Irritating screeches, jammed paper, poor quality results and student frustration are problems university officials hoped to end by installing new laser printers on campus.
The overhaul, administered by various divisions within the MSU computer laboratory, placed new Hewlett Packard 8200 laser printers in 15 residence-hall computer labs across campus. There also were 41 new printers placed in various buildings with public laboratories, such as the Union.
Scott Thomas, division manager of computer services, said one laser printer can easily accommodate a microlab of 30 computers. Before the new additions, microlabs typically had eight to 10 computers per Lexmark dot matrix printer.
“Dot matrix printing is a very old technology,” Thomas said. “They are designed to print low quality at low speeds. These kind of printers are something you can’t even buy at stores anymore without special ordering them.”
Dot matrix printers were initially installed in the mid-1980s, which required costs of manually reloading paper, ribbons and the frequent replacement of other printer parts.
Thomas said the printers were commonly used by students to print out PowerPoint presentations and other assignments that contained large amounts of graphics, causing the printers to break down.
The first few black ink laser printers were installed as a test run at the Main Library during summer 1999. The rest of the printers were gradually installed throughout the next three years.
Public computer labs containing laser printers charged students 10 cents a page last year. The price for printing has been reduced to 5 cents per page this year. The 5-cent fee covers costs of paper and maintenance.
But students are noticing the change.
“It’s pretty scandalous,” said theater sophomore Kawai Kavahikava. “I think they are trying to juice us for any money they can get. It may just be 5 cents, but it adds up over time.”
The self-service printers are available 24 hours a day in all residence hall laboratories.
Paper can be purchased online at print.msu.edu with e-tokens. Students are required to purchase a minimum of $5 - which enables 100 pages of print - and can charge the fee to their MSU account.
\" target=\"_blank\">print.msu.edu with e-tokens. Students are required to purchase a minimum of $5 - which enables 100 pages of print - and can charge the fee to their MSU account.
There are also plans to install 10 color laser printers by the end of the semester.
But some students have no problem paying the additional fee.
“Being a student, I’m busy and usually on the move,” said psychology sophomore Hyunsung Ro. “The laser printers are extremely fast, which I find very useful.”
