Customer Overview

One of California’s largest K–12 school districts, serves nearly 40,000 students across 52 public schools – including 35 elementary, 16 middle, and 11 high schools. With nearly 1,900 teachers and a central print facility among the largest in the state, the district relies heavily on its in-plant operation to support daily educational and administrative needs.

The district’s print shop is a high-output facility responsible for curriculum packets, workbooks, signage, event materials, apparel, and graduation assets. It also provides wide-format and specialty finishing services- all under strict budget oversight and fast turnaround expectations.

Identifying Bottlenecks in Print Production

For over two decades, the district relied on Xerox equipment and service contracts, but as leadership transitioned, the need for modernization became clear. Equipment was aging, billing lacked transparency, and the service relationship lacked the flexibility and partnership they needed to grow.

The district faced the ongoing challenge of justifying its print center’s cost while maintaining high service levels for faculty and staff. Manual workflows made job tracking and approvals difficult, turnaround times were inconsistent, and limited device functionality kept them from offering the full range of services requested by their schools.

Developing a Tailored Print Strategy

Flex Technology Group, through its regional partner CBE, engaged the new leadership team and developed a plan to overhaul their operation with a more capable, cost-effective, and scalable solution. Over an 18-month period, FlexTG deployed more than $1 million in technology across a wide range of production environments- combining high-volume Canon and Ricoh devices with specialized finishing and wide-format solutions.

The equipment mix included two Canon VarioPrint 135s, a Canon Titan 6330 with inline booklet-making, and a Ricoh C7210 with a 5th color station for specialty jobs. The shop’s capabilities were further expanded with the addition of a Ricoh flatbed printer, multiple Roland UV and eco-solvent printers, a Colex cutter/router, and a Duplo digital die cutter.

To streamline prepress and production workflows, FlexTG introduced Canon’s PrismaPrepare software, replacing Xerox’s legacy FreeFlow with a modern, standardized PDF workflow. They also helped the district adopt a Web-to-Print storefront, making job submission more efficient and reducing errors across the board.

Key Benefits

• The transition delivered measurable improvements in both cost and performance:
• $10,000 in monthly savings compared to their previous Xerox contracts
• Significantly improved uptime and reliability, reducing disruptions and delays
• Streamlined prepress workflows with standardized PDF editing and make-ready tools
• Expanded production capabilities with 5th color, flatbed, UV, and wide-format printing
• Simplified billing and vendor management through a single, centralized partnership

These results not only enhanced day-to-day operations but also positioned the district for long-term efficiency and growth.

A Long-Term Print Partner for Public Education

Beyond implementation, FlexTG remains closely involved with the district’s leadership team, providing ongoing consultation, upgrades, and training support. Their print shop continues to serve as a critical resource to the district, especially during seasonal spikes like summer, when materials are prepared for the coming school year.

Since the partnership began, the district has run over 17 million impressions on its Canon fleet and nearly 10 million on Ricoh, all with minimal disruption.
Built on transparency, flexibility, and responsiveness to evolving needs, their relationship with FlexTG has made the in-plant print center an increasingly valuable resource for the schools it serves.