Mrs. Harumi Onomura, principal of Noda Seika Kindergarten, explains her school's reasons for purchasing a colour copier. "Five years ago, before we bought a colour copier, making colour educational tools and materials was a two-stage process. First we'd make ordinary black-and-white copies of ready-made materials, then the teachers would colour in each individual sheet using colour pencils." Amid the steady decline in the number of children in Japan, Noda Seika has to fight for a share of this shrinking market. To stand out from crowded competition, the school now has the teachers produce their own original colour prints. Before the colour copier arrived, the teachers had to order colour prints from a print shop. The results were that all the prints had a standard, cookie-cutter look. Therefore, each class and teacher didn't have the power to be creative or the ability to express their originality.

Standing out from the other pre-schools wasn't Noda Seika's only reason for buying a colour copier.

Recently the school had noticed that its black-and-white, text-only printouts weren't being read. However, when they started including colour illustrations, the leap in number of replies was quick and dramatic. Clearly, the use of eye-catching graphics was a big boost in getting the kindergarten's message across.

One of the colour copies that really grabbed our attention was a notice to parents saying, "Bring a box lunch from home tomorrow. " Noda Seika Kindergarten provides lunches for its students on normal school days, but on days when there are special-events, the children bring their own lunches. To help the kids remember their lunches, the school now hands out beautifully decorated reminder cards to each pupil. "We wanted to produce handouts that would make the kids look forward to the event, while attempting to put a song in the hearts of the mothers as they prepared the lunches," Mrs. Onomura explains.

To date, few, if any, of the other nearby kindergartens provide their handouts in colour. "People are attracted by our use of colourful, handmade cards and messages. I've even heard that it's become a factor in some parents' decisions on whether to send their children to Noda Seika," enthuses Mrs. Onomura. "There are a host of advantages to printing and distributing handmade colour materials."

As if the positive reception from parents wasn't enough, the colour copier also benefits the school by saving time and money. Making colour handouts by hand for each of the 225 pupils was an overwhelming task for the teachers, yet a run of only 225 items is too small to send to a print shop. Neither alternative made good economic sense.

Because the CF2001 can produce 20 colour copies per minute, the school was able to slash one-half to two-thirds the total time required to produce and distribute the handmade materials. Plus, the teachers are thrilled, stating that copies are produced fast and accurately, which makes a great and lasting impression on children and their parents alike.