How much do managed print services cost?

Picture this: You are, hypothetically, the decision maker of your organization. It’s a new, fast-growing organization, with a new need for managed print services. Or, you’re just looking to improve your current setup. You’ve heard that term (“managed print services”) before. In fact, you already read all about it on this very blog, so you feel like somewhat of an expert on the subject.

There’s just one thing you’re still dying to know: price. Money is on your mind here, just like it is with many other things in life.

“How much will this cost?,” you ask yourself, dying to know. You’re on a tight budget, and your organization really can’t afford an overpriced or expensive managed print services agreement. You are a go-getter, a deal-getter, and now’s your time to shine.

And we here at ClearView Business Solutions want to help you shine brightly. Managed print services, you could say, are kind of “our thing.” We specialize in them, and have served up many managed print services agreements to more than 500 different businesses, from small business to enterprise organizations. This article’s going to teach you all about the cost of managed print services. By the end of the article, you’ll be an expert.

How much do managed print services cost in Florida?

Depending on the kind of managed print services, they can range anywhere from $25 to $10,000 per month, or more. 

What factors affect the cost of managed print services?

There are factors that directly and indirectly affect the cost. Let’s start with the direct factors:

• Volume

The anticipated volume of printing affects the cost. Higher volumes of printing usually lead to a lower cost per page, while lower volumes of printing can lead to a higher cost per page.  

• Rate per page

Needless to say: Higher rates per page lead to a more expensive MPS agreement. Lower rates per page lead to a less expensive MPS agreement.

Here at ClearView, low volume plans for black prints are $.01 per page, and color prints are $.05 per page.  Higher volume plans for enterprise customers can be as low as $.0035 for black prints, and .035 per color print.

Now let’s take a look at some indirect factors:

• The equipment

The kind of equipment that’s used affects the price of the MPS agreement. In general, an MPS agreement can be less expensive for newer equipment because such equipment costs less to service. Older equipment can raise the price of an MPS as it costs more to service. 

• Coverage

The price of some MPS agreements can increase when toner fills more than 5 to 10 percent of the page. Keep an eye out for any language in the agreement mentioning “fill”, or “coverage”. Also, if a customer exceeds its allowance, then the price of an MPS agreement can increase by the overage amount. 

• Location

Being closer to your vendor can save you money. Local vendors can have their own technicians make printer service calls, instead of having to hire, manage and dispatch third-party technicians. 

Are managed print services more expensive than my other options?

If you’re not going to pay for managed print services, then your other option is to manage these devices yourself.

To manage it yourself, you have to pay on a per-call basis, or try to fix it yourself. Such an employee would be an expert at evaluating and repairing copiers and printers.

Paying per call is expensive. The first hour alone of a service call costs at least $100. You’d also have to foot the bill for any parts and toner. If you don’t buy these supplies from the same source every time, then you could possibly have to pay higher prices with another source. Also, without an MPS agreement, if the independent contractor attempting to fix your system fails to do so, then you could have to buy a whole new system. That would be pricey.

Compare all of that to an MPS, which provides:

• All-inclusive, unlimited service calls
• All-inclusive parts, replacement, toner, etc.
• All-inclusive replacement at no additional charge if an issue can’t be fixed    

Generally speaking, an MPS agreement saves you (the customer) money. One low monthly payment – including all service calls, parts, toner and more – is a much better deal for you than if you had to buy your own equivalent of everything provided for a monthly payment. In fact, monthly payment for an MPS agreement can cost at least 30 to 50 percent less than paying for everything on your own.

Can the cost of managed print services increase?

Probably not, unless you see some mention of escalation in the contract. Escalation is a percentage increase in the cost per page over the course of a contract. Don’t worry though, because you’re not being ripped off. Escalation helps dealers cover the rising costs of supplies and technicians’ wages. 

Here’s a pleasant surprise, though: the price of MPS can actually decrease if you update your organization’s systems. That’s because – as you may remember – newer equipment costs less to service. 

Any copier dealer worth its salt will allow you to update your document-based technology during the contract, even if such an update leads to a cheaper MPS agreement. Just let your dealer know of your plans, and they should be willing to decrease the price on your original MPS agreement.   

What kind of managed print services agreement should I get?

Well, there you have it. That’s the full low-down on the cost of a managed print services agreement. At this point, your organization’s office manager needs to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of paying for MPS. Can you afford it? Why or why not? As you can see, managed print services agreements are typically more than worth the cost. They provide parts, toner, service, potential replacements and more all for affordable price. Why pay more to manage printing services yourself when you could pay less to let professionals do the job?

Why not let ClearView get the job done? We offer everything described in this article (and then some) to fully and comprehensively manage all of your organization’s printing services. Get in touch with us today at (844) 282-2737.