Academic Technologies
 Purchasing or repairing a printer

Academic Technologies does not provide quotes for printers.  Please deal directly with the Purchasing Department.  This chart provides advice and recommendations from the Purchasing and AT departments.

 

Selecting a new printer

Also see below    Notes and Troubleshooting tips

User requirements Printer Model &
Approx. Price		 Comments Vendor
Quick printing at desk; user has access to a departmental networked laser printer Hewlett Packard Many models in the
$100 to $150 range 		These will handle simple color printing also Look at models on these web sites

www.cdwg.com

or

www.govconnection.com

 
User needs laser printer; moderate volume Hewlett Packard Consider
HP LaserJets under $300 		 Standalone, not on the network
User needs local printer for Macintosh Hewlett Packard see comments    >>> How does printer connect to your computer? Do you have a USB port?  Is the printer compatible with the Operating System that you use?
Department Laser printer
on network		 Hewlett Packard

Issues to consider:

  • does your department have a RICOH copier that can serve as a network printer

  • volume of printing in normal day

  • volume per day at peak times

  • need envelope feeder

  • need duplex (two sided) printing

  • need additional 500 sheet paper tray

  • how much memory comes with printer

  • cost of additional memory (always install maximum)

  • need to handle large size paper 11 x 17

 

 Network printer

more details / options at
HP website

 

 Ask Purchasing Department to recommend vendor with best price under NYS contract
Color laser printer

At this time, Academic Technologies can not provide support  beyond simple driver installation.

You should talk to Alan Anderson. We don't recommend departmental color laser printers (out of concern for the high cost of special paper, toners and service calls. )    We send our major color print jobs to Office Services for these  reasons.   For quick printing of single copies, consider an inexpensive inkjet.

Other factors to consider:  how many items you will print, the cost of various qualities of paper, the size of the paper, cost of toner, and immediate availability of all of these.   Also: who will be trained to operate the printer and adjust the settings;  which vendor you  will select for service calls for the color laser printer.  

When you review the printer specifications with the vendor, ask about cost per page for the type of printing you plan (simple color highlights on plain paper - or edge to edge printing on heavyweight paper).  Some printers require a "cross-over" network cable.  The vendor should be able to advise you on these idiosyncrasies.

 
 

 

Notes:

  • For current prices and models see www.cdwg.com  or www.govconnection.com    (Select Hardware, then Printers, HP Printers, then scroll down to LaserJet or InkJet printers.)   After you identify the model and features you need, check with the Purchasing Dept. to find the best price.

  • Duplex = will print on both sides of paper.

  • Verify that the printer is compatible with your operating system.

  • Does your computer have a USB port available?

  • You will need a printer cable for local printers - but not for networked printers.

  • Check on delivery costs.

  • Check the cost of replacement ink cartridges.  Are there 3 separate color cartridges?

  • Remember that Alan Anderson's team in Mail & Document Services can provide high quality color printing.

Troubleshooting Tips

 

We are not printer hardware experts.  We can help with installing drivers, checking that the software applications can see the printer, configuring the printer on the network.  Here are some common issues:

  • The printer handles Word documents easily - but fails to print PDFs.  

    • Does the printer have enough memory to handle the jobs you are sending?  We can show you how to determine the amount of memory in the printer.

    • Are the PDFs poorly made - unnecessarily large?  Check with us for a refresher on creating PDFs.

  • Paper jams frequently.  

    • We can join you in the hunt for tiny pieces of paper stuck inside.

  • Streaks appear on every page.

    • Consider trying a new toner.

  • Last resort to understand the type of problem.

    • Look at http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/   You may see your symptom described in the posts in the public support forums.  
      We are not recommending amateur repairs of College equipment.  This site is only useful to try to identify the type and severity of the problem.   
      AT can not help you replace parts.  If the printer is worth repairing, use a professional service.

Time to repair?

 

If your printer is not working properly, and AT has given you basic advice, ask Purchasing if the technician from Arista should inspect this machine to determine whether it can be repaired.   Be prepared to supply this information:

  • brand and model of printer (e.g. HP LaserJet 4P)  

  • is this is  a local or network printer

  • approximate date of purchase

  • number of pages printed each week

  • symptoms: jamming, fails to print, streaks, odd noise

  • previous repairs

  • what fund number will be charged for the repair

Discarding an old printer?  Please see Barnard's  Hardware Recycling Program  

 

last update 11/28/07