones for busier environments. 

What information will I get from a Managed Print Service Audit?

A full managed print service audit report will consider a vast array of different things that you may not even think off initially.

For example:

  • Do you have 2 floors with only one printer on the ground floor? People in the building need to have access to this printer.

  • How many times does an upstairs user have to go downstairs to pick up something off the printer or scan a document?

  • Are there any jobs done after printing that could be automated using new printing technology? Stapling, binding, cutting etc.

  • Would re-positioning the printers enable more effective use of the current printing set-up?

All these and more get reported on when an expert completes an audit, and then they make suggestions on how a managed print service can help you and your organisation.

With this information, a tailor made print solution can be designed (including repositioning any printers, reducing the number of printers on site, IT integration into the systems correctly and staff training) that could save you up to 40% on what you currently spend. 

Our case study on our audit service for a Mortgage broker can offer more insight into what this involves. 

Does my business need Managed Print Services?

Managed print services offer a great range of advantages to businesses, including increased efficiency, reduced costs, reduced downtime, advanced security and expert help when you need it. 

If your business is lacking any of the above, then it may be well worth investing into managed print services. It is ideal for all office environments, from small businesses with a team of a few, to larger and busier environments like schools and hospitals. 

At Copy Print Services, we have years of experience helping a variety of different businesses and office environments. If you’d like to find out more, or you have any questions you’d like to ask, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today. 

About the author 

John Hynes

Working in the printing industry for 35 years (office equipment servicing and maintenance), John - Managing Director of Copy Print Services - started as a hands-on technician repairing all kinds of equipment.

He always kept up to date with the “evolution” of the machinery and worked on the latest equipment that would give the customers the most efficient way of producing a document.

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