Tips About Print Management You Need to Know

Print management is one of the most commonly outsourced managed services.

When you choose to outsource print services to a Managed Service Provider (MSP), a third-party takes over the management of your print operations and printer fleet. This approach significantly expands the scope of print management, going beyond traditional document and printing tasks to provide a comprehensive solution.

The Benefit Goes Beyond Printing

While printing is easy to overlook, it routinely impacts other aspects of daily business operations.

Finding a good print management company, or MSP, gives you an experienced advisor to help minimize downtime and increase efficiency and productivity.

The goal of any MSP is to allow their customer or client to focus more time on their core business.

Better Leverage

One main advantage of using specialist services is pricing.

Printing management companies over the years build and nurture relationships with a vast network of printers. By using them regularly, they get better leverage on price than you would approach these vendors from time to time as an individual business.

Be sure, however, to pick a printer that will not simply squeeze suppliers to increase their mark-up. Instead, find reputable printers that can get reasonable prices and high quality.

This aside, a good printer almost becomes part of your team. With time, they become acquainted with your requirements.

Matching the Job to the Right Skills

Printers are not created equal. While some focus on point-of-sale promotional items, others focus on high volume runs on ink and paper. Others specialize in merchandise.

What is expected is that print management companies have access to a network of print techniques and specializations. This means you can comfortably leave it up to them to place various jobs with suitable suppliers.

If you were to handle your printing in-house, you would need to do the legwork. This would mean identifying the suitable printers for different print-outs, from merchandise to the point of sale printing to leaflets and brochures.

Using a print management company leaves the groundwork to the experts. They can verify data security and the financial stability of a printer as well.

IT Supports Going Green

An increasing number of businesses are looking to operate more leanly and more sustainably.

While it’s not often thought about, printing does increase your carbon footprint. If you are looking to be greener in the future, engaging a print management company can help you reduce your carbon footprint.

It can be argued that this merely transfers your footprint. However, print management companies enlist reputable printers with the latest printing tech. This means higher efficiency and reduced wastage.

Improved Tracking

As with any other business, tracking inventory is helpful for budgeting and ensuring continuity.

One of the benefits you can get with a printing management service is web-based access to your stock. This assists with better monitoring and restocking.

Ensure Flexibility

Like any other vendor services and structures you institute in your business, you need to think about flexibility regarding print management.

In this case, you want a company that can scale with you and adjust to your needs quickly, whether this means reducing or increasing printing volumes and/or frequencies.

The print management company you pick will function as a partner. As such, you need it to compliment your business and make the required adjustments as needed. This will be the foundation of a long-term working relationship.

Have Some Insights on Your Printing Volumes

While print management companies are instrumental in running all your printing, this does not necessarily mean you should give up all control.

One thing you should be well versed with is your printing volumes. This is especially important right before you bring a printing management company onboard.

It’s ideal to have an idea of how much your company is ordering. This is for both frequency and volume. This helps with campaign planning and gives you a fuller idea of your costs and where your bargaining power lies.

Storage Matters

Promotional merchandise has to reach your target audience at the right time. If this does not happen, you could lose impact, which is costly.

Part of printing requirements includes communication on distribution and storage.

Printers will often want to deliver consignments as soon as they are complete. Part of the reason for this is that they may not have storage space to keep loads indefinitely.

A valuable service print management companies can extend to you is organizing storage—some own warehouses solely for this purpose.

IT Can Enhance Productivity

Without outsourcing, printing largely becomes a function of your IT department.

Chances are that your IT team could utilize their time much better on different tasks outside of paper jams, breakdowns, and faulty printing.

When you hand over your printing to a printing management company, these cease to be part of your IT team’s role. They can then channel their energies into tasks that will streamline other operations and increase profitability.

Bringing on Print Management

There are a lot of gains to be made by bringing a printing management service on board. These deliver both practical and financial impacts to your business. These tips should help clarify these gains for your business and help you align with the exemplary printing management service.