Toner Replacement Program

Starting August 1^st 2011,  West Des Moines Schools will begin an automatic toner ordering process with Laser Resources. Traditionally, each building would purchase their own toner.  To assist buildings with reducing printing costs, the district conducted a bid to seek vendors who would provide toner automatically when needed at the lowest possible price.  The bid was awarded to Laser Resources Inc. (LRI)

Q&A about the new toner program… 

Q1.  How do I know if my printer is covered by this program?
A1. If your printer is covered by this program, there is an LRI sticker on the front of the printer.

Q2.  And what if we have a printer that does NOT have an LRI sticker and is not covered by the program?
A2. If you have printer that is NOT covered – that means you will continue as normal, meaning that when you run out of ink, you’ll need to order and replacement the toner on your own.

Q3. Can you describe the process for how the toner replacement works?
A3.  A quick summary is…

1)      LRI electronically monitors the toner levels

2)      When toner is running low, they email/call your building to ask if you want replacement. (unless you requested that they not call/email)

3)      If you say yes, then they ship the toner directly to you.  Someone in your building is responsible for loading the actual toner/ink cartridge.

4)      Then once a month, they will send an invoice to the district accounting department who will process the actual purchase order utilizing your account codes for your specific printers.

The process is pretty simple… and it will not only save us money on toner, it was also save your building on time related to shopping, collecting quotes, and handling POs/invoices.

 

Q4.  My printer is NOT on the list, can I get it added?
A4. We can take a look – however, there are some makes/models of printers for which the toner levels cannot be remotely monitored.

 

More details on how the program works:

For most of the printers in the district, the printer itself reports the toner level to a software called FM Audit.  There are a few older model printers that do not have this capability and will not be eligible for automatic toner ordering.  If your printer has a LRI ID sticker label on it, that printer is under the auto-shipment program.

When the toner falls below a certain level, an alert is generated and new toner is shipped out. When the toner arrives at your location, it will have a detailed label that contains your printer name and number.

The label will have a descriptive location name (the common printer name that each building uses), the printer serial number, the make and model, and the Laser Resources ID number (This number is on the Laser Resources ID label that will be on each printer and starts 070XXX).

What if I already have toner on hand for my printer?

When we receive a toner alert, Laser Resources will send an email to the building the printer is located at and let you know that the printer needs toner.  If you have toner on hand, just reply and let us know and we won’t ship out the toner.

If you have any other questions regarding the new toner program, please don’t hesitate to contact Amy Wickett at Laser Resources either by phone: 333-5824 or by email: amyw@laserresources.com.

Toshiba Copier information…

Q1. I swipe my card at the copier – and the card reader displays an error message, what do I do?
A1. The first thing to do – reboot the card reader.   On the back of the card reader,  unplug all of the cords – then plug them back in – this will reboot the card reader.  If this fails, then contact the tech person in your building who handles the copier, as they will need to call Laser Resources (LRI) for technical support.

Q2.  How much money does each certified staff member receive to use on the copier?
A2.  Each certified staff member receives $100 per school year.

Q3.  Who is actually paying for the $100 per certified staff? and what happens when they run out of money?
A3.  The first $100 is paid for by the district.   When you run out of funds, you must then obtain permission and an account code from your supervisor –  as you will be funding anything beyond the first $100.

Q4.  When exactly does the $100 expire?  does it carry over to the next year?
A4.  No, it does not carry over into the next year.  On July 1st, the system automatically resets everyone to $100 regardless of how much is left in their account.

Q5. How do I know how much is left in my account?
A5.  Starting around Sept 1st of each school year, a weekly email will go out from the system that lists the balances. The beginning of the weekly email status also provides the following background…

Attached is the weekly balance update for the Toshiba Copiers. The column labeled “BALANCE” shows the remaining amount of funds available for your account. When your account runs out, you must obtain permission from your supervisor along with an account code to cover addition allocations