Most businesses know they rely on printers and copiers every day.
What they may not know is how much those devices are actually costing, which machines are being used the most, where service issues are happening, or whether their current setup still makes sense.
That is where a managed print assessment can help.
A managed print assessment gives your business a clearer picture of its print environment. It looks at equipment, usage, supplies, service history, costs, and employee needs to identify opportunities for improvement.
The goal is not just to count printers. The goal is to understand how your office technology supports your team and where it may be creating unnecessary cost, downtime, or frustration.
What Is a Managed Print Assessment?
A managed print assessment is a review of your current print environment.
It typically looks at the printers, copiers, scanners, multifunction devices, supplies, and service processes your business uses every day.
A provider may review:
- How many devices you have
- Where devices are located
- How much each device is used
- Which devices need frequent service
- How toner and supplies are ordered
- Whether desktop printers are driving up costs
- Whether equipment is too old or underused
- Whether employees have the right tools
- Whether multiple locations are being managed consistently
- Where costs may be hidden
The assessment helps turn everyday printing activity into useful information.
Why Businesses Need a Print Assessment
Many businesses make print decisions one at a time.
A department needs a printer, so one gets added. A copier lease comes up, so it gets renewed. A desktop printer breaks, so someone replaces it. Toner runs out, so someone orders more. A service issue happens, so someone calls for help.
Over time, this can create a print environment that is more complicated and expensive than it needs to be.
A print assessment helps answer important questions:
- Do we have the right number of devices?
- Are we spending more than we should?
- Are supplies being managed efficiently?
- Are employees losing time to printer issues?
- Are some devices overworked while others are barely used?
- Are service problems becoming too frequent?
- Are multiple locations following different processes?
- Could we simplify the setup?
Without an assessment, businesses may only see the obvious problems. With an assessment, they can see the full picture.
Step 1: Reviewing the Current Equipment
The first part of a managed print assessment is usually an equipment review.
This includes identifying the printers, copiers, scanners, and multifunction devices currently in use.
The review may look at:
- Device make and model
- Device age
- Location
- Primary users or departments
- Print, scan, and copy capabilities
- Color or black-and-white usage
- Current condition
- Service needs
- Whether the device is leased, owned, or unsupported
This helps determine whether each device still fits the needs of the business.
For example, a high-volume department may be relying on a machine that is too small for its workload. Another area may have a device that is barely used. A desktop printer may be convenient but expensive to operate.
The equipment review helps identify those mismatches.
Step 2: Looking at Print Volume and Usage
A managed print assessment should also look at actual usage.
Print volume can reveal whether equipment is being used efficiently. It can show which departments print the most, which devices are overused, and where there may be opportunities to reduce unnecessary output.
Usage review may include:
- Monthly print volume
- Black-and-white volume
- Color volume
- Copy volume
- Scan volume
- Peak usage times
- Department-level patterns
- Location-level patterns
This matters because the right equipment depends on actual usage.
A device that is perfect for one office may be a poor fit for another. A business cannot make smart print decisions without knowing how the equipment is being used.
Step 3: Evaluating Service History
Service history can reveal patterns that may not be obvious day to day.
One service call may not be a major concern. But repeated calls on the same device could point to a bigger issue.
A managed print assessment may review:
- Which devices require the most service
- What issues are recurring
- How often downtime happens
- Whether parts are becoming harder to source
- Whether the machine is aging out
- Whether employees are reporting the same problems repeatedly
This helps determine whether a device should be repaired, replaced, moved, or reviewed more closely.
It also helps businesses avoid staying in a cycle of repeated repairs when a better solution may be available.
Step 4: Reviewing Supplies and Toner Management
Toner and supplies are often a hidden source of cost and frustration.
Some businesses run out unexpectedly. Others over-order and end up with unused supplies sitting in storage. In multi-location businesses, each location may manage supplies differently, making costs harder to track.
A managed print assessment may look at:
- How supplies are currently ordered
- Who is responsible for ordering
- Whether toner is being overused
- Whether supplies are sitting unused
- Whether the right supplies are being used
- Whether supply ordering can be automated or simplified
- Whether multiple locations have inconsistent processes
Better supply management helps reduce interruptions and keeps employees from spending unnecessary time tracking toner.
