Most businesses that buy print think of cost in terms of unit price — the cost per leaflet, per brochure, per pull-up banner. That's understandable, but it's only part of the picture. The real cost of print includes storage, handling, replenishment, waste from overruns, and the time your team spends managing it all. Managed print exists to bring those hidden costs to the surface and, in most cases, to reduce them significantly.
What managed print actually means
Managed print is a working arrangement where a printer takes on more of the process than simply putting ink on paper. Depending on your needs, it might include holding a stock of your printed materials in a warehouse, fulfilling orders as they come in, and dispatching items directly to your offices, branches, or customers. For some organisations, a printer effectively becomes an extension of their marketing or operations team.
The appeal is straightforward: fewer suppliers to manage, less time spent chasing orders, and a single point of contact who understands your materials and how you use them.
Where pick and pack fits in
Pick and pack is one of the most practically useful services within a managed print arrangement. Rather than printing materials in large batches and storing them yourself — only to find they're out of date six months later — you hold a managed stock with your printer. When an order comes in, whether from a branch manager, a field sales rep, or a franchisee, the relevant items are picked from stock, packed, and sent out.
This is particularly valuable for businesses with multiple locations, or for any organisation that sends out welcome packs, point-of-sale kits, or branded stationery on a regular basis.
Why this often costs less than doing it yourself
The savings are real, even if they're not always obvious at first glance. Here's where they tend to come from:
- Smaller, smarter print runs. When stock is monitored and replenished based on actual usage, you stop over-ordering to feel safe. Fewer obsolete materials end up in a skip.
- No in-house storage costs. Warehouse space, racking, climate control, and the staff time to manage it all carry a cost that rarely appears on a print invoice — but it's there.
- Reduced internal handling. When your printer dispatches directly to recipients, your own team isn't spending hours packing boxes and booking couriers.
- Version control built in. A managed system makes it easier to update materials and phase out old versions, reducing the risk of outdated documents reaching customers or branches.
- Consolidated invoicing. One supplier, one account, one relationship to manage. The administrative saving is modest but genuine.
Who benefits most from this model
Managed print with pick and pack suits organisations that produce a consistent range of printed materials and distribute them regularly. Multi-site retailers, hospitality groups, healthcare practices, charities with regional teams, and franchised businesses are all good examples. Schools and colleges managing prospectuses, enrolment packs, and event materials often find it useful too.
If your team regularly fields requests for printed materials from around the organisation, or if you've ever found a box of obsolete brochures at the back of a cupboard, it's worth looking at whether a managed arrangement would work for you.
Getting the model right
The key to making managed print work is transparency. A good printer will audit your current usage, model the potential costs against what you spend now, and be honest about whether the arrangement makes financial sense. It shouldn't feel like a contract you've been sold — it should feel like a sensible arrangement that demonstrably saves you money and effort.
At Ratcliff & Roper, we've been printing for businesses across the UK since 1946, and managed print is one of the services we've developed carefully over the years — because it works best when it's built around how a specific client actually operates, not around a standard package.
If you'd like to talk through whether a managed print arrangement — including pick and pack fulfilment — could reduce your costs, take a look at what we do at ratcliffandroperprinters.com. No obligation, just a straightforward conversation.