Interest in Managed Print Service programs (MPS) is increasing due to the necessity of cost savings, increasing printing complexity and the ever changing and varied needs of different customers.

MPS, or fleet management, refers to the outsourcing of a company’s imaging products. It is an offer from the vendor to take-over certain services which were previously carried out by the customers’ staff. The depth of out-sourcing can range from simply purchasing all consumables from one source, to having a vendor employee on-site to manage an entire fleet of products.

Maintenance, printing and staff cost reductions as well as control of resources is initially the two main reasons why a company installs a MPS. Only after these needs are satisfied is an end-user company usually interested in focusing on business process improvement in their organisation.

The MPS market is shifting to an IT-controlled, printer-based, MFP-centric environment. Since MPS contracts typically cover an entire fleet, this has significant consequences for vendors who are behind the curve with their IT-penetration, such as those who have traditionally sold through the copier channel,” commented Photizo CEO Edward Crowley. The Photizo Group estimates that the U.S MPS market is