The Importance of Print in the Digitally-Enabled Classroom

The events of the past few years have led many of us to rethink things we used to take for granted. Educators are no exception. Teachers have learned that they’re nimbler and more adaptable than they’d believed. They’ve realized that digitally-enabled instruction is crucial for today’s learners. They’ve had to adopt new tools and technologies, both in the classroom and beyond. And they’ve realized that there’s lasting value in the time-honored process of reading from the printed page.

Though many students think digital media work well for initial research purposes, studies have found that learners perform better in terms of both comprehension and retention when material is presented in print – particularly if the passage is more than a page long.¹ Many struggle to focus when they’re working with digital tools that require frequent scrolling, which can lead to skimming and fragmented learning.² This is true even for digital natives and students in hybrid and remote educational settings, as well as homeschooled students.

Print remains relevant in a broad array of classroom settings, for students ranging in age from our youngest learners to those in higher education. It’s not just black and white printed text that brings educational benefits. In fact, the use of color in printed materials has been shown to improve learning outcomes like retention and recall, as well as to lengthen students’ attention spans.³

To give students all the benefits of access to the printed page, educators need classroom printers that are affordable, convenient and high performing. As print technologies evolve, it’s important for districts to evaluate the diverse printing needs of every classroom – and choose printers that will help learners foster creative and critical thinking skills. Modern inkjet technology is the perfect tool for the job.

Why business inkjet is a sound choice for every classroom

Teachers need to bring boundless energy, passion and creativity to their jobs. But their time and budgets are limited. They need printers that can help make the most of every cent in the budget and every second in the day. Inkjet delivers on both counts.

Not only do Epson business inkjet printers provide affordable, high-value color printing, with the Epson WF-C879R, to give just one example, offering the lowest-cost color printing in its class,⁴ but their low energy consumption can help reduce your school’s power bill as well. Epson’s innovative PrecisionCore^® technology requires no heat in the ink ejection process. This means that there’s no need to heat a toner drum prior to printing, which can greatly decrease power consumption during warmup as well as active use.

Another benefit of this innovative technology is that there’s virtually no wait time for printer warmup. This means you can get the prints you need in your classroom fast. Also powered by PrecisionCore technology, the all-new Epson WF-C4810 produces print-shop-quality color prints and laser-sharp black and color text at 25 ISO ppm for black text, and 12 ISO ppm for color.⁵ It’s complete duplex solution with auto 2-sided printing makes it super efficient and it has the lowest power consumption in its class.⁶

Epson business inkjet printers are engineered for efficiency and reliability. Epson PrecisionCore permanent printheads are designed to last the life of the printer. With no heat required in the ejection process and few moving parts, you may experience less downtime for maintenance. This means your Epson Inkjet printer will spend more time at work in your classroom, and can help save on service costs, too.

Educational institutions need both centralized and distributed printing

Today’s schools, colleges and universities have a broad array of diverse printing needs. On the one hand, you need to print classroom materials in bulk, at speed, and in vibrant color from the teachers’ lounge or administrative office. On the other, it can be beneficial to provide teachers with the convenience offered by in-classroom printers. Plus, some districts run online academies or hybrid education programs where students need access to high-performing, simple-to-use print technologies at home.

In the past, educational institutions were forced to choose, especially when it came to color printing. Did they want speed, reliability or affordability?

Now, with Epson’s line of business inkjet printers, it’s easy to find the right printer to meet your needs. With a powerful and efficient workhorse like the WF-C21000 in a centralized location, you can get high print volumes at speed, in full color, with the lowest power consumption in its class.⁷

With the impressive new WF-C4810, you can bring high-productivity color printing into virtually any classroom – with no warmup time. Studies show that the typical print job yields three to eight pages of printed material,⁸ with teachers printing an average of 75 pages per day.⁹ When there’s this much printing, removing warmup time can have a big impact.

With low-cost, low-maintenance print solutions for home use, like the ST-C2100 Color Supertank multi-function printer, parents of online learners or home-schoolers can keep their focus on their child’s academic progress rather than constantly thinking about the need to buy ink cartridges.

Do more in your classroom

One thing’s clear: printing is still of enormous benefit in the modern digital age. It’s not just tests, homework and curriculum packets that today’s teachers are printing. High-performance business inkjet printers can help you create engaging flyers to announce community events or fundraisers. They can help enable you to produce your own diagrams and posters for classroom display. And they can help empower you to celebrate student achievements with custom certificates and awards. In fact, the sky’s the limit when it comes to engaging your students with full-color printed materials.

Learn more about Epson inkjet printers for education at Epson.com/business-inkjet-printers-education.

To request a demo for your district or school, visit Epson.com/business-printers-form.