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If you walk into a growing business and see a different printer in every corner, with some new and some barely hanging on, you can usually guess what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s a situation where the print environment is managing the business, not the other way around.
And here’s a stat worth considering as you think about your office: organizations can waste up to 3% of their annual budget on unnecessary printing expenses. If your business doesn’t “own” the print environment, it can hurt your bottom line.
As businesses scale past 15+ devices, this problem will only get worse. A badly managed print environment can lead to costs rising, downtime becoming normal, IT getting buried in random printer tickets, and leadership starting to wonder, “Is this really the best we can do?”
As a print vendor who’s dedicated nearly 40 years to managing all types of print environments, we often face the same concern: Should our print environment be managed internally by IT, or is partnering with a print vendor a better path forward?
Table of Contents
- What Does a Print Environment Really Include?
- Signs Your Print Environment Isn’t Being Properly Managed
- Why IT Usually Manages Printing—and Why It’s So Difficult
- The Hidden Risks and Costs Most Companies Overlook
- What a Well-Managed Print Environment Looks Like
- When to Consider Outsourcing Print Management
- How MPS and Print Management Software Strengthen Your Fleet
- How to Evaluate Whether Your Current Partner Is Doing a Good Job
- Conclusion + Next Step
What Does a Print Environment Really Include?
When most people think of printing, they picture a single MFP in some office corner. But in organizations with 15 or more machines, the “print environment” can be a full ecosystem.
It typically includes:
- Printers and copiers across different departments
- Supplies (toner, ink, drums, waste containers)
- Service workflows
- Security configurations and firmware
- Network visibility and uptime
- Fleet reporting and usage data
- Device placement and optimization
- Automated or manual supply fulfillment
The bigger your environment gets, the more all these moving pieces matter. And when any of them fall through the cracks, it usually shows up as rising costs, frustrated employees, or a very overwhelmed IT team.
Signs Your Print Environment Isn’t Being Properly Managed
We’ve highlighted several red flags that are incredibly common in growing offices. Nearly all of them point to under-management.
Here are the most telling signs:
- A random mix of mismatched desktop printers everywhere
Your office might have an assortment of different makes, models, ages, and supply types. This can create inefficiency and unnecessary expense.
- IT is constantly putting in supply or service tickets
If your printer issues are competing with core IT priorities, that’s usually a sign your environment has outgrown internal management.
- No visibility into devices or their status
Often, this means machines either aren’t network-connected or aren’t reporting to a central system. This can make proactive management impossible.
- Leadership doesn’t know what printing really costs
Or worse, they know, and the numbers are high.
If you can relate to two or more of these, it’s a strong indicator your print environment is functioning reactively instead of strategically.
Why IT Usually Manages Printing and Why It’s So Difficult
In most organizations, printing gets assigned to IT simply because…who else is going to do it?
But, this can create challenges that compound quickly:
- IT is already understaffed and overextended
Modern IT teams manage more than just computers and networks; they’re also responsible for:
- Door access systems
- Security cameras
- Signage
- Environmental systems (lighting, HVAC)
- Various software integrations
Adding printers to that list stretches their capacity even further.
- They’re expected to track every device
Your IT team has to know where each printer is, how old it is, where it sits on the network, who uses it, and whether it’s still worth supporting.
- Supply ordering becomes a constant interruption
If you leave your IT team in charge of supplies, they’re likely going to order three-packs of toner cartridges because they don’t want to revisit the issue next week.
- Fixing printers is low on the priority list
If your business doesn’t have a maintenance plan for your printers and a decade-old printer breaks, IT often doesn’t have time to call the manufacturer or try to fix it themselves. They might be tempted to pick up a new one at a store, which would add yet another model (with its own supply needs) to the mix.
None of this means your IT team is doing a bad job. It means printing has become bigger than what internal staff are realistically able to manage.
If you're looking for practical ways to lighten that burden immediately, here are 6 Ways to Make Your Printing Processes Easier for Your IT Staff.
The Hidden Risks and Costs Most Companies Overlook
Two categories cause the biggest headaches: security and cost.
Security Risks
- Old devices with outdated firmware create network vulnerabilities
- Multiple makes/models make it harder to enforce consistent security
- Larger organizations become more appealing targets for attackers
Cost Risks
- Mismatched printers mean mismatched supplies
- Overordering is common (“just get the 3-pack so I don’t have to deal with this again”)
- New printers replace broken ones, leaving unused supplies behind
Over time, these issues can drain your budgets, and most businesses don’t track it closely enough to recognize it.
What a Well-Managed Print Environment Looks Like
A well-managed environment often includes:
- A standardized fleet (same brand, similar age)
- Devices placed intentionally instead of randomly scattered
- Automated supply fulfillment
- Network-connected devices reporting usage and status
- Accurate historical data for decision-making
- Automated firmware updates and unified security profiles
- Regular fleet reviews (quarterly, biannual, or annual)
- IT teams spending time on strategic projects and not reactive fixes
This is the difference between simply “keeping printers alive” and truly managing an optimized print environment.
When to Consider Outsourcing Print Management
To put it bluntly, businesses should consider working with a print vendor “yesterday.”
But realistically, outsourcing makes the most sense when:
- You have 15 or more devices
- IT is overwhelmed
- You lack visibility into usage or costs
- Printers are mismatched and aging
- Supply management is chaotic
- Your uptime isn’t consistent
- Security requirements are growing
A trusted partner should offer patience, clarity, transparency, and solutions backed by real data.
How MPS and Print Management Software Strengthen Your Fleet
Outsourced print management typically includes two components: a service model (MPS) and supporting software.
Managed Print Services (like STPT’s e-Valet)
MPS centralizes control, streamlines support, and stabilizes costs. Benefits commonly include:
- A single source for service, supplies, and support
- Automated toner replenishment
- Remote diagnostics
- Fleet visibility and optimization
Print Management Software (Y Soft SAFEQ or PaperCut)
For organizations that need more oversight, this adds a deeper layer of control and reporting:
- User authentication and pull printing
- Usage tracking down to the individual
- Rules-based printing to reduce waste
- Cloud or on-premise deployment
- Centralized dashboards for IT and CFO visibility
Depending on your needs, you can choose one or the other. However, MPS and print management software often work best together, especially in environments with 15–500 devices.
How to Evaluate Whether Your Current Partner Is Doing a Good Job
If you already have a vendor, ask yourself:
- Do they give you regular reporting and fleet reviews?
- Are supplies automatically delivered?
- Are your devices standardized or still a mixed bag?
- Is security handled proactively?
- Does your IT team feel relieved or still burdened?
- Has your total print spend decreased or at least stabilized?
- Do they help you right-size and optimize device placement?
If the answer to several of these is “no,” you may have outgrown your current setup.
Your Next Step Toward a Better Print Environment
Your print environment is more than a collection of devices. It’s an operational system that affects cost, security, efficiency, and employee experience.
And, as your organization grows, your print environment should keep up too.
IT can handle the basics, but once you reach 15+ devices, the workload, visibility challenges, and security requirements are often more what an internal team can reasonably manage. A well-structured, consistently supported print environment can help you save money, free up your IT team, and give your leaders the clarity they need to make smarter decisions.
If you’re wondering whether outsourcing could finally bring order (and savings) to your fleet, check out Is Managed Print Services Right for Your Business? (Pros and Cons)
This guide breaks down what to expect, the benefits, the drawbacks, and how to know if you’re a strong candidate for MPS.
