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For most businesses — both medium and large in size — printing costs represent a large annual expenditure. Yet they are largely undocumented, unpredictable and, often times, out of control. There are two potential ways to bring printer sprawl under control: do the difficult and potentially costly work in-house or turn to outsiders with expertise in optimizing printer infrastructure. The latter of those two approaches can include CDW’s Managed Print Services (MPS). This customizable offering provides a flexible, hassle-free way to procure all of your printing hardware, supplies, service and support in one convenient, bundled solution.

CDW offers services that help businesses run an efficient, well managed printer infrastructure with an eye toward managing and controlling their costs. The idea is to have companies sign an MPS agreement for their entire printer fleet — costs which include maintenance and supplies — for a set monthly fee. “One fixed monthly payment is vital in today’s world,” says Joe Buedel, managed print services program manager for CDW’s HP Managed Printing Services. “It’s hard to budget in this economy as it is,” he says. “To know a firm is not spending a large amount of money up front is a big benefit.” With flexible terms and level monthly payments, the program allows businesses to leverage all of the productivity and moneysaving benefits built into the latest printer technology, while at the same time helping manage costs and conserve capital.

CDW’s managed print specialists will assess the firm’s current printer infrastructure. This includes both physical printer configuration as well as usage patterns. This data will then be analyzed to determine future needs. They’ll then recommend the correct mix of printers based on number of employees, office configuration, usage patterns and security needs. Key goals include minimizing the number of devices and maximizing their productivity. The analysis includes an estimate of the number of toner and ink cartridges that will be needed over the life of the contract — terms last from 12 to 60 months. Businesses pay for what they use, with no minimums and no escalators. “If you go over the limit [on consumables], you pay only for the extra supplies used,” Buedel explains. “If you are under the limit at the end of the contract we can credit the difference to a new MPS contract.”