Law firms generate a staggering amount of paperwork. From contracts and court filings to discovery documents and legal briefs. All these documents move through the office every day. And while many firms have embraced digital workflows, printing is still a vital part of legal work.

But when it comes to printing, every printed page carries both a cost and a responsibility.

A confidential document that’s left sitting on a printer could lead to client confidentiality issues. Plus, many firms can’t accurately track printing costs by client or matter, so it’s harder to recover expenses and understand where money is being spent.

As a print vendor with 40 years of experience helping organizations improve their print environment, we've seen how the right print management software can help law firms strengthen document security. It can also improve visibility into printing costs and simplify day-to-day workflows.

Ever wondered what’s truly covered in your printer service agreement? Even if you think you understand, many new and longtime customers still find themselves asking questions. In fact, it’s one of the most common questions we hear.

Maybe your printer needs service, your toner is running low, or you receive your monthly invoice and aren't quite sure what you're paying for. Those questions are completely understandable. Knowing exactly what’s in your service contract makes managing your printers easier and stops you from guessing about what's covered.

Over the 40 years we’ve been helping businesses keep their printers running efficiently, we've found that many questions about our Base Service Plus Cost-Per-Copy (CPC) Plan don't come from the service itself. Instead, they stem from simply not knowing what to expect.

This guide explains exactly what's included, what isn't, how the billing works, and whether the CPC Plan is the right fit for your business.

A printer goes down in the middle of a busy workday.

When a printer goes down in the middle of a busy workday, it can cause serious disruptions. An office manager can’t print an invoice, a teacher can’t print classroom materials, and a healthcare office can’t scan a document.

The priority in this case is to get the printer issue resolved as quickly as possible so work can resume. But who do you call: IT or a print vendor?

Often, when something goes wrong with a printer, many organizations immediately contact their IT department, even when the issue may be better suited to a printer technician or hardware repair.

While printers are physical devices with moving parts, they're also connected to networks, cloud services, email systems, and security protocols. As a result, it isn't always obvious who should handle the problem.

Starting college often means buying new laptops, textbooks, dorm essentials, and countless other supplies. However, an often-overlooked item is the printer. For many students, having reliable access to a printer can make life a lot easier throughout the school year.

While most colleges offer campus printing services, those costs can add up quickly. According to many university printing programs, students often pay per page once they exceed their allotted print credits. If you're printing research papers, study guides, lecture notes, scholarship applications, and class projects, those small charges can add up over the course of a semester.

Convenience is another factor. A personal printer gives students the flexibility to print whenever they need to, whether that's from a dorm room, apartment, library study session, or shared living space.

If your organization or business is managing multiple printers at once, even a small disruption can pose security and financial risks unless you have a centralized way to manage them.

Maybe a printer disappears from a user's computer, or a driver update causes compatibility issues. These issues can unnecessarily burden IT, especially as security requirements continue to rise across industries such as healthcare, education, legal services, and government.

The challenge is becoming more common as businesses continue moving more of their technology infrastructure to the cloud. According to Quocirca's MPS Landscape Report, 42% of organizations operating mixed, multi-vendor printer fleets say their biggest challenge is securing printing across a hybrid workforce.