Printing is a vital part of many businesses’ technology suites. In some industries, such as education or law firms, organizations can barely function without their robust printing infrastructure.
Because printing is so essential to so many businesses, it's no wonder why many MSPs have considered dipping their toes into the print space. After all, providing managed print services can be a highly lucrative endeavor.
At Print Partner, we’ve found that the vast majority of MSPs would prefer that a third-party vendor takes complete ownership of their client’s print - that means that someone else sells the print products and services and later services the devices post-sale.
Based on our research, we are the only national print vendor that does this.
However, we understand that this hands-off approach to print may not jive with all MSPs, and we’ve never claimed that Print Partner is a one-size-fits-all print solution.
To help MSPs make informed decisions on their choice of print partners, we highlight some other potential national print vendors you can work with and some of the pros and cons of each.
Total Print USA
Total Print USA offers a managed print services partner program for MSPs, where MSPs can sign up and become their agents.
TPUSA functions as the front-end of DEX Imaging, one of the largest managed print providers in the country, and Staples.
Benefits of Working with Total Print USA
DEX Imaging and Staples are big, recognizable names in the office equipment space. With the national resources of DEX and Staples, you’ll have a beefy and established network to back your print clients up with.
“We combine the service infrastructure of DEX Imaging and the buying power of Staples, with the simplified pricing model of TotalPrint USA, and give our customers a managed print services program that saves them 30% to 40% on their printing costs,” reads Total Print USA’s website.
Total Print USA also works with some of the largest device manufacturers in the industry. Having brands like HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera, and Sharp at your fingertips will instantly boost your credibility during sales.
With the support of national brands, Total Print USA offers you a solid self-starter kit to get your feet wet in the world of managed print services.
Disadvantages of Total Print USA
Congratulations, you are now a print agent!
That means your MSP must reconsider your organization’s business model and framework. Start educating yourself and your sales team on the ins and outs of managed print services.
What are the benefits of managed print? What size of businesses needs what levels of print service?
MSPs are service organizations first, with sales often taking a backseat. We’ve found that many MSPs don’t even have dedicated sales staff and rely on their owners to do outreach or find clients via word of mouth.
If your MSP already strains to sell your current service suite, are you prepared to start selling print service too?
Also, consider your service team. If your MSP transitions to becoming a print agent, do you have enough service staff to handle print-related calls? You will also need to consider training your team on how to support and service the various models of printers you will be selling.
In short, Total Print USA offers a solid DIY print management resource for MSPs who want to sell and service print independently. Their program is a good option for MSPs that want to dive into the print world head-first and reap its benefits.
Impression Solutions Inc.
Impression Solutions Inc. (ISI) is a value-add distributor of printing services nationwide.
With warehouses in Columbus, MS, and Reno, NV, ISI distributes its selection of Kyocera-brand print devices to clients across the US.
Like Total Print USA, ISI has created an MSP partner program. MSPs that work with ISI receive support for selling devices and providing managed print services post-onboarding.
“Let Impression Solutions help you introduce the world’s most cost-effective laser and inkjet printing technologies to your customers,” reads their website.
When your MSP signs up with them, your company will become a printer reseller with ISI’s support to back you up.
Benefits of Working with Impression Solutions Inc.
Do you want to be a printer reseller?
If so, ISI is a great option, with several tools and resources to help you get started selling managed print services.
Impression Solutions offers toner replenishment for customers across the 48 mainland states within the US. You can watch their video on it to learn more.
They also offer cash rewards for their resellers, which they load onto cards for dealers. Check out their website to review the details of their perks.
Disadvantages of Impression Solutions Inc.
Impression Solutions partners with Kyocera devices. This can be a benefit if your clients like Kyocera. However, this doesn’t give your organization much flexibility on the brands you offer.
Also, consider that your organization will become a print reseller. If you were looking for a solution in which another company did all the work for you, this is not the solution for you.
Becoming a print reseller can be a massive challenge for the many MSPs that already feel as though their resources are stretched thin. Adding the responsibilities associated with offering managed print services can be a daunting task.
However, if you are up for the challenge, ISI has some great resources to support your sales of print devices and services.
Local Print Vendors
When you operate with clients around the US, you should have a national print vendor that can support your entire client base.
But if your organization operates only operates on a regional scale, you may have better luck with a local print vendor in your area.
While they do not have the same reach as larger, national vendors, local vendors can make up for their smaller scale with excellent, personable service.
When working with a small local vendor, you can easily get to know their leadership and support team. You often won’t have to deal with call centers - just call your contact when your client has issues, and they can often pop over to your client’s site later that same day.
Overall, working with a local vendor is an excellent option for local MSPs. Just make sure your vendor partner can handle your entire client base - otherwise, you’ll have to find multiple vendors to handle different areas, which is usually more trouble than it's worth.
Print Partner’s Program: We Do Everything for You!
Finally, let’s review our MSP partner program.
If you want to sell print and function as a print service agent, Total Print USA, ISI, or local vendors can be great options for your MSP.
But what if you want to hand off all print-related duties to your partner and still make a profit on sales? Partner with Print Partner!
When you work with Print Partner, we don’t make you a print agent or a print vendor. You get to continue focusing on being an MSP! All we ask is that, when appropriate, you introduce us to your client.
Once you introduce us, we take complete ownership of the prospect’s print. We handle the entire sales and service process going forward. Our parent company, Green Office Partner, offers award-winning nationwide managed print services backed by Xerox and HP.
As for compensation, we offer the following:
- $250 per qualified introduction. Even if we don’t make the sale, we pay you for the effort.
- An additional $250 intro commission if you provide us with a copy of their current print agreement prior to making the introduction
- $1,000 per copier we sell for the lifetime of the relationship
- 5% of your onboarded client’s recurring print allotment for the lifetime of the relationship
- Further compensation for future sales to your referral
In addition to compensation, we will collaborate with your MSP on support-related issues when they come up, instead of the typical finger-pointing.
So often, MSPs are stuck troubleshooting print devices, which is usually a thankless, time-consuming slog.
But when you partner with us, you’ll have our print support team in your back pocket. Rather than overloading your busy tech staff, you can just send those pesky print calls over to us, and we handle the rest.
So if you want a hassle-free and lucrative way to unload the burden of print sales and support, consider partnering with us, a Print Partner you can trust.
