Copier Management Program
April 6, 2023
As previously communicated, PPS awarded a contract to Ricoh as the single provider for multi-function devices (MFDs, printers, copiers) and to implement a Managed Print Service (MPS) servicing faculty, staff and student across the Evanston and Chicago campuses. We continue to make great progress transitioning copiers to Ricoh after current leases expire and hope to complete most of this transition by the end of 2023. We are also happy to report that most of the details related to implementation of the network infrastructure are near completion. The new service has been branded Northwestern Print and will go into production in late spring 2023. The deployment phase will onboard units into Northwestern Print and will continue through summer 2023.
All departments and schools that received a new Ricoh device saw a significant reduction in their monthly cost over the previous device they had. You will continue to see a monthly fixed cost for the actual device and a price per page to cover service and supplies. The only additional cost will be a one-time licensing fee and monthly infrastructure fee (approximately $30). The good news is that inclusive of all costs, most departments and schools will still experience a 20% savings over what they were paying for their previous copier. More details will be sent out in the coming months. Migration into Northwestern Print will be coordinated to fit each school/department’s unique timetables.
The campus-wide Managed Print Service will improve print and copying services across campus and has many benefits, including follow me print (allows you to pull down a print job on any device in the network when necessary), secure release printing, reduced waste, alternative print options (including email-to-print capability and mobile printing), better and more accurate usage reporting, and a consistent user-friendly experience for faculty, staff, and students.
Once the network has been implemented and all Ricoh copiers are connected, Ricoh will also be able to take over the bulk of the work related to managing the devices. The devices will report usage directly to Ricoh, Ricoh will automatically provide preventative maintenance, Ricoh services will be notified when machines need non-scheduled service, supplies will be automatically shipped to the department when needed, and Ricoh will automatically begin the replacement process when the unit reaches end of life in 5 years. These soft cost savings are incredibly important to the success of the program.
For additional information on this project, please see the webpages for the Print Management Program or contact Northwestern Procurement.