Efficient ways to manage your printing in school
If you were to ask any IT technical person what are the top services and hardware that they could get rid of? Printers will always feature in the top 5 of the most troublesome IT issues. They are a law unto themselves! All is working fine and then for some random reason they decide to cause chaos in school. There are a whole variety of reasons for this as there are so many factors to take into consideration with many printers, especially large Multi Function devices that most schools have on leasing agreements.
Speaking from my own experience and corroborated by many other IT experts I have spoken to, these are just a few of the common issues that crop up on a weekly basis.
1 - "Nothing is printing out” - When you check the machine, it’s out of paper!
2 - Print queues jammed up by one particular type of document.
3 - Random occurrences of print jobs just ‘disappearing’ as reported by many users.
The whole issue of printing in schools is always a contentious one, especially when you try to promote a more paperless approach. In a previous article back in July 2022 I wrote about ‘The paperless school’ which I hope has helped many people to seriously consider what should and should not be printed out. It’s crazy when almost everything starts life in the digital world to then be printed off and filed into cabinets and shelves to never be looked at again.
One example of how some schools have addressed this.
All staff in these schools already have their own iPad which allows for the digital access and consumption of all documents that are required. Then if there is anything that needs to be printed off, they simply walk up to any printer in school and print off what they need using AirPrint.
The following tips should help promote a more efficient way of managing printers in school around each of the challenges:
1 - Impact on the environment.
Printing contributes to deforestation and environmental pollution.
Solution!
Use recycled paper.
Reduce paper usage by promoting digital consumption via staff devices.
Adopt a recycling programme for toners & inks
2 - Security
If printing isn’t managed safely then sensitive information can be compromised.
Solution!
Follow Data Protection Requirements
Implement secure printing for all users to authenticate
Ensure all hardware firmware is kept up to date
3 - Costs.
Toner, inks & paper all contribute to high running costs.
Solution!
Set black & white as default print setting
Set print quotas on all users
Negotiate better deals from providers
Consider managed solutions such as Papercut & Printix
4 - Unnecessary use and waste.
Single sided prints, unclaimed print jobs and unnecessary printing all lead to wasted energy and paper etc.
Solution!
Promote a paperless approach to eliminate printing as much as possible
Enforce printing policies for all staff & students to promote best printing practices
Use locked or hold print settings to avoid printing by mistake
Ensure that all machines in use are energy efficient
5 - Maintenance procedures.
Breakdowns and faults cause significant downtime and can disrupt workflows for authorised printing.
Solution!
Device selection, choose reliable & durable hardware
Regular servicing should be carried out on all hardware
Have a backup option in place, designated alternative machines
Empower staff to understand how to resolve basic and minor printer issues
6 - Standardise device selection
The management of different brands and models adds complexity to the whole process.
Solution!
Select the same brand and as many models that are the same for simplified support, updates and compatibility
Try to plan for a lower amount of printers with a shared approach
There are many Managed Print Services (MPS) available. Some of you may already use one of them and can see the benefits they offer.
As a final summary, here are details of some of the available Managed Print Services along with suggestions as to how they would best fit your school.
Printix - Serverless Cloud Print Management - (Contact iNAM)
Printix has an easy to deploy setup and integration with your existing school systems such as Google Workspace or MS 365 along with many other systems too. Print drivers & queues are automatically created with unlimited users and printers for schools. They only charge for staff users and all students are free. Printix is scalable across many schools and would be a great benefit for academy trusts.
https://printix.net/printix-for-education
Papercut MF
A very popular MPS that works with a wide range of printers and is charged annually on a per user basis. This offers a variety of services to help manage all your printing needs.
https://www.papercut.com/products/mf/
Ricoh Smart Integration Control+ Package
This is a popular choice if your school uses Ricoh machines only. This works in a similar way to Papercut MF but is charged annually per machine and can work out much cheaper than Papercut MF.
VisionPrint (ex PrinterLogic)
https://printerlogic.com/education/
VisionPrint offers a serverless cloud based system which works in a similar way to Printix and is scalable across many schools and would be a great benefit for academy trusts.
It will be some time yet before we could reach the point of being 100% paperless, much of this is dependent on 1:1 devices. There will always be the need for printed material for displays and education resources. The main way that printing can be significantly reduced is by adopting collaborative digital working. All Multi Function Printers have great scanning options. Start to liberate the way you work and digitize as much as you can.
Always discuss your strategy and vision with your managed print provider who should support you in reducing your print costs.
