Managed print services: How smarter printer monitoring takes work off your team

If someone on your team is still checking toner levels, ordering cartridges at the last minute, submitting meter readings or fielding routine printer issues, you’re spending valuable time managing something that should largely manage itself.

That’s one of the biggest advantages of managed print services. Instead of waiting for a printer to run out of toner or relying on someone to remember another administrative task, businesses can use monitoring technology to keep a closer eye on their print environment and automate much of the routine work behind it.

At PERRY proTECH, one of the ways we do that is through ReadiShip — our managed print monitoring solution designed to make meters, toner monitoring and supply fulfillment easier for businesses across Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

What are managed print services?

Managed print services, often shortened to MPS, are a way for businesses to outsource some or all of the work involved in managing printers, multifunction devices, supplies, service and print usage.

Rather than treating every printer as an individual piece of office equipment, a managed print service provider looks at the print environment as a whole.

That can include monitoring devices, tracking usage, managing supplies, servicing equipment, evaluating costs and helping determine whether the current printer fleet still makes sense for the organization.

The goal isn’t simply to sell toner or fix printers when they break.

A good managed print solution should make the entire environment easier to manage.

For IT departments, that can mean fewer printer-related tasks competing with larger technology priorities. For business owners and department leaders, it can mean greater visibility and fewer interruptions caused by something as simple as an empty toner cartridge.

How do managed print services work?

The exact approach varies by provider, but modern managed printing services typically combine equipment, service and printer monitoring software.

That monitoring component is particularly important.

Instead of relying entirely on employees to report problems or check supply levels, technology can provide information about the devices throughout the organization.

With ReadiShip, PERRY proTECH uses MPS Monitor technology and a lightweight Data Collection Agent, or DCA, installed within the customer’s network. The DCA communicates with supported printers and multifunction devices and provides PERRY with the information needed to help manage those devices.

This creates a simple flow:

Your printers provide device information → ReadiShip monitors it → PERRY proTECH uses that information to help manage meters and supplies.

Once it’s set up, much of this happens quietly in the background.

The hidden problem with an unmanaged printer fleet

Most organizations don’t think very much about printing when everything is working.

That’s exactly why managing it can become surprisingly inefficient.

Toner gets ordered when someone notices a cartridge is almost empty. Meter readings become another recurring administrative task. Printer issues get routed to IT because somebody has to deal with them.

None of those tasks is especially complicated.

Together, however, they create a steady stream of small interruptions.

And print remains far from obsolete. Quocirca’s 2026 Print Security Landscape study found that 8 out of 10 organizations surveyed still rely on print to support key business processes.

For an IT team already responsible for cybersecurity, networks, Microsoft 365, users, devices and everything else connected to the business, spending time checking printers isn’t exactly the highest-value use of the day.

That’s where print fleet management becomes valuable: routine work can happen proactively instead of reactively.

How ReadiShip makes managed print services easier

ReadiShip focuses on a few of the repetitive parts of printer management that businesses shouldn’t have to think about constantly.

Automated meter reporting

ReadiShip captures applicable device meter information and transmits it to PERRY proTECH.

That reduces the need for someone at your business to manually submit routine meter readings through a web portal, email or phone. It also helps PERRY maintain more accurate and timely billing information.

One less reminder. One less spreadsheet. One less recurring task.

Toner monitoring

ReadiShip also monitors applicable toner and supply levels.

Instead of waiting for an employee to discover that toner is running low, the system can use supply levels and usage information to estimate when a replacement will be needed.

Automatic toner replenishment through AutoShip

This is where monitoring turns into action.

ReadiShip’s AutoShip process evaluates supply levels and usage to calculate when toner is expected to run out. PERRY proTECH places an AutoShip order within 21 days of the calculated empty date or when the device reaches the applicable supply-level threshold, whichever occurs first.

The idea isn’t to fill a supply closet with toner.

It’s to help get the right toner to the right location at the right time.

For businesses managing multiple printers or locations, that can eliminate a surprisingly annoying part of the workday.

Device visibility

ReadiShip can also collect useful device information such as meter and page counts, toner levels, device alerts, manufacturer and model, serial number, firmware information and device configuration.

