How To Save On Specialty Printing with the Right Managed Print Service Provider

As companies grow, they often end up adding more printers and print functionality throughout their operations until it becomes difficult and costly to manage.

What is a Managed Print Service?

The responsibility of maintaining and servicing your printers while ensuring your firmware and security is updated becomes a major project that requires IT and personnel time. A managed print services provider provides an easy and cost-effective solution. Instead of dealing with the challenges and headaches internally, outsource the responsibility to a third-party provider who reliably handles it for you. It’s no different than hiring an outside firm to do your facility’s maintenance, landscaping, tax preparation, or annual audits.

Services can vary dramatically based on your company’s needs, but a managed print services (MPS) provider typically offers an initial assessment, printer procurement or redeployment, consumable printing supplies and service, monitoring and maintenance of your hardware, and continuous improvement through ongoing assessment and optimization.

Key Benefits of Using Managed Print Services for Specialty Printing

Save Money on Hardware and Maintenance

A managed print services provider helps avoid expensive upfront capital outlays for hardware. Hardware, supplies, and servicing costs are allocated over a 36- to 60-month contract and often converted into a per-page printing cost.

The actual pricing of an MPS agreement will depend on the specific details of coverage including hardware selected, scope of service, length of agreement, contract inclusions, and other variables you can customize to meet your needs.

Increase Employee Efficiency

With MPS, the goal is to alleviate the burden of printer and print management tasks from the staff so employees can spend time on more strategic projects. Specialty MPS providers handle all day-to-day and long-term print management and consumable ordering for your business while you save time, money, and resources.

The end result is a major increase in savings and productivity. An MPS provider will tailor a complete program for your business (including implementing process improvements to create new efficiencies and managing your resources to reduce costs and eliminate waste).

Clarity Imaging Solutions Managed Print Services for Specialty Printing

At Clarity Imaging Solutions, we’ve been delivering managed print services for specialty printing to North American companies for over 20 years. We focus on companies with specialty printing requirements and deploy our label and barcoding MPS solutions using Zebra’s printing technologies. Zebra’s label (RFID) and ID card printers help us ensure the highest print quality with the most reliable performance and lowest total cost of ownership.

Here’s how we implement label and barcoding MPS for each of our clients:

  • Match Zebra print hardware and technologies to your business needs
  • Deliver efficient fulfillment and installation of your hardware
  • Proactively monitor all devices and print service alerts remotely
  • Apply remote upgrades or fixes before end users experience an issue
  • Manage your consumables to minimize costs and waste
  • Provide consistent, high-level support with a single point of contact
  • Integrate device output tracking with your billing and accounting system
  • Provide transparent reporting to ensure all print jobs are billed accurately

For companies looking to spend more time focusing on their business and less time worrying about their printers and printing supplies our turnkey MPS solutions are a great fit.

To learn more and get a recommendation for your business contact Clarity Imaging Solutions today.

Microsoft vs Android OS for Enterprise Mobile Computers

There’s a huge shift happening in enterprise mobile computing, with thousands of facilities migrating from Windows mobile to Android. In this blog, we’ll explain why this is happening and the five biggest reasons why you should migrate your apps to Android as soon as possible.

By 2020, Windows mobility will end as we know it.

This is no crazy doomsday prediction. Microsoft has already ended all support for Windows Mobile and has ended mainstream and extended support for multiple versions of Windows Embedded Handheld. By 2020, all versions will reach their end of life, and there will be no further OS updates or security patches.

Unless you’re looking to be the next hacking victim, it’s critical to upgrade to a supported OS as soon as possible.

Windows 10 IoT is the latest Windows mobile OS, but it’s not compatible with Windows Embedded Handheld 7 or 6.5. This means a migration from those versions will be costly and time-consuming. You’ll have to redevelop your apps and databases and probably reconfigure your wireless networks.

You’ll be going through an expensive hassle to stay with Windows, when Microsoft has largely abandoned the enterprise mobile market in recent years.

The entire mobile computer industry is moving away from Windows.

Only 4% of enterprise mobile computers come with Windows 10 IoT today, and all major hardware developers have made Android their OS of choice.

This hardware switch is also driving sweeping changes in app development, with developers moving to Android in droves. If you want to avoid running an OS that most of the industry no longer supports, you need to migrate to Android. Many organizations such Home Depot, Best Buy, Whirlpool, and the U.S. Air Force have already done the same, so you’ll be in good company.

Android is an easier mobile computer OS is for everyone.

Including your IT team and the facility managers who most rely on enterprise mobile computers. Android provides a highly intuitive and extremely simple interface, which makes enterprise mobile computers much easier to use. Many workers already use it on their devices at home, so it’s an easy transition with minimal training.

Android is also an open source mobile computer OS with a thriving app store, a global network of developers and endless sample code. This makes migrating apps to Android much easier and less costly. As an added bonus, Android’s over-the-air OS and security updates make it much easier for your IT team or vendor to update your devices and protect them with the latest patches.

Android is a powerfully secure enterprise-grade OS.

Thanks to Mobility Extensions (Mx) from Zebra Technologies, you can rely on Android as a mobile computer OS. Zebra’s Android devices come with a complete set of Mx tools and utilities that give you complete control over your devices, apps, users, and connections.

You can achieve a level of security on par with anything Microsoft provides, with support for single sign-on, application and browser lock-downs, and even a customized company home screen.

Recommended Android Mobile Computers

M3300

POWER YOUR BUSINESS
Easy to migrate to the next generation in Android mobility business platforms. This mobile computer provides innovative platforms for warehouse mobility.
Get Brochure

TC56

USER FRIENDLY BAR CODE SCANNER
Smart, user friendly barcode scanner field device. Rugged but light, next generation enterprise device with best in class scanning and fast roaming.
Get Brochure

For a limited time, Zebra is offering rebates up to $300 per device when you trade in your old hardware for the latest Zebra Android mobile computers. You can even trade in non-Zebra devices, so it’s a no-brainer for easy savings.

Want to learn more about migrating your mobile computer operating systems from Windows to Android?

At Clarity Imaging Solutions we can answer any questions regarding the Android migration. We invite you to contact us today!