How managed print is priced.

The common pricing structures

Most managed print agreements are built from a small set of components. Providers combine them in different ways, and the names vary, but the underlying pieces are similar.

• Per-page charges: a rate for each page printed or copied, almost always split into a mono rate and a higher colour rate
• A fixed monthly charge: a regular amount that covers device supply, service or both, regardless of how much you print that month
• A minimum monthly volume: a commitment to pay for a set number of pages each month, even if you print fewer
• Excess or overage pages: pages above the included or minimum volume, charged at the per-page rate or a separate rate
• Device supply: devices either included in the agreement and recovered through the monthly and per-page charges, or financed under a separate rental or lease
• One-off charges: installation, configuration, training or the removal of existing devices, sometimes quoted separately

Device supply: included or financed separately

One of the biggest structural differences between quotes is how the devices themselves are paid for. In some agreements the provider supplies the devices and recovers their cost through the monthly charge and per-page rates, so there is one invoice for everything. In others, the devices sit under a separate finance agreement with its own term, and the managed print agreement covers only the service, consumables and pages.

Neither approach is right for every organisation. A single bundled price is simpler to manage and budget. A separate finance agreement can make the device cost more visible, but it means two agreements with two sets of terms and possibly two end dates. When you compare quotes, check which model each one uses, and if a device cost is quoted separately, add it back in before comparing totals. How either option is treated in your accounts is a question for your accountant or finance team.

What is usually included, and what usually is not

Inclusions vary between providers, so the safest approach is to ask for them in writing. In general, a managed print agreement usually covers the running costs of keeping devices working.

• Usually included: toner and other consumables, servicing and repairs, replacement parts, and remote monitoring of device status
• Often included: automatic supply delivery, scheduled maintenance, a help desk or service portal, and regular usage reporting
• Usually not included: paper, staples and other media, unless stated
• Often charged separately: moving devices between sites, adding new devices part-way through, software licences for print management or secure release, and work caused by damage or misuse
• Worth confirming: whether out-of-hours support, loan devices during repairs and the removal of old equipment are covered

What drives the price

Managed print prices depend on the environment being managed. There is no meaningful standard rate, because the same service costs a provider very different amounts to deliver in different organisations. These are the factors that usually make the most difference.

• Volume: how many pages you produce each month, and how steady that is across the year
• Colour mix: the share of your printing that is colour, which costs more to supply than mono
• Device count: how many devices are in the fleet, including small desktop printers that print very little
• Device age and type: older devices tend to need more servicing, and high-volume or specialist devices cost more to supply
• Service levels: how quickly faults must be responded to and fixed, and whether support is needed outside business hours
• Sites: how many locations there are and how far apart, which affects technician travel and supply delivery
• Security and software: secure release, audit trails, cloud print or scanning workflows, if they are part of the agreement

How to compare quotes like for like

Quotes are easiest to compare when every provider is pricing the same thing. Give each one the same device list, the same monthly volumes split into mono and colour, and the same service expectations. Then convert each quote into two figures: a blended cost per page, and a total cost over the full term.

Cost per page is a useful measure because it puts different structures on a common basis. Take everything you would pay in a typical month, including fixed charges and device finance, and divide it by the pages you actually expect to print. A low per-page rate with a high fixed charge can work out more expensive than a higher rate with no fixed charge, and the reverse is also true. Total cost over the term then shows the commitment as a whole, including one-off charges and anything that changes during the agreement.

• Check how pages are counted, for example whether a double-sided sheet counts as one page or two, and how large-format pages are treated
• Check whether minimum volumes are realistic, or whether you would be paying for pages you do not print
• Check whether rates can change during the term, and on what basis
• Check what happens to the price if you add or remove devices, or open or close a site
• Ask each provider to state its inclusions and exclusions in the same format, so gaps are easy to see

Starting with a baseline

The hardest part of comparing managed print prices is often knowing what printing costs today. Costs are usually spread across lease payments, toner orders, service calls, IT time and several supplier invoices, and few organisations have them in one place. Without that baseline, it is difficult to judge whether any quote represents value.

Our free, no-obligation fleet assessment builds that baseline. It records the devices you have, the volumes they produce and what they currently cost to run, which gives you a fair basis for comparing any proposal, including ours. If you choose to work with us, Fleet Command Centre then tracks toner levels, page volumes, device health and cost per page for every device, and monthly reporting covers usage, cost per page, environmental impact and SLA performance, so you can see whether the numbers hold up.