Variables that Affect Managed Print Costs

When looking at managed print services (MPS), there is an assumption that the services are basically the same from each provider. This has a small degree of truth, but for a managed print provider, their plans can vary from client to client.

In this article, we go over common variables that can affect the cost of managed print. We have helped companies for over a decade with managed print, so these will be the most common variables, not every possible variable. If you feel there are any we missed, we always welcome more content here!

New Printers or Existing Print Fleet

This is going to be one of the biggest variables that will affect costs. Imagine for a moment you had 100 laser printers, and you had solid printers with a good record and low print costs, and those printers could just be managed or supported. In the second option, your printers are old and always breaking. This would make replacing all 100 printers necessary, and the cost of those 100 printers needs to be added to the managed print plan. Which do you think would be the more expensive one? If you guessed having to buy the new printers and support them, that is correct!

Cost Per Print of Devices

Now, if we take the same 100 printers, and one model is one penny per print cost, and the second group is two cents per print cost, the cost per print will make a huge difference to the monthly cost to support the print fleet. Having a lower print cost is ideal when trying to keep your print costs as low as possible.

Scope of Work

For some clients, they require four-hour response times. Others are totally fine with next business day (NBD). If you have a supplies and service plan, the speed of service for printers that are down will affect the price of your managed print plan.

Number of Locations

If you have 100 printers in one location or one device in 100 locations, there is a big difference in the set up of the servicing of the printers. If all the devices are at one location, that is easier because one technician can take care of the site and multiple devices on the same visit.

If the devices are spread all over the country, then there would need to be a plan scheduled in order to accommodate 100 technicians, and even though we already have a good technician network, it is rare to have every city and town in the country already covered.

Managed print has variables that affect your cost, and we work hard to make sure you understand exactly what you will be paying and why. We do an assessment and then show you options and allow you to decide what is best for your company.

Give us a call if you would like to discuss managed print services for your company.