The printing services of Aalto University and the University of Helsinki are being renewed in 2013. The transformation will be quite extensive and significant, and it will involve everyone at both universities, from students to staff. The specification of needs and the definition of the service concept were completed during the spring, and we are currently in the process of an extensive competitive bidding process for suppliers. The goal is to find a new supplier during the summer. The new system will be implemented gradually starting at the end of this year.

The bidding covers all the printing devices and required supplies, maintenance services, management system, charging system, and also the system integrations and any possible additional services that are needed or agreed upon. On the basis of the tender, Unigrafia will offer printing, copying and scanning services in co-operation with the universities' IT departments (IT will be responsible for the management of servers and queues).

The charging system will also be completely renewed. Invoicing based on counter readings and the MagnaCard copy cards will be replaced by card identification (smart card/sticker) – according to the principle ‘Print to the Cloud, retrieve where most convenient to you’. The aim is to move from device-based charging to user-based charging according to a separate transition plan.

The goal is to achieve more flexible use of printing devices, more detailed monitoring of costs, and a decrease in wasted printouts. Mobile printing from personal devices will also become possible. The service can also be extended with the use of printing quotas and the sale of printing quotas for students.

The replacement of multifunction copiers and printers included in the Unigrafia service will begin on 1 October 2013, and will continue in 2014.

The project is challenging technically and in terms of scale, but it will bring about significant improvements. We will keep users informed of the progress of the project through various channels of communication.

More information

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact tulostinasennukset@unigrafia.fi

Text: Unigrafia