Managed Print Services, commonly referred to as MPS, is a service offered by print providers to assist businesses with streamlining printer management and minimizing costs associated with printing. MPS came about because the majority of organizations do not define a print strategy.
Because let's face it, businesses are busy, and there's always going to be something else that's more pressing than print strategy. But that doesn't mean it's not important. Not having a print strategy can cost businesses a lot of money, especially year over year.
Print costs can take up anywhere between 1-10 percent of an organization’s total revenue.
Managed Print Services is a way for businesses to outsource the day-to-day services for their print fleet including copiers , and it can be customized to meet specific needs.
Here are the top six benefits of managed print services
We know that MPS is capable of delivering advanced solutions. It's not just about focusing on your machines and usage. It's about your entire print environment. With MPS, we're able to:
Any network connectivity issues related to your print network are also part of your MPS program. Whether it's replaced and upgraded workstations or IP address changes for relocated equipment, we have the resources to ensure your print environment is unaffected by these changes.
IT departments really can't afford to troubleshoot printing issues or deal with break fixes. They have more critical projects and issues that they need to be focusing on.
MPS tracks printer use, allowing your provider to know when you're running low on toner or supplies or when you're in need of service. Supplies, on-site service and equipment replacement are covered in your MPS program with no additional charges or expenses.
Under MPS, you have access to experienced, technology savvy representatives during normal business hours. They will help you work through any printing, scanning, copying, faxing and basic network connectivity issues. Additionally, an effective help desk is equipped to help you work through and adjust to new or upgraded software on your equipment.
Putting a print strategy in place that effectively monitors and manages your fleet of equipment can provide your organization cost savings of up to 30 percent.
R&S MPS Assessment - Cost Worksheet |
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| In order for R&S to accurately present a cost savings analysis on your printing environment, we need to gather your current costs associated with all of your printing devices. Please specify an approximate amount that you’ve spent on the following items. | |||
| In the past 12 months, our Company has spent: | Quantity of Printers | ||
| Rs 35500 | on ink purchases for DESKJET printers | 8 | |
| Rs 558500 | on toner purchases for LASERJET printers | 13 | |
| Rs 16000 | on PARTS (Ex: drum kits, fuser kits, etc.) | ||
| Rs 34500 | on SERVICE CALLS related to printer issues | ||
| Rs 640000 | on NEW EQUIPMENT purchases/leases | ||
| RS 12,84,500 | Total amount spent in the last 12 months | Rs 5097 per printer per month | |
| Rs 5,13,800 | Total Possible Savings over 1 year with R&S MPS Program @ 40% saving | Rs 24466 per printer | |
| The true cost of your current print environment allows you to see how much is being spent on printing related costs. For most organizations, this number is much higher than expected. Implementing a Managed Print Services program generally offers cost savings of up to 40%. | |||
| This information is the first step toward developing a customized solution for your print environment - to begin improving efficiencies and reducing your overall spend.. | |||
If you review your office supply bills, you may find that month after month, toner makes up a large portion of these expenses. There's no denying that toner is an expensive but necessary supply, but the fact is that many offices could improve how efficiently they use their printer toner. Below, we'll explore six ways that can better control your toner costs and lower your monthly spend.
You can save money by buying cartridges in bulk, opting for high-volume cartridges or, most effectively, by purchasing supplies through a print provider using a managed print agreement.
You might think that you'll go through the same amount of toner regardless of whether you have one large machine or several small ones. But, the more printing equipment you have, the higher your risk is for inefficient supply usage because of machine diversity. For example, one large machine, used by all employees, will more efficiently use its supplies than smaller machines used inconsistently by a few employees.
Additionally, personal printers tend to greatly increase the amount of toner an office uses, in part due to the fact that personal printers are less efficient, and in part because there is less accountability.
Again, working with a print provider can optimize your machine quantity and placement. A quality print provider will assess your printing needs and routines to determine the right amount of machines, as well as the size and placement for optimal equipment usage and supply replenishment.
As briefly discussed above, this printer variety issue arises if there are multiple printers and models in your office. When you have several different printer models, it's challenging to inventory correct quantities or streamline purchases because you are buying toners for several different types of printers, each requiring unique supplies. This makes it more difficult for the person who purchases supplies because it is challenging to anticipate when supplies will be needed for each printer in your fleet. This leads to larger supply inventory, which increases your monthly costs. Keeping your printing equipment relatively uniform will aid in your cost-saving initiatives by reducing the variety of supplies needed in stock. Print providers can assist you in streamlining your equipment variety and develop an effective printer toner supply replacement process. They can offer recommendations, as stated above, on machine quantity and placement, and through a Managed Print Services program they can monitor your usage and automate toner shipment when it is needed.
Another issue you may encounter with personal printers is employees ordering things "just in case," or grabbing toners from the most recent order and keeping them at their desk. A centralized printer and effective supply reorder strategy eliminates this issue, saving you money.
You can also address this issue by increasing accountability and designating one employee to approve and receive supply requests and place orders. For example, if personal printers are necessary in your office, you could have your key operator in charge of storing and reordering toner cartridges for the entire office or department.
Color printing is much more expensive than printing in black and white. Have your printing defaults set to grayscale so your printer automatically prints in black and white, and requires an override to print in color. This gives you some control in-house over printer toner usage. A print provider can enhance that control by monitoring your supply usage, by device, allowing you to observe how individual employees or departments are using supplies.
