Burke County Public Schools partnered with Sharp to modernize their outdated print environment, installing nearly 300 multifunction and single-function devices and integrating secure, efficient print management through PaperCut MF. This upgrade led to anticipated cost savings, improved document security, reduced waste, and enhanced customer service and support across the district.
Challenges
Burke County Public School District, located just northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, serves approximately 12,000 students and employs 1,500 staff across 28 locations. Like many school districts, Burke County faced the challenge of managing an outdated and inefficient print environment. They needed a solution to reduce waste, improve document security, and simplify print management across their extensive network of schools and administrative offices. They were also looking for better customer service and faster response times to any issues they might encounter.
Solutions
The school district partnered with Sharp after receiving positive referrals from other districts and assessing the breadth of office technology that Sharp was able to provide. Sharp worked with the district to deliver a robust and cost-effective solution, installing 155 full-size 31 – 55 ppm Advanced Series color and monochrome multifunction printers (MFPs), 41 compact color MFPs and 86 desktop color printers across the Burke County Public School district to provide a more modern, standardized solution, allowing full optimization of their print infrastructure.
To further enhance efficiency and security, all devices were integrated with PaperCut MF—a robust print management solution that the district already had in place but had not been trained to use effectively. After Sharp integrated the software with their printers and provided comprehensive training, teachers and administrative staff were finally able to take full advantage of its capabilities. They can now send print jobs from any device and retrieve them securely at any networked MFP by simply swiping their badge. This minimizes waste from uncollected printouts and protects sensitive documents by ensuring they are only released to the authorized user.
Proven Results
Burke County Public Schools quickly experienced the benefits of its upgraded print environment. With the integration and training of PaperCut MF, the district anticipates it will incur cost savings due to reduced paper and toner waste. Additionally, the new Sharp devices require minimal maintenance and are backed by Sharp’s responsive service and support team—helping to keep devices online and operating smoothly.
“We have had very little downtime,” says Kristin Edwards, ED.d, Digital Teaching & Learning Director and Chief Information Officer for the Burke County Public Schools. “Customer service has been top notch. When we reach out to our representative we get a response in a very reasonable amount of time.”
Additionally, by utilizing MICAS, Sharp’s remote management system, the Sharp team has been able to work closely with the district to ensure that copiers and printers are never out of toner.
“We set it so that toner is sent to us when we are down by 80%,” says Edwards. “So far, it’s been pretty seamless.”
The school district also uses Sharp’s Toner Recycling Program, which easily allows them to ship Sharp consumables, including toner cartridges, in bulk to a 100% zero waste recycling facility.
“Sharp makes it easy to do the right thing,” says Edwards.
By partnering with Sharp and implementing an advanced, secure print solution across its locations, Burke County Public Schools has reduced costs, improved user convenience, and enhanced document security—demonstrating how thoughtful technology investments can benefit both staff and students.
“We have very little downtime. Customer service has been top notch.”