I recently learned that the largest unaudited expense within virtually every office is the expense associated with printing.    Once I read that, it made sense.   After all, most competent office mangers know that they must reorder a laser cartridge when it runs out.  That’s easy enough isn’t it.?   Actually, it’s not that basic.    Laser toner cartridges  must not be treated as if they were just part of the general office supplies.   After all, what is being printed, how often, how many pages, and does the document need to be in color?   These concerns  and more must be answered and will be answered with a simple MPS system.

 MPS, just a few years ago the term meant nothing to most IT directors.   And yet now it is almost becoming a standard for any company that has ten or more networked printers.  So what is MPS anyway?   It is the abbreviation for managed print services and it is certainly a wise business move for the more progressive organizations. 

Essentially there are three aspects of an MPS system. The first of course would involve compatible supplies from the toner cartridges themselves to replacement parts necessary to ensure proper operation.    The second component is a powerful web based software that provides easy monitoring and status updates on every networked printer in in your fleet.   The third part is on-site repair and maintenance conducted by highly trained, quick responding field technicians.  Combine these components and what was once unknowable becomes viewable. 

With MPS, smart companies save money on supplies, service, energy, and even paper. It is environmentally friendly and will soon be the norm for businesses everywhere.   This was written because of the sorry state of our economy.  During these trying times new business models must be explored, new methods evaluated.  It is essential to increase the efficiency and produce a real savings.      As an employee, you would be wise to suggest the MPS concept proactively to your IT manager.   As staffing issues are re-evaluated during this slump, now is a great time to increase your value to your company.    Need a key statistic, consider that 1-3% of your company’s entire revenue for the year could be going to printer related expenses.  You attack that number and you become a hero in the office.   On a more personal level, we’ve all felt the frustration in video below.   All this goes away with the implementation of a god MPS system.