About The Project
School Principal, Kieran O’Toole, contacted us after reviewing our articles on Green Schools in the IPPN Leadership+ magazine. He was eager to see how we could help him reduce costs and improve the school’s green credentials.
We conducted a survey of the existing print infrastructure which was outdated and costly to run. It comprised several small printers located in individual classrooms with larger copiers in the main hallways. There was no maintenance contract in existence and none of the devices were networked.
A huge proportion of the budget was spent replacing inks and much time was wasted in sourcing inks, clearing jams and gathering money from the teachers to meet these costs.
‘Follow Me Print’ means that teachers can collect their prints on any device and a Scan to Email function allows for faster, more secure transfer of important data.
THE SOLUTION
A full print audit was conducted to establish exactly what was needed. Installation of a managed print service was recommended to include FM Audit for automated toner ordering and meter readings, Uniflow Online Software with Follow Me Print and Secure Release. This allowed for greater clarity on their printing and copying to better manage usage and control spend.
We installed 7 Canon Multifunction printers which are fully networked and located them strategically around the school building. The combination of A3 and A4 user-friendly, colour devices allowed for increased flexibility of output for the teaching staff.
Low energy consumption, automatic standby and default settings on the machines to duplex or black and white all contribute to a cleaner, greener school environment.
Teachers can select any device on the network to which to send their print job – a busy printer can thus be avoided and maximum uptime is maintained.
The secure release option also means that a teacher can send the prints to any device and only retrieve them when he or she logs in. Student details, Department of Education information and Christmas Tests can all remain secure!
THE BENEFITS
There was immediate cost reduction with savings of up to 1,900 per annum. The money saved from the switch to high yield toners over small expensive ink cartridges alone validated the change of structure.
Further admin cost reductions are ongoing with a single invoice to cover the maintenance agreement and the automatic replenishment of toners as needed saves time spent on supplies management.
Between 10 and 15 hours a week have been recouped between the resource teacher and the office staff for more productive work, and with the added clarity of who is printing what, it is easier to establish and adhere to a budget.
From the initial meeting, we felt that Cantec understood what we wanted and worked very hard to provide everything we needed. The installation of the new equipment was efficient and the training provided was effective. We have been operational now for over a year and we are very pleased with the service and support we have received. Our costs have reduced considerably as have our stress levels. The print fleet is reliable and easy to use and the added security levels means that sensitive information remains protected.
