In the education sector, there is a constant battle between providing the most effective and beneficial teaching experience, and keeping within a specified budget. As with most public sector professions, there have been cuts in recent years that have impacted the way in which a balance between the two can be found. One area where savings can be made though is in printing. Millions of pounds are wasted each and every year due to inefficient printing practises, but as well as that, there are a number of new innovations that can also help to make the learning experience for students that much richer too.
At EBM, we work with a number of different schools, colleges and academies, to help them streamline their printing processes and keep up to date with the latest technology. Although each of them have slightly different requirements, we are able to tailor solutions to meet the needs of all sizes and types of institutions and departments across the education sector.
PaperCut
PaperCut is a full print management solution that is ideal for the education sector, having originally been developed to manage print quotas in a local school. It is ideal for not only reducing financial cost, but also environmental too. This is thanks to a reduction in excessive printing, achieved through the control of both student and staff print quotas. By enforcing specific allowances, you can ensure that individuals, or departments and faculties as a whole, keep their printing to a minimum. Plus, with the system being web based, there is also very little maintenance required.
Interactive Displays
Although interactive whiteboards have been around for over 20 years, it is only in the last couple that they have become so incredibly popular. The main reason for this is most likely down to the rapid increase in the amount of technology that is already utilised elsewhere, and the ability of an interactive whiteboard to bring these aspects together. In a classroom situation, for instance, it can be used for:
- Multimedia lessons and presentations, thanks to the integration of sound and visuals
- Collaborative problem solving as a class
- Projection of student projects and presentations
- Virtual field trips to obscure locations
- Recorded lessons for substitute teachers
- Documentation and display of student achievement
These various applications can improve efficiency and enhance learning opportunities, making the interactive whiteboard invaluable to the teaching experience.
A4 Colour Lexmark MFP
For smaller workgroups, we highly recommend something similar to the Lexmark C4150 Colour Laser Printer. These models are the crossover point between a personal device used at home and a workgroup printer. Lexmark printers are renowned for being intuitive and versatile, and this device is no exception. It has a duplex function enabled, to keep pages at a minimum, and is also capable of printing up to 47 pages per minute in both black and white, as well as in colour.
A3 Konica Minolta
For the reprographics department, we would recommend something similar to the Konica Minolta Bizhub 364e. This multifunction machine is capable of delivering between A6 and SRA3 sizes, with a banner format capable of up to 1.2m. Its large capacity makes this ideal for a busy printing environment, as does its ability to warm up in just 20 seconds, exceptional for a machine of its size. It offers up to 9,999 multi-copy too, and a 1,150 paper input capacity. This is a machine for serious usage, yet as a Konica device you are always guaranteed time, paper and energy saving features.