Go to http://www.managed-print-services.com to learn more about this niche and the new trade association that is being formed to help users, vendors (HW & SW), consultants, and the support media better understand the dynamics.

The inaugrial Managed Print Services Conference was held April 26-28, 2009 in San Antonio. Highlights of this gathering with case studies and success principles can be downloaded as a courtesy from my website (www.clintbolte.com) under conference highlight articles.

Now for the opportunity that national trade associations could be focusing on…

Corporations universally are having a difficult time making the transition from the Purchasing Department’s economy of scale copier fleet purchasing (hardware as well as expendables) mind set to that being envisioned as Managed Print Services. There literally is a major corporate cultural shift to getting the entire white collar work force to print “less” off their networked MFDs (while literally giving up their desktop printers, scanners, and fax units-all of which are more expensive!). The print “less” comes from imbedded software that defaults to duplex printing, encourages PDF “printing” and distribution via e-mail.

The corporate responsibility for implementing the new MPS concept is gravitating from the Purchasing Department to the IT Department. This is often a mistake as few IT folks are heavy into “interpersonal corporate cultural change.” IT is typically into standardization and do-it-my-way.

The logical partner for the IT Department to pull this winner off is the in-plant printing operation. The thorough training, hand-holding, and customer service that has become second nature to good in-plants is the missing link that corporations of all size need to make this work.

PIA and NAPL both have many in-plants as members and MPS can be a bonanza for these folks. IPMA, ACUP, NGPA, and the other various in-plant associations are no doubt getting up to speed quickly to help their members be prepared.

Hopefully the printing industry will learn much more about this new niche arena, Managed Print Services, at Print ‘09 and possibly at the Executive Outlook Conference held the day before Print ‘09 starts.

Large companies have a difficult time purchasing, storing and deploying consumables (i.e., toner cartridges), and often either run out during business hours or end up losing track of consumables and then throw them out(to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars) when discover them in a closet after they’ve expired. Managing print drivers is a big hassle for corporations, too, when they use many different printers

It’s only by cooperating on the basis of standards that millions and millions of Print pieces can be delivered merely by using the excess capacity that is out there.

1000 PSPs each producing 10,000 pieces should not be disruptive to any one PSP. Putting it all together gets 10 million pieces delivered in a couple of days.

Maybe one useful way to think about the possibilities is through the lens of a “printernet” to compliment the internet.

If MPS within the enterprise is connected to networks of PSPs outside the network, the user can get the experience of 1 copy on the desktop, 30 copies at the workgroup MFP (multi function printer) 300 copies at the in house and 3000+ copies at a networked PSP.

If large networks of PSPs could work under standardized process and quality standards, such as IPA and GraCol have been working on for years, that would finally enable a real distribute and print functionality.

I read recently that infoprint has 50 installations of their continuous form inkjet. HP has a huge installed Indigo base as does Xerox. CGX has PSP’s spread all over the globe. AlphaGraphic and the other franchises have a huge reach.

If any of them were able to move work into their network it would be possible for a user to deliver and print millions of print pieces in a couple of days with a minimal carbon footprint.

I have to believe that the global brands would jump at the chance if it could be offered in one package with single buy point.

If information rich QR codes are in the mix, that amount of useful data the global could harvest would rival anything they can get from the web.

What every company does is searching for ways to save money in order to invest into growth. And who drives growth? Marketing and sales.
A company that is able to reinvest the money that is saved with Managed Print Services into growth will be more successful than without using this solution.
More money to invest means more money for marketing and marketing is what developes the ideas and creates the work for commercial printers.

Why do I think the HP approach is different?

I think the problem is not the service, the problem is what you do with it. I agree that Xerox (just to name one) for instance, and as mentioned in a recent comment, took business away from its commercial clients. But that did not happen because of Managed Print Services. It happened because there was almost no difference in the output. They simply placed the same system they sold to commercial printers at their enterprise clients. Many other vendors do that too. Commercial printers run DC250s, enterprises too. The Canon 7000, 6000 and C1 have the same print engine with the same output quality just with different speed, and i could go on… They are placed from big commercial printers to SMBs. If you can create the same output quality yourself for less cost – Why not?
I worked for one of those vendors and the approach was: Sell the big systems to the big printers and tell the agencies or SMBs that they can save a lot of money by printing stuff in-house with the same quality but much cheaper.

Is this likely to happen with HP?
I don’t know, but most probably not. I do not see a “Mini Indigo for internal use” on the horizon. And this is what I believe makes a big difference. As long as technology like Indigo (the commercial press of HP) will not be matched with small in-house devices, and as far as I know that did not happen yet nor will it happen soon, I see no big problem for commercial printers.

Are there or will there be Indigos in enterprise accounts? Yes, because there are also offset systems in enterprise accounts, but I believe that this will rather be the exception than the norm.
Will this take away a lot of business from commercial printers? I honestly don’t think so.

I rather see a lot of benefits for commercial printers with digital capabilities. Managed Print Services, combined with intelligent Web2Print solutions to a commercial printer can be a big benefit for all involved. It’s just a matter how to address this.

Will it be likely that HP Indigo clients benefit more than other commercial printers with digital equipment?
Yes, but if Canon or who ever would do that, they would also prefer their clients.

I don’t understand why the PIA spends time and money on a train that has already left the station. For the 95% of printers that Printing Office is talking to, this is a non issue. Very few of them have the ability, time or skill set to get into MPS. The players are HP, Ricoh, and Xerox.

If printers want to get into this sector, they might want to get in touch with what used to be called “copier” outfits. The buzz there is all about becoming “service providers.” In their case it’s Managed Print Services, instead of Marketing Service Providers. MPS or MSP it’s all about saving time, money and energy. If independent printers got together with independent copier companies, the HP could chase the globals and we could pick up all the local and regional enterprises.

The print services that drive this are not mostly purchased commercial print. That’s small potatoes compared to the money that is wasted on printing within the enterprise.

I’m sure decisions being made at HP have a lot to do with the current business climate. Everyone’s sales are down and so we all look for ways to increase sales. However, I think they are potentially going to lose long term business to increase short term sales.