St Cyres School Innovates with PaperCut for Education

St Cyres School Innovates with PaperCut for Education

Based around 5 miles away from Cardiff in South Wales, St Cyres Comprehensive High School has revolutionised its… processes with Midshire’s proactive managed print services, and PaperCut for education. With a view to focus all of their efforts on teaching, school staff wanted an approachable, friendly, and pre-emptive team to remove the hassle of managing their school technology, so Midshire was called.

The Problem: No Managed Print Services

Problem 1: Different departments with varying requirements
Problem 2: Print volume and waste
Problem 3: Keeping up-to-date with the latest technologies

A major issue for St Cyres was the unique, bespoke requirements of each department in the school. The reprographics area needed speed, whilst machines in centralised areas had to be robust and multi-purpose, and classrooms required compact, quiet, space-saving devices.

The drastically different needs also meant that print volume and spend was difficult to track and budget for. With no sight of the print habits of each department, and an ever-growing amount of waste, something had to be done.

A constant additional problem for the school was ensuring that the very latest technology was being used in classrooms. The pace at which technology is improving and changing means that newer, better tools for teaching are continually being developed, but the busy school could not dedicate any time to keeping on top of the latest tech trends.

The Solution: Considering Departmental needs with Managed Print Services

Solution 1: Departmental innovation with the perfect technology
Solution 2: A varied fleet – Midshire managed
Solution 3: PaperCut for Education print management software

The first solution, was to make sure that each department had the functionality required by providing the best tools for the job. A RISO ComColor, with unparalleled speed, was chosen for the reprographics department to try and limit the amount of time students spent printing, as this could be centralised. Sharp photocopiers were proposed for communal zones, like corridors and the library, because of their robust multifunction purpose, and quiet, compact Lexmark desktop printers were chosen for classrooms.

The second part of this solution was to have the entire fleet managed by Midshire. By signing up on Midshire’s managed print services, St Cyres would remove the headache of administrating the different machines, including their varying parts, and replacement toner cartridges.

The final step was to drastically reduce the amount of waste coming out of the school. PaperCut for education was selected as the perfect accompaniment to the chosen machines. The software, specifically designed for schools, would allow staff to restrict the amount of prints done, or even prevent irresponsible students from printing altogether.

“Our partnership with St Cyres has always been special. Our main goal was to provide one complete solution that was suitable for everyone at the school, so instead of causing problems by just replacing their old machines, we took the necessary time to ensure the right machines were being installed in the right places based on what they were going to be used for.” Emyr Lewis, Senior Account Manager, Midshire

The Outcome: Massive Savings with PaperCut for Education

After minimal disruption from an installation that took just two days, St Cyres was immediately met with massive savings of both time and money. The right machines carefully identified for the right places, combined with the visibility provided by PaperCut for education, has reduced waste paper and renovated processes ten-fold. Midshire’s comprehensive managed print services have only proved to enhance these benefits further. Periodic preventative maintenance measures to thwart break downs, Midshire’s OneStop automated toner software, and being able to collect prints securely have all minimised the time staff and students are out of the classroom, maximising learning time.

 “Midshire have invested a lot of time with the school, our old supplier didn’t understand our needs, they didn’t know where we were going, but Midshire were with us every step of the way. The preventative maintenance has saved us so much time, we don’t even have to order toner cartridges, they come through the post before we need them. It’s the personal touch, I find that very important.” Nicola Rees, Director of School Resources, St Cyres Comprehensive High School