The start of a new school year has a way of turning “we need this printed soon” into “we need 1,500 copies by tomorrow.”

Schools often need to update enrollment packets, teachers need instructional materials, and administration has upcoming board meetings where they need to review the student handbook.

For schools that regularly outsource larger print jobs, situations like these can raise a reasonable question: Would it make more sense to bring some of our production printing in-house?

At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas (STPT), we work with schools and other organizations that are weighing this exact decision. Neither option is automatically better. Outsourcing can be convenient and cost-effective for occasional work, while in-house production printing can provide more control when print volume, turnaround times, and outsourcing expenses begin to grow.

When looking at printer specifications, you’ll likely see two numbers that look like they describe the same thing: monthly duty cycle and recommended monthly print volume. They, however, don’t. Knowing the difference can help you choose a printer that fits your workload and avoid unnecessary service calls, downtime, and early replacement costs.

In the more than 40 years we’ve been helping organizations match office equipment to their real printing needs, we often help people know which number they should actually use.

The short answer: A printer’s duty cycle is the maximum number of pages or images it is designed to produce in a single month. Its recommended monthly print volume is the workload it is designed to handle consistently. For everyday use and printer selection, follow the recommended monthly print volume.

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The process of replacing a drum on a printer is manageable, but there is one part you need to be especially careful with: the drum’s green surface should never be touched.

A printer drum transfers the toner image to each page, so it gradually wears and eventually needs replacing. Your PrimeLink may alert you when the drum reaches the end of its service life, and a worn or damaged drum can affect print quality.

As a print vendor for 40+ years, we’ve serviced thousands of printers, and our technicians regularly work on Xerox equipment ranging from everyday office printers to production machines like the PrimeLink Series.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to replace a drum on a Xerox PrimeLink C9200 Series copier. You’ll learn how to access and unlock the drum, remove it without touching the sensitive green surface, install the replacement, and put everything back together correctly.

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Everyone knows that sensitive documents should never be left unattended in a printer tray, unless you want unauthorized eyes to see them. But many don't know which printer features best prevent that from happening.

Secure Print and Follow Me Printing both hold documents until a user is ready to retrieve them. While these methods sound similar, it’s easy to assume they work the same way. However, the location of the print job, the available printers, and the way users authenticate can be different.

In this article, we will compare Follow Me Printing vs. Secure Print so you can decide which option makes the most sense for your users, printers and security needs.

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A printer problem can slow down your workday, but not every issue needs a service call. Some problems can be resolved with a few safe troubleshooting steps. However, if you’re experiencing unusual noises, recurring errors, or internal component failures, you’ll usually need a trained technician.

In this article, we’ll use our 40+ years of experience in printer maintenance to answer four common printer service questions and explain what you can check yourself, when to call for help, and how ongoing service support can prevent larger problems.