For decades, printing has quietly existed on the fringes of enterprise strategy—viewed as a basic operational necessity rather than a business-critical function. Yet research shows that enterprise printing accounts for 1% to 3% of an organization’s annual revenue, placing it among the largest unmanaged IT expenses (Gartner, 2019). Despite this, nearly 90% of organizations lack full visibility into their print environment, including actual usage, cost drivers, and accountability (IDC, 2020).
The implications go far beyond cost. According to industry studies, 67% of organizations have experienced at least one print-related data security incident, often due to unsecured devices, lack of authentication, or missing audit trails (Quocirca, 2022). Additionally, IT teams spend up to 15% of helpdesk time resolving print-related issues, reducing focus on innovation and core IT priorities (IDC, 2021).
These realities expose a fundamental flaw in how print is managed today.
The problem isn’t that organizations need to print cheaper.
The problem is that they need to print governed.
This shift—from cost reduction to governance—is where modern Managed Print Services (MPS), including Wepsol Managed Print Services, deliver real enterprise value.
Why “Print Cheaper” Is an Incomplete Strategy?
Cost-cutting initiatives often focus narrowly on reducing the price per page or the number of devices. While this may deliver short-term savings, it often introduces hidden risks:
- Lack of ownership across departments
- Reactive maintenance and frequent downtime
- No accountability for print usage
- Increased exposure to data leakage
- Weak compliance posture
Studies show that the average employee prints nearly 10,000 pages per year, and up to 50% of those pages are discarded within 24 hours, highlighting widespread inefficiency (AIIM, 2020).
Without governance, print becomes a silent drain on productivity, security, and compliance.
Print Governance: A Strategic Business Discipline
Print governance is the structured, policy-driven management of an organization’s entire print ecosystem—devices, users, workflows, and data—aligned with business objectives and compliance requirements.
A governed print environment rests on four foundational pillars:
- Measurability
- Reliability
- Traceability
- Control
Together, these pillars transform print from a hidden liability into a managed enterprise function.
Measurability: From Blind Spend to Business Intelligence
Organizations cannot optimize what they cannot measure. Yet most enterprises still operate print environments with limited or fragmented visibility.
Print governance introduces comprehensive measurement across:
- User-level and department-level usage
- Device utilization and performance
- Cost per page linked to business units
- Location-wise print behavior
Research indicates that organizations adopting Managed Print Services achieve 20–30% reduction in print-related costs, primarily due to improved visibility and data-driven optimization (IDC, 2021). Additionally, 55% of organizations report measurable ROI within the first 12 months of MPS adoption (Quocirca, 2021).
Wepsol Managed Print Services enables this transformation by converting print activity into actionable insights—supporting smarter decisions, right-sized fleets, and sustained cost control.
Reliability: Ensuring Business Continuity Through Print Stability
Printer downtime may seem minor—until it disrupts customer-facing transactions, regulatory documentation, or core operational workflows.
In unmanaged environments, failures are reactive:
- Devices go down unexpectedl
- Consumables run out mid-operation
- IT teams respond after disruption occurs
With print governance, reliability becomes proactive. Studies show that:
- 73% of organizations experience improved device uptime after MPS implementation (IDC, 2021)
- 45% report reduced printer-related downtime (IDC, 2021)
- 56% see improved employee productivity as a result (Quocirca, 2021)
Wepsol’s managed approach emphasizes proactive monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automated supply replenishment—ensuring print infrastructure supports business continuity, not disrupts it.
Traceability: Print as a Data and Compliance Channel
Every printed document carries information—often confidential, regulated, or sensitive. Yet print remains one of the least governed data channels in many organizations.
Without traceability:
- Print activity cannot be audited
- Data exposure risks remain invisible
- Compliance reporting becomes reactive
Research confirms that print-related data breaches are among the most overlooked security threats, with the majority tied to unsecured access and lack of monitoring (Quocirca, 2022).
Print governance introduces:
- Secure user authentication
- Job-level logging and tracking
- Centralized audit trails
- Policy-based access controls
This is particularly critical for regulated industries such as BFSI, healthcare, and legal services—where audit readiness is mandatory.
Wepsol Managed Print Services embeds traceability into the print ecosystem, ensuring accountability without adding operational complexity.
Control: Centralized, Policy-Driven Print Management
In many organizations, print ownership is fragmented:
- Procurement manages vendors
- IT manages incidents
- Users drive consumption
- Finance tracks costs—often imperfectly
Print governance restores centralized control through:
- Standardized device policies
- Role-based access permissions
- Consistent service levels across locations
- Unified vendor and asset management
More than 70% of organizations report improved control and predictability after implementing MPS (IDC, 2021).
Control is not about restriction—it’s about alignment. When print is governed, it supports productivity, security, and cost discipline simultaneously.
Sustainability: Governance with Environmental Impact
Print governance also supports sustainability goals. Industry research shows that:
- Managed Print Services reduce paper waste by 20–30% (AIIM, 2020)
- Energy consumption related to print infrastructure drops by up to 30% (Quocirca, 2021)
By enforcing duplex printing, reducing device sprawl, and optimizing usage, organizations align print practices with ESG commitments—while lowering operational costs.
The Enterprise Impact of Governed Print
When organizations shift from cost-focused printing to print governance, they achieve:
- Predictable and transparent print expenditure
- Reduced IT workload and fewer incidents
- Improved security and audit readiness
- Higher employee productivity
- Scalable infrastructure aligned with growth
Print becomes measurable, reliable, traceable, and controlled—exactly as a modern enterprise function should be.
Conclusion: Print Isn’t Cheaper — It’s Governed
The era of simply “printing cheaper” is over.
Today’s enterprises operate in environments defined by compliance, security, sustainability, and scale. In this reality, unmanaged print is no longer acceptable.
Research consistently shows that organizations adopting print governance through Managed Print Services achieve lower costs, stronger security, improved reliability, and measurable operational control (IDC, 2021).
In today’s digital workplace, print is no longer mere paper.
It is powered by data, valued like currency, enabling like workflows, and hence must be safeguarded against operational and security risks.
That is why forward-thinking organizations are moving beyond cost reduction—and embracing print governance.
With measurability, reliability, traceability, and control at its core, Wepsol Managed Print Services enables enterprises to transform print from a hidden operational burden into a governed, accountable, and business-aligned ecosystem.
Because in the modern enterprise,
print isn’t cheaper—it’s governed.