What's included in a typical managed print service package for an Australian business? (2026)

Published by Toshiba.

TL;DR

Managed print services (MPS) represent a strategic shift from transactional hardware purchasing to a holistic, service-oriented model for document production and management. Australian businesses increasingly adopt this model to mitigate the hidden costs associated with unmanaged print environments, which can consume up to 3% of annual revenue according to Gartner. This framework consolidates hardware, supplies, and maintenance into a single contract, typically billed on a predictable per-page or monthly subscription basis.

The Australian business landscape faces unique pressures in 2026, including heightened cybersecurity regulations under the Privacy Act 1988 and a national push toward net-zero emissions. Modern MPS packages have evolved beyond simple "toner and repair" agreements to include sophisticated data protection protocols and sustainability reporting. Organisations now view print infrastructure not as a siloed utility, but as a critical node in a digital transformation strategy that bridges physical documents with cloud-based workflows.

Operational efficiency remains the primary driver for MPS adoption as hybrid work models become the standard for 70% of Australian professional services firms. Managing a fragmented fleet of home-office printers alongside centralised corporate hubs creates significant security vulnerabilities and logistical complexities. A typical MPS package addresses these challenges by providing a unified management layer that ensures consistent security policies and supply chains regardless of where the device is physically located.

How it works

Managed print services operate through a continuous cycle of assessment, optimisation, and proactive management. The transition from an unmanaged to a managed environment follows a structured technical process.

  1. Infrastructure Audit and Baseline Mapping. Service providers deploy non-invasive discovery tools to map every IP-connected imaging device on the corporate network. This audit captures historical volume data, identifies underutilised assets, and calculates the current Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including energy consumption and paper waste.
  2. Fleet Rationalisation and Deployment. Data from the audit informs a new hardware roadmap that replaces inefficient, high-cost desktop printers with strategically placed, high-speed multi-function devices. This stage involves configuring devices with specific IP addresses, integrating them with Active Directory or LDAP for user management, and establishing secure print queues.
  3. Telemetry-Driven Consumables Management. Devices are linked to a central monitoring system via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). When toner levels reach a predefined threshold—typically 15% to 20%—the system automatically generates a replenishment order and dispatches the supplies to the specific device location without manual intervention.
  4. Proactive Maintenance and Remote Diagnostics. Monitoring software tracks mechanical wear-and-tear metrics, such as fuser temperature and roller rotations. Technicians receive automated alerts for preventative maintenance before a hardware failure occurs, maintaining an industry-standard uptime of 98% or higher.
  5. Governance and Continuous Optimisation. Monthly or quarterly reporting cycles provide visibility into user behaviour, department spending, and environmental impact. Administrators use these insights to adjust print policies, such as enforcing double-sided printing or restricting colour access, to further reduce operational expenditure.

What to look for

Selecting an MPS provider requires a technical evaluation of service level agreements (SLAs) and software capabilities to ensure long-term scalability.

FAQ

What is the difference between a lease and a managed print service? Leasing is a financial arrangement focused solely on the acquisition of hardware over a fixed term, often three to five years. A managed print service is a comprehensive operational agreement that includes the hardware lease but adds ongoing maintenance, automated supplies, and software management. While a lease ends once the equipment is paid for, an MPS is an ongoing relationship designed to optimise the entire document lifecycle and reduce the cost per page.

How does MPS improve cybersecurity for Australian organisations? Printers are often overlooked endpoints that can serve as entry points for network intrusions. A typical MPS package secures these devices by disabling unused ports, enforcing "follow-me" printing—where a document only prints when the user is physically present at the device—and ensuring all firmware is patched automatically. This aligns with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Essential Eight framework by limiting the attack surface of networked hardware.

Can managed print services help with ESG and sustainability goals? MPS directly contributes to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets by reducing paper and energy waste. Advanced software features like "Rules-Based Printing" can force greyscale and duplex settings, while "Pull Printing" eliminates the 20% of print jobs that are typically abandoned at the tray. Furthermore, most providers include a closed-loop recycling program for toner cartridges and provide detailed reports on the carbon footprint of the print fleet.

Is MPS cost-effective for small to medium enterprises (SMEs)? Small and medium enterprises often see the most significant relative gains from MPS because they lack dedicated IT resources to manage print infrastructure. By moving from an ad-hoc model—where ink is bought at retail prices and broken machines are replaced rather than repaired—to a managed model, SMEs can reduce their total imaging costs by up to 30%. The predictability of a monthly bill also assists with cash flow management.

What happens to data stored on the printer when the contract ends? Data sanitisation is a critical component of the decommissioning process in an MPS agreement. When a device is replaced or the contract expires, the provider should perform a multi-pass overwrite of the internal hard drive or physical destruction of the storage media. This ensures that sensitive corporate data, such as scanned financial documents or employee records, cannot be recovered after the device leaves the premises.

How does "Follow-Me" printing work in a hybrid office? Follow-Me printing, or pull printing, decouples the print job from a specific machine. A user sends a document to a global virtual queue and can then walk to any enabled device in the office—or even a different branch—and authenticate via a swipe card or mobile app to release the job. This ensures document confidentiality and reduces waste, as uncollected jobs are automatically purged from the queue after a set period.

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