Printing Contract
Background
The council’s new printing contract begins in February 2023. Staff previously undertook a survey of printing needs and requirements, which informed the new contract.
As a result of the survey and updated contract, there may be a change to printers available, location of them and access requirements.
This guidance aims to assist all staff to work towards the goal of going paperless and reducing our carbon emissions, as well as providing alternative options that tie-in with our smarter working ambitions.
What it will look like
Secure follow me printing will continue to be used by all staff – this means you can send your printing to any device and collect it using your unique pin.
[N.B. Print jobs are automatically deleted after 48 hours if not collected].
As standard, community centres, leisure centres, day centres, depots, harbours, and offices will receive the most appropriate device based on the current printing profile.
For example, a typical site may receive:
- 1 x low volume A3 mono Multi-Function Device (MFD) as standard.
- Depending on print volumes:
- For higher volumes, one mid or high volume A3 mono MFD or one mid or higher volume A3 colour MFD.
- For lower volumes, one low volume A4 mono MPF or one low volume A4 colour MPF.
Additional printers may be needed depending on the layout of buildings, for ease of access to print facilities.
As well as the above, there may be variations due to specific requirements of the location and/or user groups, including libraries, facilities for social work offices or specific user groups, and smaller depots. These variations will be notified to staff.
Schools
Secure follow me printing will be used by all staff across schools where available. Students will not have this access, appropriate options will be put in place for their printing needs.
As standard, all printing will be automatically set as black and white and duplex.
The number and type of devices installed will be determined by the school roll.
Specific details will be available for schools once the supplier has been appointed.
Printing sustainably
A number of steps we can all take to amend our printing habits to help keep costs down, contribute to net zero targets, and run services as efficiently as possible include:
- Reading and storing documents electronically – printing only when necessary.
- Working on draft versions of documents electronically.
- Printing only sections of large documents rather than the whole document if you don’t need it.
- Circulating and viewing agendas and meeting papers electronically.
- Scanning to email via MFDs, rather than printing.
- Using laptops and projectors to share documents during meetings.
- Changing the specification of the document (i.e. black and white, or colour but not glossy).
- Ordering publications/documents frequently but in smaller numbers so there’s less wasted.
- Publishing mainly online to save on printing costs.
- Choosing the appropriate specification (i.e. multi-image per page, double-sided etc).
- Choosing the most appropriate device (i.e. MFDs are more efficient than smaller or laser printers).
- Choosing the most appropriate location – see below for more details.
Print Room services available
The council’s agreed approach is to make more use of electronic publishing to save money, reduce carbon emissions, and ensure consistency in the design of official publications. We also have a Print Services Team available to all services.
The central Print Service staff can produce high specification documents on faster, more efficient and cost effective printing devices than are available in other council locations. Their services are available for any print jobs that are either large volume, high specification, or colour.
The services provided by print services include:
- Colour & mono printing (e.g. flyers, leaflets, business cards, posters).
- Booklet making.
- Photocopying.
- Scanning.
- Laminating.
- Enveloping.
- Comb binding.
For high specification or very high volumes of printing Print Services will arrange for your printing to be outsourced to the approved supplier and delivered.