Background
Printers continue to be an important tool within college offices. However, the printers that are appropriate for home use are not always good solutions for the campus environment. As such, it is important that Technology Services review printer purchases to ensure that the printer you want to purchase will fit within our environment to server the purpose you need.
This service is for purchasing a new printer. If you need assistance with an existing printer, use the "Printer Support" option under the Help Desk category of this Service Catalog.
Printer Requirements
- Wi-fi printers are not permitted for use on campus. (The wireless signals can interfere with campus WiFi.). Most small printers have WiFi built-in so the wireless networking options for printers must be disabled for use on campus.
- Many personal USB printers are ethernet capable. However, they are intended for home use and frequently don't work consistently with our print server. As such, these small printers are for single person use within an office and attached to the computer via USB. They will not be networked.
- Workgroup printers as well as larger printers can be networked and must be configured by Technology Services to use the college print server (ED-PRINT). IP addresses will be assigned and reserved within the appropriate college IP ranges.
- A security group will be assigned to each printer. This group will include all users (NetIDs) who will have access to print to the printer. Contact Technology Services to add or remove people from the printer security group.
Purchasing Procedures
- Printer purchases (along with all IT purchases) must be approved by Technology Services prior to purchase.
- Use the "Request Printer" button at the top right to start the request procedures.
- If you want to purchase a printer, be sure to include its intended purpose. That is, if you want the printer to shared among a group be sure to purchase a wired-network capable work group printer.
- Networked printers will be set up according to Technology Services guidelines to ensure reliable operation and consistent results.
- Locations with multiple network printers should be reviewed and accommodated only if justification for them exists. E.G. Black and white and color in the same location would be justified by the need for different features.
Printer Purchase Options
Technology Services assists with determining the user or group's needs and recommends options for purchase for optimal value.
- Personal printer. Intended for single person and attached directly to a computer via USB. Not networked. Example
- Workgroup printer. Black and White only. Must be wired-network capable. (extra paper trays are available for this model) Example
- Workgroup printer. Color. Must be wired-network capable. (extra paper trays are available for this model) Example
- Workgroup printer. Multifunction (Print, copy, scan, scan to email ??). Must be wired-network capable. (extra paper trays are available for this model) Example
- Large department printer. These will usually be leased from a local vendor and will be under contract for repairs and supplies. Technology Services should be with the choice to make sure the printer chosen is compatible with college infrastructure and to assist with the configuration and setup of the printer.