One of the big areas where schools and colleges can drastically reduce their costs and cut down on wastage is with the amount they print. Moving to a managed print solution means that they can get a tailored approach which takes into account their current processes and how these can be improved to reduce costs.

With print management systems such as Papercut, there is the real opportunity to take a fresh look at how an office runs and what printing is used for.

1. A Full Audit

Any company that is offering a managed print service will need to carry out a full print audit of your school or college. This will involve looking at the MFPs that you currently have and how much in the way of consumables they use. Whilst most schools will have similar circumstances, there will be issues that are specific to your environment which will need to be taken into account if a bespoke solution is going to be achieved.

2. Getting to Know Your School

Part of finding a comprehensive service for any managed print company is knowing their customer. When do staff and pupils use the printing services and what do they generally print? Can some things be better sent to digital format rather than being printed out on hardcopy? Do your staff overlap in the amount of printing that they do? Would your office act more sustainably if printing rights were limited to set individuals?

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered and the solutions explored. If your managed print service is worth its salt then they should have a deep level of knowledge about how your school operates.

3. The Latest Technology

It goes without saying that your managed print company should have access to the latest technology. The new range of MFPs not only help reduce the cost on consumables but are also highly energy efficient with state of the art sleep modes that significantly reduce the amount of electricity used.

4. Cloud Integration

With greater connectivity now available between devices, it’s no surprise that the latest range of MFPs allow you to do a whole lot more. That means documents can be copied and stored and then accessed from an appropriate mobile device at any location. It also means teachers can quickly access documents and learning materials for students without having to go to the MFP to print them off. Both staff and students can opt to access digitally rather than print off.

5. Great Service

And finally, any managed print company needs to provide a great back up service. This means nowadays having remote access to MFPs so that problems can be addressed quickly, and usually before something significant happens. More importantly it means your school should have a dedicated contact who knows the ins and outs of how you operate on a daily basis.

If you are looking for a managed print service then it pays to make sure you have all the right components in place. If you want a flexible approach then you need a company that has that flexibility at the heart of its business operation.

For more information on managed print services or you would like to request your FREE Print Audit, contact ISL on 0208 911 3780