In any educational institution, whether it be a school, a TAFE or a university, printing is key to daily operations both in the classroom and in administration. From lesson worksheets and student reports to parent newsletters and permission slips, your institution is likely printing hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of pages each day.
So when school printing services aren’t running smoothly, this can cause widespread disruption – and the last thing you need are missed deadlines and frustration amongst staff due to device malfunctions and unexpected downtime.
That’s why your school printing solution needs to be streamlined, user-friendly and reliable.
Here are some of the common challenges you may be facing with your school printing services – and how to solve them.
6 common challenges of school printing
1. Too many printers to manage
Some institutions have had to take an ad hoc approach to printing, depending on the fluctuating needs of their organisation. Perhaps your staff members have their own desk printers while others share common printers and photocopiers. Or maybe you’ve had to add different devices to the network over time as printing needs changed or certain devices were replaced.
This can cause all sorts of complications as you try to manage devices from different providers, with different methods of operation, service contracts and consumables. Not only are you wasting your own valuable time, but your print network is also likely to be less user-friendly and more expensive.
2. Uncontrolled printing costs
When you have lots of disparate devices in your network, with different consumables and varying levels of efficiency, it can be difficult to maintain oversight of your printing costs. Without good oversight – including consolidation of your devices and contracts – these costs can quickly spiral out of control.
3. Difficulty managing consumables
When managing multiple printing devices, it can also become difficult to manage consumables, particularly when multiple providers are involved. Stocking too much toner for one printer takes up storage space and leaves less money for your other operational needs, while stocking too little results in inconvenience and downtime when consumables run out.
4. User issues
Having different devices across the network can cause all sorts of issues for users. Staff may have difficulty connecting to individual devices across the network; they may struggle to use certain devices, as they all operate slightly differently; and you may find staff gravitating to the one or two ‘good’ printers in the network, causing bottlenecks and long wait times.
Additionally, using different printers and providers can drive costs up as staff and students may print more on higher cost-per-print devices without realising it.
5. Device issues
If you’re managing old and inefficient printing devices, you’ll know first-hand how many frustrations these can cause. You may be dealing with slow print times, meaning staff are spending precious time waiting for their print jobs rather than fulfilling their roles. You may also be dealing with breakdowns, causing unacceptable levels of downtime and long service wait times, resulting in yet more downtime and long queues at other devices on the network. And once you add in the challenges of multiple service contracts, different maintenance cycles and service requirements for different printers, and varying levels of reliability between devices, the potential for disruption only grows.
6. Overworked IT team
Whether it’s staff issues or device issues, your IT team is the first port of call when things go awry with your printing. This means they may be spending an inordinate amount of time connecting staff to devices, teaching them how to use different printers, troubleshooting issues they may be having, and replacing and ordering consumables. This takes up valuable time that could be spent on more strategic tasks, such as digital transformation projects.
How you can solve your school printing challenges
Switch to a Managed Print Service (MPS)
A Managed Print Service (MPS) is offered by an external provider and takes a holistic approach to your document and print operations. It focuses on optimising print devices, improving workflows and processes, and enhancing document security, while reducing costs and your environmental impact.
Your provider can help you monitor your end-to-end print operations – maintaining printers, implementing the necessary technology upgrades, and tracking users and usage.
