Northumbria University makes the right impression with outsourced design and print 

From business cards and exam papers to event banners and external signage — whatever they need in design and print, university staff can turn to Xerox. 

About the Client 

Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne is a research-intensive modern university that puts students at the heart of an outstanding experience. One of the UK's largest universities, it has around 32,000 students (from the UK and many other countries) and some 3,000 staff on campus.  

Northumbria has a global reputation for academic excellence, a wealth of partnerships with higher education establishments worldwide, and close relationships with major employers in the public and private sectors. It was named UK University of the Year in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2022. 

The Challenge 

When Northumbria University replaced its in-house design and print service with an outsourced service from Xerox, its aims included: 

• Achieving cost-efficiencies while maintaining output quality and brand compliance, and meeting sustainability objectives. 

• Streamlining production of routine print jobs and reducing the associated waste. 

• Gaining access to a broad range of design and print capabilities through a single point of contact. 

The initial five-year contract was extended in one-year increments until the university issued a new tender in 2023 using the Crescent Purchasing Consortia (CPC) Framework, Lot 2 — Digital Transformation Solutions. The university chose Xerox to continue providing the outsourced service based on competitive pricing, outstanding quality and its status as a trusted advisor. 

The Solution 

All of the university's 3,000+ staff, both academic and professional, can use the Xerox service, which comprises: 

• A self-service portal. 

• Graphic design and artworking services. 

• Fulfilment of bespoke requests. 

• A dedicated on-campus Xerox Delivery Account Operations Professional (DAOP). 

The DAOP, Jeff Workman, provides consultancy, creative services, project management and quality assurance. Through his collaboration with the brand team and his in-depth knowledge of the brand itself, Jeff ensures all the design and print he manages showcases the university's branding to best effect.  

Sustainability commitment 

Printing is done offsite by Xerox and its trusted partners using processes and facilities that support the university's sustainability focus: 

• Xerox production sites are accredited to ISO 14001 (environmental management systems) and ISO 50001 (energy management systems). 

• Print produced by Go Inspire, a Xerox company, and key print partners can be carbon balanced with the World Land Trust. 

• Print suppliers are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) chain-of-custody certified, which confirms their commitment to forest-friendly sourcing. 

Where appropriate, printers local to the university are invited to quote for jobs to help reduce the transport-related carbon footprint.

Self-service portal  

The self-service portal allows university staff to place orders for standard, templated stationery items (like business cards), bulk print jobs, and other output from files they upload themselves. An automated approval process lets users place orders any time of the day or night from any internet-connected device.  Everything's printed at Xerox UK service delivery centres with SLA-backed next-day delivery for most jobs. As well as removing the need to store output, this on-demand approach helps minimise both waste and the risk of using out-of-date stationery.  The portal includes signposting to the Xerox DAOP for help with projects that are outside the scope of the portal. 

Graphic design and artwork 

Staff who need graphic design support can consult with the Xerox DAOP, who reviews the brief, provides an estimate, and agrees the deadlines. Where appropriate, he repurposes previous designs and artwork to maintain brand compliance and accelerate delivery. 

Bespoke requests 

University staff can make bespoke requests for complex design and print work, such as exhibition graphics like banner stands and shell schemes; and external graphics like building and railing banners, directional signage and lamppost flags. The Xerox DAOP provides consultancy and costings, handles or outsources the design work, and manages each project through to completion, performing quality assurance before delivery to the requestor. Many bespoke requests are high volume or time sensitive, such as: 

• Exam papers that must be delivered by a same-day courier to keep the content secure. 

• A quarterly university newspaper. 

• Prospectuses, brochures, programmes and promotional items for open days for student recruitment, and for experience days for candidates who've met offer requirements. 

"Jeff applies creative flair to interpreting my requests while respecting the university's branding. He manages the projects proactively and never lets anything slip," says Claire Evans, Events Manager, Student Recruitment, who runs the open days and experience days. "He also brings fresh ideas from his wider knowledge of the print industry and can access a range of specialist services from Xerox and its partners."  She cites a new approach to external signage proposed by Jeff that uses materials that are more robust and weather-proof as well as reusable; and colours that work better for people with visual disabilities. And for experience days, personalised programmes are produced for each individual student using XMPie, a data-driven printing solution from Xerox. "We always get good feedback from prospective students about the personalised programmes," says Claire. Jeff also manages the sourcing of promotional items and branded merchandise — such as lanyards, t-shirts, tote bags and pens — from trusted Xerox partners with benchmarked pricing. 

Simplified charging and invoicing 

Charging and invoicing are straightforward. Staff need to provide only a cost centre or internal order number for each job (along with pricing approval for bespoke projects). Xerox issues a consolidated monthly invoice with a breakdown of completed jobs, and the university's finance team uses the quoted cost centres and order numbers to reconcile the invoice and pass charges on to the relevant departments. 

The Results 

Northumbria University benefits from an efficient design and print service from Xerox that: 

• Makes it easy for staff to request routine print jobs at any time through the web portal, confident they'll get prompt delivery.  

• Helps protect and showcase the university's brand through compliant templates on the portal and the Xerox DAOP's in-depth brand knowledge.  

• Enables access to specialist design and print services through a single point of contact. 

• Provides timely delivery of quality-assured bespoke projects.  

• Offers value for money with comparative quotes and benchmarked pricing to support the university's aims around cost-efficiencies. 

• Keeps charging and invoicing simple with minimal paperwork for staff and straightforward reconciliation for the finance team.  

"We know we can rely on Xerox for sustainable high-quality print, on-time delivery and value for money," says Claire. "Having a Xerox DAOP embedded at the university makes it a trusted relationship and increases our confidence in all aspects of the service."