Is Managed Print Services Right for Your Business? (Pros and Cons)

Submitted by Mary Shamburger on Fri, 25 Jul 2025 - 08:04

You’re constantly reordering toner, dealing with jammed printers, or trying to make sense of confusing supply invoices. Meanwhile, your IT team is drowning in support tickets that all read: “The printer isn’t working. Again.”

One way to reduce your business’s expenses is by using Managed Print Services (MPS) for your fleet of printers.

We’ve helped hundreds of businesses and organizations streamline their print environments. And in this blog, we’re breaking down the pros and cons of MPS to help you figure out if it’s the right fit for you.

What Are Managed Print Services?

Managed Print Services (MPS) means outsourcing the management of your printers, copiers, and related supplies to a trusted vendor. It’s kind of like IT for your printers.

At STPT, we call our MPS offering eValet. It includes:

Proactive maintenance and service
Automatic toner shipments
Usage tracking and analytics
One invoice for everything
A dedicated local support team

Keep in mind that a managed print service's features and requirements vary by provider. Some may require a minimum of 15 devices, and many exclude Inkjet printers or non-networked devices.

To monitor employee printing and set limits, external print management software like Y-Soft or PaperCut is often necessary.

Read our blog defining managed print services to learn more.

Want a quick look at your print setup right now? Download our free print environment tool to get instant insights into your devices, costs, and needs.

The Pros of Managed Print Services for Businesses

1. Reduced Printing Costs

MPS helps you cut waste by tracking how much is being printed and where. With usage reports and analytics, you can pinpoint where to tighten budgets. With auto-toner shipments, you also avoid over-ordering supplies you don’t need, or panic-buying toner when you’ve already got some buried in a cabinet.

Vendors like STPT combine supplies, service, and support into one monthly invoice, making it easier to plan and stick to your budget.

Plus, if you want to take managed print a step further, you can purchase external print management software. External software can help you set limits on employee printing and cut costs.

For example, you could cap each person at 1,000 pages per month; once they reach that limit, printing stops for the rest of the month. This is especially useful if you want to cut down on expenses, since color printing costs more than black-and-white. Tracking print jobs not only saves money but also keeps your printing habits in check, making your office run more efficiently.

To learn more about print management software, read these blogs:

2. Less Burden on IT Teams

Your IT team already has plenty on their plate. From network security to software updates and user support, you name it. MPS takes printer management off their shoulders.

Here’s how:

Asset optimization: MPS helps streamline your fleet, ensuring you’re not maintaining too many devices or the wrong types for your needs.
Standardization: Standardizing your printer fleet across locations helps reduce complexity, improve security, and makes training and support easier for everyone.
Onsite service technicians: If something breaks, you’re not scrambling to find help. STPT provides fast, in-house technician support to keep your devices running without IT having to step in.

MPS offloads those tasks. With eValet, for instance, we monitor devices for issues remotely, often resolving problems before your team even notices. Plus, print drivers and updates can be managed remotely. You no longer have to install drivers one by one across your network.

3. Improved Security, Even for Hybrid Workplaces

Every printer on your network is a potential doorway for cybercriminals. In fact, a CyberNews experiment showed how thousands of unsecured printers around the world could be hijacked to print spam or malicious content.

MPS improves your security posture by:

Ensuring firmware updates are regularly applied
Retiring older or non-networked printers that no longer meet compliance or security standards
Reducing the number of unmanaged printers (fewer endpoints = fewer vulnerabilities)
Controlling who can access your devices, especially in shared environments

This is particularly critical for industries like healthcare, education, and law, where compliance and data protection are non-negotiable.

A 2024 Quocirca study found that MPS can help apply print controls even to remote and home office devices, which often lack corporate-level security.

With tools like Xerox’s security platform, we ensure that data stays protected, whether it’s coming from a main office, school, or someone’s spare bedroom.

4. Simplified Supply Management

No more ordering toner manually. Our software tracks toner levels and triggers auto shipments when you're running low. Plus, you get:

One vendor
One invoice
One point of contact

5. Sustainability Wins

Printing isn’t always known for being eco-friendly. However, if you’re a business that prioritizes the environment, Managed Print Services (MPS) combined with the right tools and strategies can help you reduce your environmental footprint in meaningful ways.

First, MPS providers like STPT (through our eValet program) often include toner recycling programs. That means your used cartridges don’t end up in a landfill. Instead, they’re returned, remanufactured, or properly recycled through the manufacturer’s green initiatives. It's easy to participate, and it adds up over time.

Second, MPS helps reduce energy consumption by consolidating multiple old or inefficient printers into a standardized, right-sized fleet. Newer multifunction printers use significantly less power than outdated machines, and when you replace five power-hungry devices with one efficient one, the savings are real (and so are the carbon reductions).

Third, let’s talk paper. MPS enables better print rules and user behavior, like defaulting to duplex printing, limiting unnecessary color output, and tracking print volume. All of this encourages less wasteful habits and helps your team be more mindful about what they’re printing.

If sustainability is a priority for your organization and let’s face it, it should be, MPS is a great way to align your print environment with your green goals.

Read our blog about how to recycle toner cartridges and other printing supplies to learn more.

The Cons

1. MPS Isn’t for Every Office

To implement a Managed Print Service (MPS), you must first meet the criteria for it. Your organization typically needs a fleet of about 15 or more modern printers, mostly laser models, as older Inkjet printers usually don’t qualify. Your print volume should also justify the potential benefits.

If you meet the criteria, you're likely eligible for an MPS contract. However, if you only have one or two small printers and print infrequently, the cost of an MPS program might outweigh the benefits, making it unnecessary or unsuitable. Understanding these basics helps you determine if MPS is the right choice for your organization.

That’s why we recommend starting with a free print environment analysis tool. It gives you a no-pressure way to see what you have and how much you’re printing before committing to a service.

2. Some Features May Cost Extra

A typical MPS contract does not easily allow you to track employee printing habits or limit function usage.

If you want granular controls (like user-based printing limits or departmental tracking), it may require investing in print management software like YSoft or PaperCut.

3. Change Can Be Tough

Say you’re a business interested in investing in print management software that enables function tracking.

Employees might initially resist changes like print tracking or standardized settings. It may be helpful to ask if they're comfortable with their printing habits being monitored and recorded before implementing the software. However, with proper onboarding, that resistance typically fades fast.

How Do I Know If MPS Is Right for My Business?

Here are some signs it might be time:

You have 10+ networked printers or a large fleet
You’re not sure how much you spend on printing
Your IT team is constantly troubleshooting printers
You have multiple brands, vendors, and invoices
You want to cut printing waste or improve security

If this sounds like you, it might be worth starting with a quick print assessment.

Try Our Free Print Environment Tool

Want a no-pressure way to learn about your printing setup? Our free print management tool scans your devices and gives you visibility into:

How many devices you have
How much you’re printing
Which printers are used most (or least)
Where your costs are coming from

It’s a great first step to see whether MPS could save you money and hassle.

Curious About the Cost of MPS for Your Business?

If you’ve read this far, you’re likely evaluating whether Managed Print Services are the right fit for your company. But a key question probably still remains: what will this actually cost?

We’ve simplified the key factors that influence MPS pricing and what your business can expect.