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Print Management Program

Ricoh MPS Project Background

Northwestern previously had three preferred vendors for multi-function devices (also known as MFDs, printers, or copiers), but this approach has not provided the best value for the University. Procurement and Payment Services competitively bid a single-provider contract for a managed print solution (MPS) and selected Ricoh as the single provider for multi-functional devices (MFD) across the University and is partnering with them to implement a Managed Print Service (MPS). The new service will be branded Northwestern Print.    

Northwestern Print is a comprehensive print management program across both the Evanston and Chicago campuses for the use of faculty, staff, and students. Rioch will manage hardware (multi-functional devices (MFD) and Single-functional devices (SFDs) as well as the software, repairs, maintenance, installation, consumables (excludes paper), and related management & support services for the Northwestern University print output environment.

Benefits to the Northwestern Community

A campus-wide Managed Print Service will improve print and copying services across campus. Implementing Northwestern Print will provide:

• Improved printing and copy services
• Offer a consistent, user-friendly experience for faculty, staff, and students 
• Print anywhere—release a print job at any available Northwestern Print device across campus
• Alternative print options, including email-to-print capability and mobile printing
• Touchless print job release - Tap to Print with Wildcards and mobile devices using QR codes
• Provide better reporting for schools / university around printing costs
• Improving the quality of service while reducing the costs
• Vendor support of all Ricoh Multi-functional Devices and printer hardware
• Secure printing – users must authenticate to release prints
• Secure printing reduces waste around jobs, supporting sustainability campus efforts
• Ricoh MFD cost advantage over local or networked devices in dept / schools

Project Objectives

• Provide Northwestern University with a fully centralized and optimized Managed Print Solution (MPS)
• Standardize costs and equipment across the University
• Ensure all Northwestern employees have access to print devices to meet the business needs related to printing, copying, scanning, and/or faxing
• Reduce total life-cycle costs by right-sizing our fleet of copiers and printers and identifying opportunities to reduce the number of print devices in the fleet
• Improve support and maintenance for print and copy services across both campuses for print devices based on service level agreements
• Create a centralized billing program based on a standard cost per device and a cost per page printed.
• Implement a process for university departments to acquire, install, operate, retire, and maintain multi-function devices
• Reducing the quantity of printing to lower overall costs and the environmental impact associated with excess paper usage
• Ensure data security configurations meet or exceed the minimum-security requirements set forth by the University
• Implement a process for university departments to acquire, install, operate, retire, and maintain multi-function devices

Project Status

November 2022: Unresolved technical issues as well as supply chain issues delayed the implementation of Northwestern Print. It was not possible to rollout Northwestern Print, retire NUPrint providing student printing and move all existing Ricoh MFD devices into that solution by the end of summer 2022.

The revised timeline for implementing this Northwestern Print is for the late winter starting with staff at the University Library and the Law school. The replacement of NUPrint will be delayed until the end of the academic year in June 2023. Hardware replacement work continues with Ricoh across both campuses. Numerous groups are working on specific facets of this project including hardware, communications, support and training, technical issues, financial and business processes, student printing, and print strategy. Most of the work has been completed around the functional and technical design of the solution. 

Project Timeline

The target dates on the following timeline are subject to change as the project progresses. The table shows a list of phased of the project from March 2021 through August 2023 and their status.