Managed Print Services: Why Paying by the Page Saves You Time and Money
You may have heard of “paying by the page,” which is one of the top managed print services benefits. But what is it, and how does it work?
“Paying by the page” refers to leasing your printer/copier equipment and paying based on usage – instead of buying these machines and paying upfront. It’s the printing equivalent of leasing a car versus buying one outright.
Do It Yourself, Or Use Managed Print Services?
If you run a small to medium-sized business (SMB), keeping costs contained is essential. In-house document printing can be one of those high costs. While “paying by the page” may sound more expensive on the surface, it’s the reverse. Paying by the page has significant cost savings while improving efficiency.
“Paying by the page” is part of a suite of offerings called managed print services.
If your SMB has never used managed print services (MPS) before, it may seem intimidating at first. But it’s not. Managed print services are professional services offered by a provider that “manages” your printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and document workflows for you.
As already mentioned, with MPS, you lease your printing equipment instead of buying it, just like an automobile. However, in the case of leasing printing equipment, you get even more than when leasing a car. With MPS, your maintenance is included, and you don’t have to worry about bringing your printers in to be fixed. The MPS provider comes on-site and takes care of all of it for you.
If you do it yourself, your small business must do it all.
5 Managed Print Services Benefits for SMBs
Thus, SMBs can receive a lot of benefits from managed print services. Here are just a few:
1. Automated Supplies Fulfillment
When you do it yourself, you’re likely to come across the problem of low ink. That’s not an insignificant problem. If you are responding to an RFP on a drop-dead deadline, the last thing you need is for your toner cartridge to run dry. Rushing out to the local copy shop will waste time and money.
With automated supplies fulfillment, your toner cartridges are monitored remotely and delivered when you need more. If you want to reduce the amount of money spent on new ink, your printing systems can be audited to discover areas of waste.
2. Cost Cutting
In a nutshell, while managing everything in-house may seem the cheaper thing to do, when it comes to printing and document management, that is not the case.
Top-quality printing and copying equipment can cost thousands of dollars. Good multi-function printers (MFPs) with top security features will also require a significant upfront investment when doing it yourself. But, with managed print services, you are leasing equipment and pay a monthly fee, instead of an upfront investment that could run into the tens of thousands.
And what about maintenance? One maintenance call to specialized printing and copier equipment can start at $150 per hour, and that doesn’t include the cost of parts.
With MPS, your repairs are typically included. Furthermore, with professional maintenance of your machines, you are less likely to have paper jams and other problems with printers and copiers that aren’t appropriately maintained by professionals.
3. Better Tracking for Visibility
One of the best managed printing services benefits is tracking. With a cohesive networked printer system, all your printer and copier usage will be monitored remotely. You will get up to date reports on what is being spent, and where, when it comes to document workflows. Potential waste can be properly targeted and managed.
4. Printer Service Included
As already mentioned, using managed print services means you don’t have to hire a repair person by the hour to handle an urgent printing malfunction. But MPS service goes beyond that. It includes bringing your new printers to you, installing them, and training your staff how to use them. When a printer, copier, or MFP reaches its natural end of life stage, the managed print services team will come by, pick up, refurbish, or recycle your MFP equipment.
5. Boosts Productivity
When your staff is liberated from the hassle of managing printers and copiers, productivity is increased. The time that was wasted on routine issues such as ordering new ink cartridges and toner is now freed up. Furthermore, a comprehensive managed print services solution will involve streamlining document workflows, making it easier for employees to get access to the printing equipment they need for various jobs. Security is improved, and redundancy is eliminated.
For all these reasons and more, managed print services benefits make “paying by the page” the smart and cost-effective way to go.
Office Technologies is a leading independent provider of office imaging products, managed print services, and wide-format printing across Pennsylvania. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your Pennsylvania business save money.
