The Challenge

With Bayside’s range of 1-to-1 programs, computer Labs and BYOD policy, there are now more devices on campus than people.

With everyone having access to networked devices and everything in the cloud, Bayside’s expectation was that printing would be decreasing. But that was not the case. Its printing requirements were surging.

This demand was placing pressure on costs. And the associated energy and consumables use of Bayside’s laser printers was of environmental concern. While PaperCut was helping control printing, the College’s fleet of printers was ageing and unable to really leverage this print management tool.

There was also a growing need for high quality colour printing, particularly by the College’s Media Labs.

The Solution

Epson Workforce RIPS printers were selected by Bayside Christian College for low intervention and high performance. These are purchased via CompNow and its engineers do the initial setup and configuration.

Bayside has five Epson WorkForce Pros: in the Trade Skills Centre, the Media Lab for ‘draft’ printing (and Epson wide format printers for finished products), the Art room, Library and in the property management section of the school.

Bayside also relies on CompNow to undertake all ongoing servicing; not that there have been many calls – the advantages of the ink jet printers are largely related to heat, or lack thereof. The gremlins associated with laser printers have gone – the parts and toner replacements, the paper jams from heat-curled paper. Staff are no longer waiting for printers to warm up.

With PaperCut embedded in the new Epsons and linked to the school’s copiers, Bayside has better visibility, security, tracking and controls in place. PIN codes identify use to users for allocations to students and departmental budgets. Staff can no longer print a single sheet and then make 100 copies to get around restrictions.

The Benefits

From Bayside’s experience, the highly reliable ink jet printers only require servicing once or twice a year. The College checks them and does the head cleans themselves. The 75,000 prints per bag of toner are replaced every 12-18 months – a vast improvement on every three 3 months with its old lasers. 

The move from heat-activated laser to ink jet technology has also seen energy costs reduce significantly. 

Using PaperCut to accurately compare costs, Bayside’s 10c per colour print is now 3.5 to 4c per A4 sheet. This means the College has the ability to colour print without being concerned about cost. 

ICT Manager at Bayside, Brad Heaton, also sees that the Epson’s RIPS high volume ink containers are very attractive as they are lowering toner cartridge waste. 

Bayside is impressed by the higher quality and greater colour accuracy from the ink jet Epson Workforce Pros – which is a specifically important consideration for the Media Lab: “You can get the colour saturation and balance absolutely right,” he says. 

“Even as we expect the school to grow in coming years, we are now set to continue reducing running costs and environmental impacts,” Brad says.