White Paper: Total Imaging Solution
Furman and Kearns Business Solutions

Definition: This program is a collaborative project including the offices of Marketing and Public Relations, Computing and Information Services (C&IS), Administrative Services and Business Affairs and our community partner Kearns Business Solutions. A primary goal of the program is to reduce the amount of copying/printing on campus and introduce, train and follow up with campus constituents on more efficient and technological ways of doing our work, ergo, the word imaging.

Philosophy: Furman is obligated to provide campus constituents with the tools to fulfill copy/print needs. Because we are moving toward a more electronic/technological methodology of duplicating and storing print matter, the need for expensive accessories to copiers is becoming less important. Our multifunctional units will reflect that move toward more efficient means of storage and transmission of data.

Background: The Purchasing office began more than a year ago with campus-wide meetings and the formation of a campus committee to evaluate the more than one dozen vendors who could have supplied Furman with our imaging needs. Site visits were conducted, and the committee submitted detailed evaluation forms. From that dozen, three vendors clearly distanced themselves from the pack as most able to meet our needs. Another team from C&IS and M&PR worked all year, with the business office, to closely examine the three potential partners and help Lishan develop the RFP. Lishan and the committee evaluated the RFP and chose a vendor.

Personnel: Lishan Yau coordinated this massive, yearlong project involving many campus constituents along the way. Those you will most likely come into contact with over the next few months will be: Mark Hudson, our representative from Kearns, Cindy Bagwell, trainer and Furman copy services coordinator, and Melvin Cureton, copy/print shop coordinator.

Scope: The program encompasses all desktop printers owned by Furman and multifunction copiers leased by Furman. As most of you know, with the advent of the Xerox contract most of our multifunction copiers have been monitored monthly using the Equitrac system, and this past year Lishan Yau coordinated an independent and exhaustive study of multifunction copier and print usage by departments. Use of off-campus vendors for copying was assessed. Unlike when we entered into our Xerox lease agreement, we now have four years of studies, data and information to evaluate and choose equipment. In addition department users were interviewed.

Result: A particular configuration of desktop printers and multifunction copiers was recommended.

Implementation: The multifunction devices will be installed beginning next week. Some multifunction machines have already been installed. Some will need networking and will be installed as walk up copiers with the network added throughout the summer as staff and schedules permit. Printers will be replaced, added, or redistributed on a department by department basis. This will be accomplished with the help of the department, Mark, and Cindy. All must work together to see that the department’s machines are properly and appropriately installed according to the collaboratively developed plan for that department.

Meetings will be held monthly with each department to assess the effectiveness of the program, and to suggest potential training topics for that department or unit. Records on usage and appropriateness of equipment will be noted and these meetings will be impetus for any change in plan or equipment for the department.

This plan will require us to look at copying and printing in a new way. It will require us to look at the new solutions this program will bring and help our various staff members adapt.

Furman DigitalXpress: The FDX Copy Center will be equipped to handle increased workloads this fall. The speed and number of machines will double. Enhanced and speedier color copying and a large format poster printer will be added. Laminating will be added as a service as well as full service binding. Melvin Cureton will coordinate both print and copy as Cindy moves more into program support and training.

All offices on campus will be able to realize cost savings by sending larger print jobs to the copy center for duplication. There will be a per copy price incentive to do so. If larger print jobs are directed to the Copy Shop, it frees office equipment for other uses. An enhanced copy center will be better able to meet needs in a timely fashion.
a. Confidential, online submission of documents to the copy center is possible. Materials can be held and printed in your presence, or you can have a staff person do this for you. An “electronic storefront” will exist, allowing offices all over campus to order copying or printing online.
b. An in by 10 a.m. delivered or picked up by 4 p.m. policy for most jobs will be in force. (Students will be sent out to campus on delivery at 4 p.m. daily. Confidential material will be held for pickup.)
c. A guaranteed best buy option will be in force. The DXP Copy Center will beat any legitimate price from off-campus sources.

Supply Budget Reduction. The 3.9 cents per impression charge includes all supplies and maintenance on printers and copiers part of this program. (Since departments will no longer need to purchase toner cartridges or ink for printers, Purchasing has evaluated each department's costs for toner and ink cartridges so budgets will be reduced by this amount.)

Paper. Departments will be responsible for the cost of white paper, available from the FDX at $2.50 per ream. Paper was bid out and this is the cheapest available. Materials and supplies budgets will be supplemented with funds for paper based on each department’s estimated copy and print volume.

Copy Center. The Furman FDX will charge 3.3 cents per impression with no charge for paper, so departments can save money for their departmental budgets by sending larger jobs there.

Benefits: The major benefit realized through the efficient use of the TIS program will be a minimum $100,000 savings to the university budget each year. As we become more proficient in using our new technology, this savings could be larger.

1 The equipment we are receiving is brand new and top of the line in today’s market place.
2. The equipment offers new features that were not available with our older machines and this will allow us to move to a higher technological level.
3. While the billing systems and manner in which we pay for printing/copying will change, departments will not pay more for these services unless they so choose.
4. Training will be on-going, required by all, and designed to meet the specific needs of particular departments or units.
5. Seminars on the future of copying/printing, new technologies and new equipment options will be held on campus periodically. These will involve Kyocera Mita users in the Greenville area (the Greenville Public Schools, Hitachi, and Fuji Photo Film). Furman will be the hub of training for copy/print technologies in the Greenville market.
6. Day-long access to training and trouble shooting via Cindy and the Kearns staff.

Future Emphases: We will be working in the near future to systematize the printing done by students, especially in the labs. This operation, as it now stands, costs the university money and a solution to the “free at any quantity” print policy is in order. We will begin examining and looking for best practices next in hopes of finding a solution that fits Furman.

Cost Comparisons and other resources

Cost Comparison - Wichita Public Schools Laser Printer versus Inkjet
Cost Comparison - Why not inkjets?
Managing Paper Outputs...Technology
Desktop Printers: Public Enemy #1