PSI’s Newly Expanded STEP Program: Supporting Career Readiness Through Printing

lisa0158
Oct 9
4 min read

When schools started implementing PSI’s Student Entrepreneur Program (STEP), the results spoke for themselves. Students took ownership, learned teamwork, and transformed their schools through creativity and purpose.

Teachers and administrators saw the excitement, the confidence, and the real-world learning that came from running a student-led print shop. Our team at PSI decided to tap into what was working and explore how we could help even more schools and their students find success with STEP.

What came out of that thinking was the newly expanded STEP program, designed to bring even more structure, support, and success to more schools, utilizing PSI’s poster printers and newly designed curriculum built by teachers for teachers.

From Posters to Possibilities: Why PSI Expanded STEP

From the very beginning, PSI’s mission has been about empowering schools, not just with printers, but with practical, creative tools and ideas that make a real impact.

After hearing many success stories from schools using their ecolor+

poster printers to build student-run businesses, PSI realized something: with the right support, many more schools and their students could experience the same level of success.

The new, expanded STEP program was built to do exactly that — turning what was once a great idea into a fully supported, ready-to-implement model that works for many kinds of classrooms. Over the years, STEP has proven successful in both middle and high school classrooms, engaging students in authentic, hands-on learning that connects creativity with real-world skills.

STEP also equips students for life after school. The teamwork, design, budgeting, and communication skills students developed in STEP are the same competencies that help them shine in college, internships, or the workplace. So we built the expanded STEP program to bring that career readiness into more classrooms, backed by real support so every school can succeed.

What’s New in the Expanded STEP Program

The new version of STEP now includes five complete curriculum models, each tailored to different age groups, interests, and learning environments:

Middle School Curriculum – Introduces entrepreneurship and teamwork through hands-on print projects that teach responsibility, budgeting, and basic business concepts.

General Education Curriculum – Integrates seamlessly into 7th-12th grade classes to help students connect learning to real-world applications while supporting school-wide needs. It can also be used to expand or integrate into career and technical education (CTE) programs.

Graphic Design Curriculum – Perfect for CTE or art pathways, this curriculum builds technical and creative skills through poster and design projects.

Special Education Curriculum – Designed to build independence, communication, and practical life skills while fostering inclusion and pride in students’ contributions.

Club Model – A flexible option for after-school or enrichment programs that creates a supported student-run business venture.

Each curriculum comes with ready-to-use lesson plans, classroom visuals, and project templates, making it easy to get started. Whether a teacher wants to integrate it into an existing class or a school wants to launch a new student business, STEP provides the roadmap. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with teachers who already use STEP so it is designed by educators, for educators, to create an easy-to-use, ready-to-implement program.

Where Structure Meets Creativity

What makes STEP unique is its balance of structure and creativity—a combination that gives students agency and preparation. Within this framework, students learn how to plan and scope a project, collaborate with teammates, work with real clients, deliver on expectations, and reflect on their results.

These experiences build confidence and transferable skills that go far beyond the classroom. Whether they’re entering college, technical programs, or the workforce, students who participate in STEP already understand deadlines, communication, and accountability.

And when they can point to tangible work—banners, signs, decals, or design portfolios—it becomes more than a class project. It becomes a story they can tell about who they are, what they’ve built, and where they’re headed.

Students learn the ins and outs of running a business by:

Setting goals and tracking progress
Managing orders and budgets
Designing and producing products with PSI’s ecolor+ poster maker
Working together to meet real deadlines and serve real customers

Teachers, meanwhile, gain access to classroom resources that help them guide the process without having to start from scratch.

As one PSI customer shared: “The students enjoy working with the ecolor because it is so creative.” — Suzanne Egan-Raleigh, Teacher, New Road School of Somerset

A Program Built with Educators, for Educators

The new STEP isn’t just a PSI product — it’s a collaboration between PSI and the teachers who brought it to life. The curriculum was written with direct input from current educators who have seen STEP’s potential firsthand.

Their goal was simple: make it easier for schools of all sizes and budgets to bring real-world learning to life through entrepreneurship, creativity, and collaboration.

This educator-driven approach ensures that the materials are practical, classroom-ready, and aligned with what teachers actually need to run a successful student business.

Looking Ahead: Real-World Learning That Lasts

Over the next two months, we’ll dive deeper into how each curriculum model works, from middle school classrooms discovering entrepreneurship to high school students running real print shops on campus.

In the coming months, each blog in this series will spotlight the ways STEP helps students not just within school, but beyond it. Because STEP is more than print, it’s a pathway to purpose.