Managed print services can make office printing easier to budget for, but working out what they actually cost is not always straightforward.
One supplier may quote a monthly charge. Another may separate the printer, servicing and cost-per-page charges. Some agreements include toner and maintenance, while others have minimum print commitments or additional software costs.
The simplest way to understand a managed print services quote is to break it into its individual parts.
Estimated monthly managed print cost = equipment cost + service or management charge + mono printing + colour printing + any additional services
Once you know those figures, comparing proposals becomes much easier.
What Is a Managed Print Service?
A managed print service, often shortened to MPS, is an arrangement where a supplier helps manage some or all of a business’s printing environment.
Depending on the agreement, this can include:
- printers and multifunction devices;
- toner and other consumables;
- maintenance and repairs;
- automatic meter readings;
- remote monitoring;
- automatic toner ordering;
- cost-per-page billing;
- print-management software;
- usage reporting;
- device support; and
- management of several printers across one or more locations.
Not every managed print contract includes all of these services.
That is why two quotes described as “managed print” can have very different prices.
How Much Do Managed Print Services Cost Per Month?
There is no single monthly price that applies to every business.
A company printing 1,000 mostly black-and-white pages each month has very different requirements from a business producing 20,000 pages across several colour multifunction printers.
The main factors affecting the monthly cost are:
- How many pages you print
- How much of that printing is colour
- The number and type of printers required
- Whether equipment is bought, leased or included within the agreement
- What servicing and support are included
- Whether there is a minimum monthly commitment
- Any additional software or print-management services
Rather than asking only, “How much is managed print?”, it is more useful to ask:
What will our total monthly cost be at our actual print volume?
How to Estimate Your Monthly Managed Print Cost
You can make a useful first estimate with four figures:
- your monthly mono page volume;
- your monthly colour page volume;
- the quoted mono cost per page;
- the quoted colour cost per page.
Then add any fixed equipment or service charges.
The basic calculation
Mono pages × mono page rate
Colour pages × colour page rate
Monthly equipment charge
Monthly service or management charge
=
Estimated monthly managed print cost
A simple example
Imagine a business prints:
- 3,000 mono pages per month;
- 500 colour pages per month.
For this example only, assume the proposal shows:
- mono printing: 0.8p per page;
- colour printing: 5p per page;
- equipment: £150 per month;
- service charge: £25 per month.
The calculation would be:
| Cost | Calculation | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mono printing | 3,000 × 0.8p | £24 |
| Colour printing | 500 × 5p | £25 |
| Equipment | Fixed | £150 |
| Service | Fixed | £25 |
| Estimated total | £224 per month |
These figures are illustrative only. They are not a current quote or a statement of what your business should expect to pay.
The point is the calculation.
If you know your volume and page rates, you can start comparing the real cost of different proposals instead of concentrating on one headline figure.
Why Colour Printing Makes Such a Difference
Colour pages normally cost more than mono pages, so the proportion of colour printing can have a significant effect on the monthly bill.
Consider two businesses that both print 5,000 pages every month.
One prints almost everything in black and white.
The other regularly produces colour presentations, marketing material and customer documents.
Their total page volume is identical, but their managed print costs could be quite different.
When requesting a quote, try to provide your mono and colour volumes separately rather than just giving a total number of pages.
If you do not know how much your business currently prints, start by estimating your monthly office print volume.
What Does the Cost Per Page Include?
A cost-per-page charge is sometimes called a click charge.
Depending on the agreement, the page charge may contribute towards:
- toner;
- replacement parts;
- servicing;
- engineer visits;
- preventative maintenance; and
- monitoring of the device.
But you should never assume that everything is included.
Ask the supplier exactly what the page charge covers.
For example:
- Are toner deliveries included?
- Are drums and other replacement parts included?
- Are engineer call-outs included?
- Is there an additional labour charge?
- Are delivery costs charged separately?
- Is there a minimum monthly service charge?
Our guide to printer and photocopier cost per page explains click charges in more detail.
Is the Printer Included in a Managed Print Service?
Sometimes.
Managed print services describe how the printing environment is managed, not necessarily how the equipment itself is financed.
A proposal might involve:
- equipment your business already owns;
- new printers purchased outright;
- leased printers;
- rented equipment; or
- a package combining equipment and support.
This distinction matters.
A quote advertising an attractive cost per page may still include a separate equipment payment.
Always establish whether the quoted monthly figure includes the printer itself.
Watch for Minimum Print Commitments
Some agreements have a minimum monthly or quarterly charge.
For example, you may be committed to paying for a certain number of pages even when you print fewer than that amount.
That can work reasonably well where usage is stable and predictable.
It can be less attractive where print volume fluctuates or is gradually falling.
Before signing, ask:
- Is there a minimum number of pages?
- Is there a minimum monthly service charge?
- What happens if we print less?
- Do unused pages carry forward?
- What happens if we print more?
- Are additional pages charged at the same rate?
A low page rate is less impressive if you are paying for thousands of pages you never use.
Check How Page Charges Can Change
The starting price is not the only figure that matters.
A managed print agreement may run for several years, so check whether the supplier can increase:
- mono page charges;
- colour page charges;
- service fees;
- software subscriptions;
- equipment payments; or
- other management charges.
