According to Gartner  “Managed Print Services (MPS) are services offered by an external provider to optimize or manage a company’s document output. The main components provided are needs assessment, selective or general replacement of hardware, and the service, parts and supplies needed to operate the new and/or existing hardware (including existing third-party equipment if this is required by the customer).”

Wikipedia states: “Managed Print Services is the active management and optimization of document output devices and related business processes” then goes on to break it down into four categories of Print Management, Device Management, Discovery and Design and Scan Routing.

As you surf the web and do your own research, you will see the definitions vary from provider to provider, but the end result is simple: gaining visibility and control of your printing, which helps you save money and boost productivity. Managed print services also help you improve environmental sustainability and document security.

What do we mean by “Printing”? The total cost of managing and optimizing your printers, their output, and the people and processes that support these devices. This includes:

• Pages produced by office workers, mobile workers and production print operations
• Materials sent out for quick printing, offset printing, mailing and distribution
• Office desktop printers, multifunction printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines and high-volume printers
• Paper, ink, toner and other supplies and consumables
• IT help desk support, technical service, maintenance, and add, move and change requests

When you add up the costs of “printing” and it accounts for a large portion — as much as 15% of a business’s annual spending. Through managed print services, you can outsource print management and cut costs by as much as 30%.

The best managed print services companies do more than just oversee your printers. They also:

• Conduct a thorough, up-front assessment to analyze your current printing infrastructure.
• Provide a strategy to reduce the number and types of printing devices and supplies while meeting the needs of your business.
• Monitor, manage and optimize your total print output environment, end to end, regardless of printer brand.
• Proactively identify and solve potential printing problems and replenish supplies before employees are affected.
• Continuously monitor your printing environment and use ongoing process improvements to save you time and money.
• Reduce your environmental footprint through printing less paper, consuming less energy, generating fewer greenhouse gases and keeping waste out of landfills.
• Give telecommuters and mobile workers easy and secure printing access.
• Provide network management and information technology (IT) integration, from platform support to cloud-based solutions.
• Train your employees for a smooth transition through change management so they are more satisfied and productive.
• Have a proven track record in deploying managed print services anywhere in the world through a global network of highly skilled experts.