EMS Copiers shaping the future of printing in schools with Epson’s heat-free technology
Starting one page at a time, every time we print, we can change the story together
The following quote has been attributed to many people, but it conveys a fundamental message. “If it is not now, it is when? If it is not me, it is who?”
This is meant to inspire people to act now and to not wait for someone else to step up. It implies that being a bystander makes you part of the problem you’re observing, and is frequently used in calls to action in relation to the environment and social justice.
Education is the basic building block of civilisation. It’s the single best investment countries can make to build prosperous, healthy and equitable societies.
EMS Copiers has worked with the education sector since 1970. “We continually strive to implement scalable, reliable devices and solutions to keep up with the changeable school environment,” said John O’Brien, sales manager, EMS Copiers.
More recently, EMS has become an Epson Solutions Plus Gold Partner.
This is a fantastic opportunity for EMS to introduce schools to print technology with core messaging, sustainability, reliability and productivity.
Whereas the concept of sustainability is in itself laudable, there must be a benefit for the school.
EMS can call on your school and generate a report that clearly identifies where you can make quantifiable savings in the following areas.
Energy costs
Put simply, the significant energy costs you incur in using heat-based printing technology will all but disappear. This can lead to hundreds if not thousands of euro saved over the lifetime of a device. It is not an exaggeration to describe your existing copier as an oven that you leave turned on all day. The savings are meaningful and, in many cases, significantly underwrite the cost of the device.
Carbon footprint
Schools prepare younger generations for their future. This same future is greatly impacted by environmental change. By switching to heat-free technology, your carbon footprint can be reduced by up to more than 80 per cent, which will make an incredible difference. This can reduce the carbon footprint of your school by thousands of kilos of carbon over the lifetime of your device (dependent on size and scale of course), while the savings are tangible and significant and can make a real difference. The impact of making the heat-free change can be as large an initiative that a school can take.
Productivity
Your existing laser-based multifunction printer (MFP) uses heat to print and copy – it literally irons toner on to a page. In order to mitigate this significant energy commitment, your existing device goes into sleep mode after a few minutes, like a Berkel boiler in your canteen. When needed, it has to go from sleep mode to operational mode while it heats up, during which time your staff member is standing waiting. This happens multiple times per day. Your staff don’t want to wait; they have many more important things to do.
First page out times on heat-free devices all but eliminate these unscheduled and unwanted delays. In addition, the high yield inks provided mean time spent changing toners is also reduced and, given the reduced number of moving parts, there is less “surgery” required in digging jams out of the depths of a laser-based device.
Epson Print Admin (EPA) software
The best way to minimise paper usage is not to print it in the first place. By deploying EPA software on to a separate print server (any windows 10 PC on the network will suffice), nothing is printed at a centralised print device until the user is physically at the machine. This eliminates waste paper at the device itself and ensures that no sensitive print outs are left unclaimed at an MFP, helping to maintain GDPR compliance.
In addition, school management can apply budgets and quotas relating to usage. Implementing this regime heightens staff awareness of print usage and they quickly take personal responsibility and manage their own use.
EMS believe that our Epson offering invites your school into a conversation that it could not have up until now. No other manufacturer can offer you the savings and efficiencies as outlined above, given its heat-free technologies. So how does Epson achieve this change?
Epson’s focus is on changing the way we consume energy: switching to heat-free technology, which uses no heat in the ink ejection process and delivers lower power consumption.
Epson Heat-Free Technology
The range of devices from Epson realises the opportunity for schools to make a positive change.
Epson Heat-Free Printing Technology is incorporated into the WorkForce Enterprise AM-C series, offering measurable eco-performance, which saves energy, reduces consumption and lowers operating costs. Fewer consumables and reduced maintenance requirements also mean EMS Copiers’ customers save on resources.
The device requires no heat to warm up when it is switched on or awoken from sleep. This means printing starts immediately.
Fewer replacement parts; lower environmental impact
Laser printers typically have more consumables and require periodic replacement of the drum, transfer belt and fusers in many cases. Thanks to Heat-Free Printing Technology, our inkjet printers use fewer parts that need replacing.
The heat-free structure of Epson inkjet printers means that there are fewer parts that can fail, which reduces the amount of intervention required. Less intervention increases productivity.
Overall, it delivers advanced benefits over laser and thermal inkjet technology.
As part of EMS Copiers’ long-established relationship with the education sector, we must take on board what our customers are telling us. The recent challenges stemming from global events and the pandemic have pushed us towards online learning, and while digital technology offers evident benefits for remote learning, printers and copiers are still integral and have their place among tablets, laptops and interactive screens in our schools.
“We have noticed that there has been an evolution in the sector where schools and colleges are looking for value for money while also lowering their carbon footprint. From the earliest days of standalone copiers, the market now demands connected solutions that deliver real sustainability,” said O’Brien.
When everybody is talking about reducing their energy bills, sustainability is equally as important to schools. To evangelise to future generations on the importance of environmental sustainability and addressing climate change, we need to practise what we preach by showing students what sustainable solutions look like and the impacts they can make on our society.
Technology plays an important role in this, and schools that are ill-equipped in standardising technology procurement in line with contemporary sustainability standards will only fall behind other sectors in helping to address the climate crisis.
Of course, technology is constantly changing. What suits a classroom today could be wildly unsuitable in a short time. The pandemic has shown us that. But it has also illustrated that when the pressure is on, the system can cope and make excellent use of technology.
The education sector needs to consider how it can best support students and teachers in the wake of hybrid and digital learning. And at a basic level, it must provide easy and official access to tools such as printers – particularly as an increase in print volumes over the next 12 months is predicted. Some studies show that reading in print improves the understanding and recall of information. As schools and colleges evolve, so should the technology, equipment and processes.
Of course, this is much easier said than done and requires wide-ranging policy changes and implementation. However, schools and education systems can begin their own journey towards better use of technology with a few simple steps. By investing in simple solutions such as cost-effective and efficient inkjet printers, schools can cut energy costs by up to 90 per cent.
Everyone in the sector needs to ensure technology doesn’t slip back down the list of priorities, because boosting teaching and learning with the right hardware and software is vital to the success of young people fulfilling their potential.
