Evaluating and managing image quality performance and improving service effectiveness of groups of production printers

A method comprising:

• maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for a plurality of printing devices within a non-transitory storage medium of a computerized device;
• grouping said printing devices into different demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;
• maintaining historical printing component failure information separately for each of said different demographic groups, within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;
• maintaining historical service actions performed on said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device, said historical service actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions;
• and
• altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information,
• said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs, said overall service costs comprising prices of components of said printing device and a cost to perform service on said printing device.

A method comprising:

• maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for a plurality of printing devices within a non-transitory storage medium of a computerized device;
• maintaining historical printing device information from said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;
• maintaining historical service actions performed on said printing devices within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device, said historical service actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions;
• grouping said printing devices into different demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;
• maintaining historical print image quality produced by said printing devices, using said computerized device;
• maintaining historical printing component failure information separately for each of said different demographic groups within said non-transitory storage medium of said computerized device;
• determining which of said historical service actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical service actions decrease said print image quality separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices, using said computerized device;
• determining costs of each of said historical service actions, said costs comprising prices of components of said printing device and a cost to perform service on said printing device;
• outputting an action effectiveness report separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices from said computerized device, said action effectiveness report including said costs of said historical service actions and indicating which of said historical service actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical service actions decrease said print image quality for each of said demographic groups to provide cost/benefit information of said historical service actions;
• and
• altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information,
• said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs.

A system comprising:

• at least one non-transitory storage medium of at least one computerized device, said computerized device being in communication with a plurality of printing devices, said non-transitory storage medium maintaining recommended maintenance schedules for said printing devices, historical printing device information from said printing devices, historical service actions performed on said printing devices, historical print image quality produced by said printing devices, and historical printing component failure information separately for each a plurality of different demographic groups of printing devices, said historical service actions comprising printing component replacement and printer maintenance actions;
• at least one processor operatively connected to said non-transitory storage medium, said processor grouping said printing devices into said different demographic groups, said processor determining which of said historical service actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical service actions decrease said print image quality separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices, and said processor determining costs of each of said historical service actions, said costs comprising prices of components of said printing device and a cost to perform service on said printing device;
• and
• at least one interface operatively connected to said processor, said interface outputting an action effectiveness report separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices from said computerized device,
• said action effectiveness report including said costs of said historical service actions and indicating which of said historical service actions increase said print image quality and which of said historical service actions decrease said print image quality for each of said demographic groups to provide cost/benefit information of said historical service actions,
• said processor altering said recommended maintenance schedules separately for each of said demographic groups of printing devices based on said component failure information, and
• said altering of said recommended maintenance schedules increasing a time between service actions to reduce overall service costs.