That gives PERRY better visibility into supported devices without requiring someone at your business to manually report every detail.

Want to see exactly how ReadiShip works?

We’ve put together a complete ReadiShip guide covering AutoShip, device monitoring, security, network requirements and what your team should expect after setup.

Does printer monitoring mean someone can see what we’re printing?

This is an important question, especially for IT and security teams.

With ReadiShip, the answer is no.

The standard monitoring process is designed to collect device information, not the content moving through the device.

ReadiShip does not monitor employee web browsing or general network traffic. It does not collect the content of printed or scanned documents, document filenames or personally identifiable print-job information as part of PERRY proTECH’s standard monitoring.

Think of it less like watching what the printer is printing and more like monitoring the printer itself:

• How many pages has it produced?
• How much toner is left?
• Is it reporting an error?
• What model is it?
• What is its current configuration?

That’s the information needed to manage the device.

What about network security?

ReadiShip’s MPS Monitor Data Collection Agent operates inside the customer’s network.

An important distinction is that communication with the MPS Monitor cloud is initiated by the DCA from within the customer’s network. PERRY’s standard deployment does not depend on an unsolicited inbound cloud connection to the DCA.

MPS Monitor also maintains an information security framework that includes ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type 2 and CSA STAR Level 2 attestations or certifications. Those credentials apply to the MPS Monitor platform and should not be interpreted as certifications held directly by PERRY proTECH.

That technical distinction matters because printers are connected technology.

Quocirca’s 2026 research found that 67% of the organizations surveyed in the U.S., UK, France and Germany experienced at least one print-related data-loss incident in the previous year. That doesn’t mean monitoring alone solves print security, but it reinforces why printers shouldn’t be treated as invisible boxes sitting in the corner of the network.

Visibility matters.

Are managed print services worth it?

For businesses with only one or two printers and very little print volume, a full managed print program may not always be necessary.

The value increases as the print environment becomes larger or more difficult to manage.

If your organization has multiple printers, several locations, frequent toner orders, a busy IT department or limited visibility into print usage, managed print services can remove a meaningful amount of routine work.

The benefit isn’t simply cheaper toner.

It’s the cumulative value of having fewer things your employees need to remember, monitor, troubleshoot and manually manage.

That’s why the best way to evaluate an MPS program is to look beyond the monthly price and ask:

How much time are we currently spending managing this ourselves?

How much do managed print services cost?

There isn’t one standard managed print services cost because print environments vary considerably.

Pricing may depend on the number and type of devices, print volume, service requirements, supplies, existing equipment and the level of management included.

A business with five relatively new printers has very different needs from an organization managing dozens of devices across several locations.

Instead of comparing only monthly prices, ask a prospective managed print service provider to help you understand your total cost of ownership and exactly what is included.

That provides a much more useful comparison than looking at toner or equipment costs in isolation.

How do you choose a managed print service provider?

Start with how much the provider wants to understand your current environment.

A strong provider should be able to explain what’s being monitored, what isn’t, how supplies are handled, what happens when something goes wrong and what your internal team will still be responsible for.

Technology also matters.

Look for a provider using managed print services software or printer monitoring software that gives them real visibility into the devices they’re responsible for rather than relying entirely on customers to report problems manually.

And don’t overlook support.

Automation should reduce the amount of work your team handles. It shouldn’t make getting help harder when you actually need a person.

Managed print should make printing less noticeable

The strange thing about a good print environment is that you shouldn’t have to think about it very often.

The printer works.

The meter gets reported.

Toner arrives when it’s needed.

And your IT team gets to spend its time on work that actually requires an IT team.

That’s ultimately what ReadiShip is designed to accomplish.

For PERRY proTECH customers across Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, ReadiShip combines behind-the-scenes printer monitoring with the people and processes needed to turn that information into proactive support.

Your printers may never become the most exciting technology in your business.

That’s fine.

They just shouldn’t be the technology that keeps interrupting it.

Take some printer management off your team’s plate

Want a closer look at how ReadiShip monitors devices, handles AutoShip and communicates securely with your network?

Download our full guide for the customer-friendly overview and the technical details your IT team will want to see.