Step 5: Identifying Hidden Costs
The cost of printing is not always obvious.
Businesses may know the monthly lease or service contract cost, but they may not know the full cost of desktop printers, toner, service calls, wasted paper, employee troubleshooting time, and downtime.
A print assessment helps identify costs such as:
- Expensive desktop printer cartridges
- Unnecessary color printing
- Frequent service calls
- Overused equipment
- Underused equipment
- Emergency supply orders
- Duplicate devices
- Employee time spent fixing issues
- Downtime caused by unreliable machines
Once those costs are visible, the business can make better decisions about where to adjust.
Step 6: Reviewing Device Placement
Sometimes the issue is not the device itself. It is where the device is located.
If employees have to walk too far, they may use a less efficient desktop printer instead. If a busy department shares a device with too many users, bottlenecks may happen. If a machine is placed in an inconvenient area, employees may create workarounds.
A managed print assessment may review whether devices are placed in the right locations based on actual usage and employee needs.
Better placement can improve productivity and reduce unnecessary printing habits.
Step 7: Considering Security Needs
Printers and copiers often handle sensitive documents.
A managed print assessment can also include a security review, especially for businesses that handle customer records, employee information, financial documents, legal files, healthcare records, or confidential business documents.
Security questions may include:
- Are sensitive documents left in output trays?
- Do users need secure print release?
- Are scan destinations properly controlled?
- Are employees authenticated before using certain features?
- Are older devices creating security concerns?
- Are multiple locations following consistent document handling practices?
Print security does not need to be complicated, but it should be part of the larger technology conversation.
Step 8: Looking for Workflow Opportunities
A print assessment may also uncover document workflow issues.
For example, employees may print documents only to scan them again. Invoices may be routed manually. Purchase orders may be matched by hand. Scanned documents may be hard to find later. Faxing may still depend on traditional phone lines.
These issues are not always printer problems. They are workflow problems.
A managed print assessment can help identify whether the business may benefit from:
- Document management
- Workflow automation
- Cloud faxing
- Secure scanning
- Better file storage
- Approval routing
- Print rules or user controls
This helps the business look beyond devices and think about how information moves through the organization.
Step 9: Creating Recommendations
After reviewing the print environment, the provider should be able to recommend practical next steps.
Those recommendations may include:
- Replacing aging equipment
- Removing unnecessary devices
- Consolidating desktop printers
- Moving devices to better locations
- Adjusting service plans
- Improving supply management
- Standardizing equipment across locations
- Adding secure print features
- Reviewing document workflows
- Planning for future lease expirations
- Creating a managed print program
The recommendations should be based on the business’s needs, not a generic template.
A good assessment should help the customer understand what is working, what is not, and what changes may create the most value.
What Businesses Should Prepare Before an Assessment
To get the most from a managed print assessment, businesses may want to gather:
- A list of current printers and copiers
- Current lease or service agreements
- Recent supply costs
- Common employee complaints
- Known service issues
- Locations or departments with the highest print needs
- Any upcoming lease end dates
- Security or compliance concerns
- Workflow frustrations related to scanning, faxing, or document storage
Even if this information is not complete, the assessment can help fill in the gaps.
Signs Your Business Should Schedule a Managed Print Assessment
A managed print assessment may be helpful if:
- You do not know how many printers you have
- Toner ordering feels inconsistent
- Employees frequently complain about printer issues
- Service calls are increasing
- Print costs seem unclear
- Desktop printers are spread throughout the office
- You have multiple locations
- Your copier lease is coming up for renewal
- Your team is trying to reduce costs
- You are looking for better document workflows
- You are unsure whether your current setup still fits
If any of these sound familiar, a print assessment can give you the information needed to make a smarter decision.
The Bottom Line
A managed print assessment helps businesses understand their printers, copiers, supplies, service needs, costs, and workflows more clearly.
Instead of making decisions based on assumptions, businesses can use real information to improve service, control costs, reduce downtime, and support employees more effectively.
For many organizations, the assessment is the first step toward a more reliable and efficient print environment.
It helps answer a simple but important question:
Is your current print setup helping your business, or is it quietly creating extra work?