New Print Strategy Saves District Time and Money

As Print Shop Manager for Richland School District, Rachelle Palmer knew there was room for improvement in the way her Richland, Wash., district was handling printing.

"The current system was just not keeping up with increasing volumes and the changing needs of the staff," remarks Palmer.

That system included large copy rooms in each of the district's 18 school buildings where teacher assistants could produce their own work. The in-plant, meanwhile, comprised one Xerox 5100 and a small ABDick 360 press, with only a part-time employee to help Palmer produce work that was beyond the capabilities of the copy rooms. Unfortunately, because print requests were delivered through inter-district mail, they took a full day to reach the shop. The requirement that each request be accompanied by a four-part carbonless form including budget codes for billing just added red tape to the process. As a result, turnaround times ranged from three to five days. Clearly, something needed to change.