Printer problems have a way of showing up at the worst possible time. Whether it’s an empty toner cartridge, an unexpected repair, or printing costs that keep climbing, managing printers can quickly become one more headache your team doesn’t need.
So, when should you outsource print management?
If your team spends more time troubleshooting printers than focusing on important work, it might be time for a change. Here are five signs that outsourcing print management could help your business save time, control costs, and keep things running smoothly.
5 Signs It's Time to Outsource Print Management
Every business has different printing needs. Some organizations can manage a few devices without much trouble, while others have multiple departments, locations, and employees relying on printing every day.
Regardless of your business size, these five signs can help you recognize when your current approach may be creating more work than it should.
1. Printing Costs Keep Adding Up
Printer expenses go beyond the cost of equipment and paper. Toner, maintenance, repairs, energy use, and inefficient printing habits can all add to your overall spending.
Without a clear picture of how your devices are being used, it’s difficult to know where your money is going or where you could be saving.
Managed Print Services can help you better understand your printing expenses, identify opportunities to reduce waste, and make smarter decisions about your equipment.
2. Your Team Spends Too Much Time Troubleshooting
When a printer stops working, someone has to deal with it. That might mean contacting a service provider, ordering supplies, troubleshooting a connection, or helping employees find another device.
These tasks may seem small on their own, but they add up quickly.
If your IT team or office staff is constantly putting out printing fires, those responsibilities take time away from more important projects.
Outsourcing print management can help reduce that burden by providing ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and service support. That means fewer printer headaches and more time for your team to focus on what they do best.
3. You Don't Have a Clear Picture of Your Print Environment
Do you know how many printers your business has, which departments use them most, or how much each device costs to operate?
If not, you’re not alone.
Many businesses have printers that are underused, equipment that no longer meets their needs, or departments spending more on printing than expected.
Without the right information, it’s hard to know what needs to change.
Print management tools can provide greater visibility into device usage, printing activity, and costs. With those insights, you can identify inefficiencies, plan for future needs, and make decisions based on actual usage instead of guesswork.
4. Managing Supplies Has Become a Headache
Running out of toner in the middle of an important project is frustrating. Stocking up on more supplies than you need isn’t ideal either.
Managing supplies across multiple devices can quickly become complicated, especially when employees are responsible for monitoring levels and placing orders themselves.
With Managed Print Services, supply levels can be monitored proactively, helping ensure replacement supplies arrive when they’re needed.
Less time tracking toner means more time keeping work moving.
5. Your Printing Needs Have Changed
As your business grows, your printing needs often change, too.
Maybe you’ve added employees, opened another location, introduced new workflows, or discovered that certain departments need different equipment.
The printers that worked well a few years ago might not be the best fit today.
Outsourcing print management gives you an opportunity to evaluate your current setup, identify gaps, and build a plan that supports your business now and as it grows.
Is It Time to Rethink Your Print Management?
Not sure whether outsourcing makes sense for your business? Start with a few simple questions:
- Do you know how much your business spends on printing each month?
- Does your IT team regularly troubleshoot printer issues?
- Are you frequently running out of supplies or ordering more than you need?
- Can you easily track printing activity across departments or locations?
- Are your current printers keeping up with your team’s needs?
If you answered “no” to some of these questions or recognized a few familiar frustrations, it may be worth taking a closer look at your print environment.
You don’t have to wait until printing becomes a major problem to make a change.
The Benefits of Outsourcing Print Management
Outsourcing print management is about more than having someone else handle your printers. It’s about making printing easier, more predictable, and less time-consuming for everyone.
With the right partner, you can create a print environment that works better for your business and the people who rely on it.
Better Control Over Printing Costs
Understanding where your money goes is the first step toward controlling it.
Managed Print Services can help you monitor device usage, understand operating expenses, and identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary spending.
Instead of reacting to printing costs as they come up, you can make more informed decisions about equipment, supplies, and resources.
More Time for Your Team
Your employees have important work to do. Managing printer supplies, tracking down service issues, and troubleshooting equipment shouldn’t constantly interrupt their day.
