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Growth is exciting, but can your printer fleet keep up with it?
For one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, this question kept popping up. More students mean more teachers and more campuses. And with that growth also comes more printing, more color usage, more service calls, and more pressure on IT.
The district needed a print vendor that could scale with them, reduce unnecessary color costs, and deliver reliable local service without disrupting instruction.
Here’s what they were facing, how they evaluated vendors, and what solution they implemented district-wide.
Table of Contents
- About the ISD
- The Printing Challenges They Faced
- How the District Evaluated Print Vendors
- Why They Chose STPT
- The Solution Implemented Across Campuses
- How Deployment Was Handled
- Expected Results & Operational Impact
- What Other School Districts Can Learn
- Frequently Asked Questions
About the ISD
The ISD is a rapidly growing school district in Texas. This rapid growth increases printing demands, expands device fleets, and puts added pressure on IT departments to maintain uptime and control costs.
Like many districts, this one needed:
- Uniform color output across campuses
- Dedicated color printers in offices
- Black-and-white devices for classrooms and workrooms
- Better control over color spending
As the district expanded, its print environment needed to become more structured, more visible, and more cost-controlled.
What Challenges Was the ISD Facing?
Before partnering with STPT, the school district faced high color printing usage and limited visibility into color spending. Its IT was also overloaded due to printer-related issues and concerns about timely on-site service support and supply delivery.
Here’s a closer look at their challenges.
High Color Usage
Color printing is a lot more expensive than black and white. Without print rules in place, color output can easily get out of hand. This is especially a problem in a school environment where teachers need flexibility while adhering to a tight budget.
The district needed a way to reduce unnecessary color printing without disrupting instruction.
IT Overload
When printers go down, IT often becomes the first call.
IT needed to do printer troubleshooting, supply tracking, and service coordination. These tasks were consuming time that IT could have spent on higher-priority technology initiatives.
Service Response Concerns
As a fast-growing district, device uptime matters. Delays in service can disrupt administrative workflows and classroom productivity.
The school district needed dependable, local support.
How Did the ISD Evaluate Print Vendors?
The Texas ISD conducted a formal RFP process and evaluated vendors based on service response time, relationship trust, pricing transparency, and the ability to provide a comprehensive district-wide solution.
Beyond just replacing hardware, they were seeking a partner with whom they could have a long-term relationship.
The district evaluated vendors on:
- Documented service response times
- Cost structure and pricing clarity
- Local technician availability
- Ability to implement print management software
- A clear strategy to reduce color printing costs
Like many public institutions, the district wanted both accountability and partnership.
Why Did the ISD Choose STPT?
Ultimately, the school district chose STPT because it trusted the team and valued its local service model. The district believed STPT offered a clear, actionable strategy to reduce color printing costs while improving support responsiveness.
Several factors stood out.
- STPT presented a complete solution, including devices.
- STPT outlined a defined approach to reduce color spend.
- STPT demonstrated local service capabilities.
- The district felt confident in the relationship.
Trust also played a major role in STPT’s selection. In education, reliability matters.
What Solution Did STPT Implement?
STPT implemented a structured, district-wide solution that included hardware, print management software, and managed print services.
Devices: Xerox AltaLink Multifunction Printers
STPT deployed a combination of black-and-white and color Xerox AltaLink devices across campuses.
Xerox AltaLink devices provide:
- Consistent output quality
- Network security features
- Scalable device management
Quocirca’s print security landscape research finds that organizations that have multi-vendor fleets face higher risks and increased costs from potential data breaches.
Operating a standardized printer fleet helps improve reliability and simplifies support.
Print Management: Y Soft SAFEQ (On-Premise)
STPT implemented Y Soft SAFEQ across all district printers, which enforces print rules and monitors user activity. It restricts color access based on user permissions and provides visibility into district-wide print behavior.
The Texas ISD specifically requested color print rules that:
- Limit color access to teachers when needed
- Track color usage by user
- Reduce unnecessary color output
The platform is currently deployed on-premise, with the option to transition to cloud in the future.
Managed Print Services: e-valet
STPT enrolled the ISD in its e-valet Managed Print Services program.
e-valet includes:
- Maintenance and service agreement coverage
- Proactive monitoring
- Streamlined supply management
- Direct local service support
This reduces IT involvement in printer issues and improves service coordination.
How Was Deployment Handled Across Campuses?
Rolling out a district-wide print solution takes lots of coordination. Our goal was to minimize disruption while keeping everything aligned across campuses.
In the school district’s case, IT leadership guided internal coordination and ensured communication flowed between campuses and administrative teams. STPT then built an organized rollout plan around that structure, mapping out timelines, device placements, and service transitions ahead of installation.
Installations were also scheduled to keep classroom disruptions to a minimum.
Expected Results & Operational Impact
The school district expects to reduce color printing by 50% while improving service response times and reducing the burden on IT.
The change comes from how the system is structured. Print management software now controls color output across the district, giving administrators clearer visibility into how and when color printing is used.
Managed services help improve device uptime through proactive monitoring and service coverage. And because STPT provides local technicians, response times are faster when support is needed.
Together, these changes are expected to deliver:
- A targeted 50% reduction in color printing
- Faster service response times
- Better tracking of print activity across campuses
- Improved visibility into supply shipments
- Less printer-related workload for the IT team
What Other School Districts Can Learn From the ISD
The school district’s experience highlights several important lessons for school districts evaluating print vendors:
- Growth requires scalable print infrastructure.
- Print rules reduce uncontrolled color costs.
- Visibility drives accountability.
- Local service improves uptime.
- IT teams benefit from managed print partnerships.
When selecting a print vendor, school districts should look beyond price. Reliability, structure, and long-term support are important, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can school districts reduce color printing costs?
School districts can reduce color printing costs by implementing print management software that enforces color rules, tracks usage by user, and restricts unnecessary color printing while preserving flexibility for instructional needs.
What is Y Soft SAFEQ used for in schools?
Y Soft SAFEQ is print management software that controls access, monitors print activity, and enforces district-wide printing policies across all devices.
What should schools look for in a print vendor?
Schools should evaluate service response times, cost transparency, security features, print management capabilities, and the vendor’s ability to deploy and support multiple campuses.
Looking for a Print Partner That Can Scale With Your District?
If your school district is growing, struggling with color printing costs, or overwhelmed by printer service issues, it may be time to evaluate your print strategy.
Request a consultation with STPT to see how a structured, district-wide print solution can support your schools.
Or, if you’re still early in your evaluation process, read our blog: "Top Questions You Should Ask Before You Choose an MPS Provider."
