How to save money in a school

Printing costs can undoubtedly shoot up a school's running costs, with an estimated one million paper sheets per school used annually. Add in the £60,000 that accounts for photocopying costs in schools and operation costs quickly shoot up.

It is entirely possible to bring down printing costs in schools, using these five tips on how schools can save on print costs.

1. Reduce Overall Printing

Start by assessing whether you need to print out the number of documents that you are currently handling. However, some people prefer paper formats of documents easier to read and comprehend. It does not mean that you should print out every single thing, and everyone can discern whether or not they need to print out specific documents.

Some people prefer paper formats of documents easier to read and comprehend. It does not mean that you should print out every single thing, and everyone can discern whether or not they need to print out specific documents. For instance, do not print out your term paper before going over it to make sure that it gets edited correctly and it is the final print-ready copy.

2. Control Access To Printing

In schools where both students and teachers can freely access printing facilities, it helps to control access. Often, people print unnecessary items particularly if they know that they have access to the free printing services. Set up print accounts for students and administrators to track print loads.

If it helps, take printers out of classrooms and have designated printing rooms overseen by an administrator. Also, make use of managed print service (MPS) software that allows placement of limits on a group or individual print basis. School managers should make sure to let the school know that there is a cap on print access to instil in them the value of respecting resources.

3. Print Economically

For the documents that you must print, it makes sense to go about it efficiently towards cost saving efforts. Start by checking the print preview to make sure that everything is as it should be before printing out any document.

Print on both sides of the paper that is front and back. If possible, reduce the size the font size of the text or set the page to columns to allow one sheet of paper to accommodate more text. However, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word have multiple page print settings that allow printing two to four pages on one printing sheet. Set your document to draft mode and print it out that way to reduce on ink consumption.

4. Monochrome Print

You most likely do not need to print out your documents in full colour. Always print in monochrome unless it is imperative to have the paper in colour.

Colour printing is ten times costlier than monochrome prints because colour ink cartridges are also expensive. Set the printer to print out documents in greyscale or monochrome. Do not go for brand-name ink cartridges because they tend to be costlier. Look for the recycled range of cartridges offered now because they are as efficient and cost less than the name-brand cartridges.

5. Go Digital

The current technology advancements are quickly replacing the need for printed paper documents. Switching to use of digital media within schools can significantly reduce printing costs.

In the case of educators, embracing digital format circulation of course work material goes a long way in reducing print costs. Students can send in their assignments and term papers through email. Educators can then mark the work online and send it back to the students online as well.