By simplifying print management and establishing a more consistent approach to maintenance and service, you can reduce the time your team spends handling everyday printing challenges.
That means more time for your IT team, office staff, and employees to focus on what matters most.c
Improved Visibility and Smarter Decisions
You can’t improve what you can’t see.
With the right print management tools, you can better understand how your devices are being used, where resources are going, and which printers are meeting your needs.
This information helps you identify underused equipment, plan for upgrades, and make smarter decisions about your print environment.
Stronger Print Security
Printers might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about business security, but they can handle plenty of sensitive information.
Customer records, employee documents, financial information, and other confidential materials often pass through office printers.
Depending on your needs, print management solutions can include features such as secure print release, user access controls, and encryption.
These tools help protect sensitive information and give your business greater control over how documents are printed and accessed.
A More Reliable Print Environment
Printing problems rarely happen at a convenient time.
When a device goes down, employees may be unable to finish important tasks or meet deadlines.
Working with an experienced Managed Print Services partner can help you take a more proactive approach to monitoring, maintenance, and service.
The goal is simple: fewer interruptions, less frustration, and printers that are ready when your team needs them.
Real Results: Less Printer Hassle, More Time for IT
For Oakland Community College, managing more than 500 printers and multifunction copiers across five campuses had become a major challenge.
Excess toner was piling up, printer issues were taking valuable time away from IT staff, and equipment downtime was disrupting operations.
Applied Innovation implemented Managed Print Services, taking responsibility for maintenance and supplies across the college’s print environment. The solution also automatically redirected large print jobs to more efficient devices and introduced cloud-based printing that allows students and faculty to print on demand at locations across campus.
The results?
- Immediate 20% savings on supplies
- Dramatically improved printer uptime
- Less time spent managing printers and supplies
- More time for IT staff to focus on critical initiatives
It’s a great example of how the right print management solution can help an organization spend less time dealing with printer problems and more time on what matters.
How Outsourced Print Management Works
Making a change to your print environment doesn’t have to be complicated. The right partner will take the time to understand your business, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop a plan that fits your needs.
Here’s what that process can look like.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Current Print Environment
First, it’s important to understand what you have today.
That includes looking at your printers, printing habits, supply needs, operating costs, and service challenges.
The goal is to identify what’s working, what’s not, and where improvements could make the biggest difference.
Step 2: Identify Opportunities for Improvement
Once you understand your current environment, you can start identifying ways to reduce unnecessary spending, improve equipment placement, strengthen security, and simplify everyday processes.
Every business is different, so recommendations should reflect your specific needs, goals, and budget.
Step 3: Build a Plan That Fits Your Business
Your print management strategy should support the way your business operates.
That might mean making better use of your existing printers, introducing new equipment, simplifying supply management, or improving visibility into printing activity.
The right solution isn’t necessarily the one with the most features. It’s the one that makes work easier for your team.
Step 4: Put the Right Tools in Place
With a plan established, it’s time to put the appropriate technology, services, and processes to work.
Depending on your needs, that could include remote printer monitoring, automated supply replenishment, maintenance support, reporting tools, or additional print security features.
A thoughtful approach helps create a more consistent, reliable print environment without adding unnecessary complexity.
Step 5: Keep Improving
Print management isn’t a one-time project.
As your business grows and your needs change, your print environment should evolve with it.
Ongoing monitoring and regular reviews can help you identify new opportunities, control costs, and make sure your printing setup continues to support your team.
Make Print Management Easier with Applied Innovation
At Applied Innovation, we believe technology should make your workday easier, not give you another problem to solve.
Our Managed Print Services help businesses simplify everyday printing, gain better control over costs, and spend less time dealing with printer issues.
From proactive monitoring and maintenance to supply management and strategic planning, our friendly experts work with you to find the right approach for your business.
And because every organization is different, we’ll help you determine what makes sense for your needs, your budget, and your goals.
Whether you’re managing a handful of printers or hundreds of devices across multiple locations, we’re here to help you make printing one less thing to worry about.
Ready to Take Printer Management Off Your Plate?
Your team has better things to do than troubleshoot printers and chase down toner.
Let’s take a look at your current print environment and find out where we can make things easier.