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Print partners ease textbook burden for Hong Kong students

Print-on-demand service EduBox addresses problem of textbook-laden bags and sees Fuji Xerox link with Fotomax and publisher Canotta

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Hong Kong students are burdened by the need to carry bags laden with heavy books, a situation Fuji Xerox wants to ease. Photo: SCMP

The growing cost of school books and the long-standing problem of Hong Kong students lugging them around in overly heavy bags are the main issues that Fuji Xerox hopes to solve through its new digital, print-on-demand initiative - EduBox.

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Fuji Xerox, one of the world's largest suppliers of office copiers and printers, has teamed up with photo-finishing chain Fotomax and Canotta Publishing, a major publisher of school books in Hong Kong, to start EduBox this month as a pilot programme.

"We hope that EduBox would encourage other school book publishers in the city to adopt this print-on-demand solution," Fuji Xerox Hong Kong managing director Herbert Hui said.

EduBox, branded as a "Canotta Freebook" publishing solution, is applicable to all secondary school teaching materials.

The system will enable schools in Hong Kong to acquire up-to-date books, worksheets, exercise books and other school papers through Canotta Publishing's online database.

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Teachers simply log on to the database, choose the content they need and print the exact amount of materials needed at any time through the Fuji Xerox digital printing system provided by Fotomax. Parents and students can choose to pick up the materials at Fotomax shops. There are 73 such shops located near MTR stations and in shopping arcades.

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