A managed print services print audit and assessment explained simply
A print audit is the data-collection phase that opens nearly every MPS engagement. This guide explains what gets measured, how the measurement happens, what the resulting report contains, and how to evaluate audit findings before signing an MPS contract.
Device telemetry
- Each device's monthly page count split by mono and colour
- Duplex utilisation percentage
- Time-of-day usage distribution
- Service-call history and downtime intervals
- Consumable usage and replacement cadence
- Firmware versions and security baseline
Procurement and financial
- Existing lease or purchase costs per device
- Annual toner and consumable spend
- Service-contract costs across the fleet
- Paper procurement spend and supplier relationships
- Software-licensing costs for print-related tools
- IT-team time allocation to print-related issues
User behaviour and workflow
- Walk-up versus desktop print job ratio
- Average pages per print job
- Print-pickup latency at shared devices
- Abandoned-print-job rate (jobs never collected)
- Department-level print volume distribution
- Common print-document categories and use cases
Physical environment
- Device-to-user ratio at each office location
- Walking distance between users and nearest device
- Available power and network infrastructure for refresh
- Office-layout constraints affecting device placement
- Security-zoning requirements for sensitive documents
- Accessibility considerations for users with mobility needs
A print audit gathers the data that supports every subsequent decision in an MPS engagement. Without an accurate baseline, the savings calculations the provider presents in their proposal cannot be verified, the device-sizing recommendations cannot be justified, and the SLA commitments cannot be calibrated. The audit produces a defensible current-state picture that both sides reference throughout the engagement — from the contract negotiation through the quarterly business reviews that compound savings across the term.
The audit typically runs four to eight weeks. The first two weeks install telemetry tooling on existing devices and begin collecting usage data; the middle two weeks gather procurement-side financial data through invoice reviews and supplier conversations; the final weeks integrate user surveys and walkthrough findings into a consolidated report. Most audits at SMB scale cost the buyer nothing — the provider absorbs the audit cost as part of the sales motion, betting on the resulting MPS contract to recover the investment. Mid-market and enterprise audits may carry a fee that gets credited against the contract if the office proceeds with MPS.
Sample audit report findings · what a typical baseline shows
Sample audit · 48-staff professional services firm
Fleet 23% oversized for actual volume
Three of eleven devices average below 18 percent of rated monthly duty cycle. Two could be eliminated by redistributing the user pool to adjacent devices.
Colour mix overstated · 38% measured vs 22% assumed
Office's working assumption of 22% colour mix understates the actual ratio meaningfully. The CPP contract bands the firm signed under-tier the colour usage.
Toner procurement runs through three suppliers
Different sites use different toner suppliers at varying price points. Consolidation to a single supply relationship reduces unit cost by approximately 18 percent.
14% of print jobs abandoned at device
Jobs released but never collected by the requesting user. Secure-print release with timeout eliminates the consumption.
Duplex default disabled fleet-wide
Single-sided printing default produces twice the paper consumption necessary for routine document workflows. Default reset to duplex reduces paper spend.
IT team absorbs 6.5 hours/week on print issues
Driver problems, queue rebuilds, toner replenishment coordination. Bundled MPS support transfers this load to the provider.
What to verify in the audit report before signing
An audit report becomes the baseline that every future savings calculation references. Three things deserve verification before the office accepts the report as accurate. First, confirm that the device telemetry covered the full audit window — partial coverage produces understated baselines that compound into overstated savings claims. Second, verify the financial data the auditor used by cross-referencing against actual invoices from the relevant period — assumed figures get used when actual data is unavailable, and assumed figures favour the auditor. Third, validate the user-survey response rate — low response rates produce skewed workflow assumptions that influence fleet-sizing recommendations.
An audit with sound data underpinning each finding produces a contract negotiation that runs on shared facts. An audit with shaky data underpinning the findings produces a negotiation in which the buyer ends up arguing about the inputs rather than the proposal. Spending two hours verifying the audit data before the proposal arrives saves significant friction across the contract negotiation stage.