As any school head will know, costs can escalate during day to day operations and one problem for saving money has always been in printing. High volumes of documents, both for teachers, students and admin staff can often leave the budget creaking at the seams, especially if you have an old MFP in place or don’t have the right office strategy.

One problem is that in many schools and colleges, staff operate with their own printer on their desk which can be problematic for maintenance and keeping track of paper usage and printing practices. Some of the devices are pretty dated and can use a lot in electricity further sending up the operating budget (especially when they are left on all the time).

Schools often get their printing hardware from a number of different suppliers which can again cause issues when it comes to maintenance and putting a decent strategy in place. Then there are changes that need to be implemented if you do decide to move towards a centralised printing provision and who is going to run it.

Most educational establishments are under pressure to reduce costs but don’t have an effective print strategy in place that is designed to do just that. Very few will have a print policy in place, for instance, outlining what needs to be produced in hardcopy and what doesn’t. When schools do opt into a managed print solution they often have one that is outdated and uses software that doesn’t do the job needed for the current environment. Sticking with the same old outmoded system may seem like a cost saving but it is often cheaper and better for the finances in the long run to change onto a more modern print management system.

Using recommended suppliers can mean you get a rapid response but it can also mean that you don’t get the system that you actually need. There often isn’t an in-house procurement manager who can handle these things and knows what to look for, so school administrators are often at the mercy of those who are on their ‘list’. Lack of framework for putting the right print management system in place doesn’t have to be as costly as many schools think and deciding to put this provision out to tender can mean long term savings and a better relationship with print.

There are several reasons why a school or other educational establishment needs to review its printing processes:

• First of all, there is the reduction in cost in getting more efficient systems in place.
• Secondly, there is the need to change perceptions about printing and bring all staff and students on board.
• Thirdly, there is more control over the printing of material and better software and management systems can help streamline all processes, releasing staff up for more important work than sitting by the printer as they wait for a document.

Undertaking a fresh audit can bring all the areas where a school is not performing at peak and find solutions to those problems. It may mean getting in new equipment and will also involve developing a stronger print policy that all staff are aware of. The good news is that the technology is now there for organisations to make big differences to the way they operate and improve productivity.