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Purchasing a print management solution can be one of the most challenging business decisions for a printing company. There are so many moving parts in a print shop that the idea of changing from home-grown protocols or an existing solution to something new seems fraught with danger and complexity. It is a valid concern because there is complexity. Print Management Information Systems (MIS) establish and allocate mission-critical costs to create job estimates that ensure breakeven and profitability levels. They touch most business processes, and core functionality tends to extend well beyond capturing costs to include other business functions, like customer relationship management (CRM), purchasing, scheduling, data collection, reporting and data analysis, accounting, warehousing, and shipping.

These complexities and the long reach of Print MIS solutions are the reason that they are some of the least replaced software. Once installed, they may be in use for seven or more years. Sometimes, they are still in use after decades, occasionally without being maintained or updated. Their longevity puts more pressure on the process of selecting the right solution for both today's needs and those in the future.