Ask how increases are calculated and when they can occur.
When comparing two proposals, a slightly cheaper starting price is not necessarily the cheaper option over the full contract term.
Software Can Add to the Cost
Some managed print services include software for features such as:
- secure print release;
- follow-me printing;
- user authentication;
- departmental reporting;
- print quotas;
- cloud printing;
- device monitoring; and
- fleet management.
These features can be useful, particularly for larger organisations or businesses with multiple offices.
But they may also introduce additional licence charges.
Check whether software is charged:
- per user;
- per printer;
- per site;
- as a monthly subscription; or
- as part of the main service agreement.
Also ask what happens to the software and its functionality when the contract ends.
Don’t Compare Cost Per Page in Isolation
Suppose Supplier A offers the lowest colour page rate.
That does not automatically make Supplier A the cheapest overall.
Supplier B might have:
- a lower equipment payment;
- no minimum volume;
- better service coverage;
- no separate software fee; or
- more favourable contract terms.
The best way to compare managed print proposals is to put all the costs side by side.
| Cost to compare | Supplier 1 | Supplier 2 | Supplier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment cost | £ | £ | £ |
| Monthly service charge | £ | £ | £ |
| Mono cost per page | p | p | p |
| Colour cost per page | p | p | p |
| Minimum print commitment | |||
| Software/licence charges | £ | £ | £ |
| Installation | £ | £ | £ |
| Contract length | |||
| Price increases | |||
| End-of-contract costs | £ | £ | £ |
This gives you a much clearer picture than comparing a single monthly number.
Work Out the Cost Over the Full Agreement
Once you have estimated the monthly cost, look at the bigger number too.
If an agreement runs for five years, even relatively small monthly differences can become significant.
For example:
£224 per month × 60 months = £13,440
Again, that is only an illustrative calculation.
Your actual cost will vary as print volume changes, and the agreement may allow some charges to increase.
The important point is to consider the full-term cost, not just the first month’s payment.
What Information Should You Give a Managed Print Supplier?
The more accurate your requirements are, the more useful the quote should be.
Try to provide:
- estimated monthly print volume;
- approximate mono and colour split;
- number of users;
- number of locations;
- number of printers currently in use;
- whether A3 printing is required;
- scanning requirements;
- finishing requirements such as stapling;
- secure-print requirements;
- any existing equipment you want to retain;
- expected support requirements; and
- whether you prefer to buy, lease or rent equipment.
If your supplier knows how your business actually prints, they can propose something based on genuine usage rather than guesswork.
Can Managed Print Services Reduce Printing Costs?
They can, but a managed print contract does not automatically mean lower costs.
Potential savings can come from areas such as:
- replacing inefficient equipment;
- reducing unnecessary printers;
- monitoring page volumes;
- controlling expensive colour printing;
- consolidating toner purchasing;
- reducing administrative work;
- improving maintenance; and
- identifying devices that are being overused or hardly used.
But the numbers still need checking.
A poorly matched agreement, excessive minimum volume or long contract can offset potential savings.
The important question is not simply whether the service is called “managed print”.
It is whether the proposed service makes financial and operational sense for your business.
Questions to Ask Before Signing a Managed Print Agreement
Before committing, ask the supplier:
- What is the total fixed monthly charge?
- What is the mono cost per page?
- What is the colour cost per page?
- What exactly do those page charges include?
- Is there a minimum monthly print commitment?
- Can the page charges increase?
- Can the service charge increase?
- Are toner and replacement parts included?
- Are engineer visits included?
- Are software licences charged separately?
- What happens if our print volume falls?
- What happens if we need another printer?
- How long is the agreement?
- What are the early termination terms?
- What happens to the equipment at the end?
Get the answers in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do managed print services cost per page?
There is no universal managed print cost per page.
The rate depends on the equipment, print volume, colour usage, service package and contract. Mono and colour pages are normally priced separately.
When comparing quotes, calculate the page charges alongside equipment, servicing and any minimum commitments.
How do I calculate monthly managed print costs?
Start with:
Mono pages × mono page rate + colour pages × colour page rate
Then add:
- equipment payments;
- service charges;
- software costs; and
- any other fixed monthly fees.
That gives you a useful estimate of the monthly cost.
Are toner and servicing included in managed print?
They may be, but this depends on the agreement.
Ask the supplier to confirm exactly which consumables, parts, engineer visits and support services are included.
Is managed print the same as leasing a printer?
No.
A printer lease is a way of financing equipment.
Managed print is a service for managing printing, consumables, support, devices or usage. A managed print package may include leased equipment, but the two terms do not mean the same thing.
Is managed print suitable for a small business?
It can be.
The important factors are print volume, number of devices and the level of support required. A small business with one lightly used printer may need a very different arrangement from an organisation with multiple offices and dozens of devices.
Compare Managed Print Quotes Using Your Real Requirements
The easiest way to understand managed print pricing is to stop looking for one universal monthly figure.
Work out:
how much you print + how much is colour + what the equipment costs + what the service includes.
Then compare the complete proposals.
CopierCheck can help you compare business printer, photocopier and managed print options based on your actual requirements.
Provide your approximate print volume, equipment needs and business postcode, and your enquiry can be matched with suitable suppliers.
There is no obligation to accept a quote.