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Medford committee signs multiyear copier contract, adds PaperCut print management to cut costs
Summary
The committee approved a five‑year contract to consolidate district photocopier devices and implement PaperCut for secure print and scanning; staff said the change could reduce annual printing costs and create device‑management efficiencies.
The Medford School Committee voted May 19 to consolidate district photocopier contracts into a five‑year agreement and to implement PaperCut print management software, a move district staff said will lower annual costs and modernize device management.
Assistant Superintendent Peter Cushing and district IT staff described current arrangements as fragmented — multiple short‑term contracts covering 57–58 devices — and said the proposed consolidated contract would add a device while reducing annual costs. Cushing told the committee that moving to 58 machines and a managed‑device model would reduce annual expenses by roughly $36,216 and that additional savings from PaperCut could reach approximately $45,816 by cutting toner and waste and enabling secure print and Google Drive scanning.
Cushing said the new configuration will allow staff to integrate badge‑based secure print, scan directly to Google Drive instead of email or USB, and sunset certain hard fax lines by adding electronic faxing. “We will also, be adding e faxing…so we'll be able to sunset some of the hard lines that we're paying Verizon for into the building,” he said.
Committee members asked about network reliability and how PaperCut would function if networks fail; staff confirmed devices are wired and said they are concurrently reviewing network robustness. Member Graham noted the need to ensure Active Directory and directory management support for secure credentials and district print accounting.
The committee approved the recommendation and voted to forward the contract to the city council as the purchasing authority indicated; the committee budgeted for the initial $185,000 baseline cost in the current budget and staff said consolidated contracts will reduce recurring operating expenses.
Ending: Staff will finalize contract terms and move toward implementation, while continuing a network assessment to ensure reliable device and print management.