We at R&S offer MPS in 5 different options
MONEYPLANT Toner cartridges, are available for all leading brands including monochrome and color toner cartridges .
We’ve discussed how printing costs are a significant part of your office expenses and, as such, they need to be actively controlled. Here we’ll be discussing ink and toner options, more specifically, the difference between OEM and New Compatible toner cartridges – and which is the best option for you. Let’s start by explaining what each one is, and the benefits/drawbacks of each option.
An OEM Cartridge is made by the Original Equipment Manufacturer, in other words, the company that made your printer also made the cartridge. For example, if you own a HP printer , then the HP brand is the maker of OEM cartridges for your device.
A compatible toner cartridge is made by a third party manufacturer than your printer and is made up of all compatible parts. It is very similar to the OEM cartridges however it can be used in a variety of different printers. We recommend that when buying compatible toner cartridges you always buy New Compatible toner as some less reputable manufacturers will simply refill old OEM cartridges with toner and slap a new label on it.
OEM Toner cartridges are manufactured specifically for your device and can th e refore usually be relied upon to be of high quality. These toners generally have also low failure rates( << 1% ) and provide high print quality as they’re specifically designed for that particular printer or copier.
Printer manufacturers recommend that you use their toner cartridges as they claim that the printer functions can be affected by other toner cartridges. They also suggest that the life of a laser printer can be shortened by using unbranded toner cartridges. IF THEY DO NOT INSTILL FEAR WHY WILL ANYONE BUY AN EXORBINTANTLY PRICED OEM CARTRIDGE
The downside to OEM toners is that they are significantly more expensive than a compatible cartridge and their production and disposal aren’t very eco-friendly.
New MONEYPLANT compatible toner cartridges offer good quality printing for a much lower cost than OEM cartridges; some sources even assert that they can provide better quality than certain OEMs. These cartridges are often also more eco-friendly in their production and disposal (some are biodegradable!).
The downside to new compatible cartridges is that you must get them from a known reputable source like R&S Inc . If buying from something like an auction site you don’t really know what you are going to get, if it is simply a refilled used cartridge, or if it may not even be compatible with your device at all and it could be a counterfeit cartridges which abound on Indian online marketplaces.
The better option here is pretty clear, new MONEYPLANT compatible cartridges are cheaper, can work just as well in all respects as an expensive OEM cartridge . and are more eco-friendly than their counterpart OEM cartridges. In fact, by using new compatible cartridges you can see average savings from 50-80% per toner… sometimes even more than 80%! As reputable importer and seller of MONEYPLANT new compatible toners tests their toners to know what brands of new compatible toners are manufactured to a high standard of quality and will work with your various devices.
We’re continuing sharing details when comparing your options for toner cartridges and which might be the best option for you. Below we’re contrasting new and remanufactured toner. Although there is some controversy online and the topic can be easily biased, we’re going to try to keep it as neutral as possible while explaining the pros and cons of each, and who they might be the best option for.
New toner is exactly that, a brand new toner cartridge directly from the factory. Within the category of new toner cartridges, you have two options, either new compatible or OEM. You have learnt above the essential details and break down about the differences between OEM and MONEYPLANT new compatible toner cartridge.
New Pros: High quality and reliability. With a new toner cartridge, almost any reputable manufacturer will issue a guarantee or warranty on their product and you know that all the parts and pieces have not gone through any wear and tear. New Cons: More expensive. Unnecessary.
Remanufactured toners are used toner cartridges. The empty cartridges are sent back to a remanufacturing plant, where the cartridge housing is then refurbished. Internal components are evaluated and some may be replaced before the cartridge is refilled with new toner.
When buying remanufactured toner you should always inquire as to whether or not the remanufacturer has “re-chipped” the cartridges. Toner cartridges contain a chip that tracks how many print jobs have been done and is used by your device to estimate how many impressions are remaining before you need to replace your toner.
If this chip has not been replaced your low toner warnings may not be reliable. There is a wide range of manufacturers of remanufactured toners, some of which will offer a guarantee that their product will work, some of which will not.
It is important to note that there is also a second type of used toner cartridge; refilled. The main danger with refilled toner cartridges is that, while they are far and away the cheapest option, there is no remanufacturing process… they simply take an old toner bottle and refill it. Since there is no actual assessment of cartridges condition we do not believe it is ever a good idea to use refilled toner cartridges and as such do not include it in the pros vs cons evaluation of new vs remanufactured toner debate.
Remanufactured Pros: Significantly cheaper and may hold more toner than some OEM cartridges.
Remanufactured Cons: Can be a bit of a gamble; some company’s ship these products in from abroad with inferior replacement springs and gears which can cause them to fail.
Well, new toner is a good choice for you if you rely heavily on printing and it needs to consistently be done correctly, as with remanufactured you do run a higher risk of faulty cartridges or inconsistent toner application.
If you or your team rely on your device to keep workflows moving smoothly, print consumer-facing documents in-house, lease your device or do a large monthly volume of printing we recommend using either OEM or new compatible toners.
Remanufactured toner is a viable alternative for people with small monthly volumes or running inexpensive to repair/replace devices such as a home office printer. Just be sure that if you do purchase remanufactured toner that you find a reputable reseller or remanufacturer who will offer a guarantee of their product. If they won’t provide a guarantee they probably aren’t worth your hard-earned Rupees.
Ultimately, the best toner cartridge to use depends on your situation. If you value reliability and consistency you likely want to go with new toner. However, if you’re just looking for a bargain for your desktop printer there is some money to be saved by using remanufactured toner.