The printers around campus have been creating all sorts of buzz. Some students are on board with the change while others are on the fence.
Ryan Zitter, PSGA vice president and head of the technology fee committee, was part of the decision to make a change from the previous printers.
“We saw an opportunity to make the previous printing system a lot better for the student body,” said Zitter. “Ink removed the problem of logging into a central computer, and a line of people waiting to send their documents to the printer.”
“Ink” is the name of the company that makes the “smart station” printers and the “Ink Cloud” software. According to the Park University website, Ink “allows students 24-hour, on-demand access to print documents from any device you choose, including Park University kiosk laptops, computers in the Computer Lab, your personal computer, or even your phone or tablet.” There are no plug ins or USB drives needed. The goal is to make it simpler and faster for students.
“The printers are each connected to the network,” said Zitter. “You simply log onto your Ink account, select which file you need from the cloud or google drive and print.”
Senior communications major Ally Meyer has had some challenges with the change. Meyer used to use the old printers for all of her assignments, but said she sees no use in the new ones.
“My login won’t ever work,” said Meyer. “I never print at school anymore because I can’t rely on them.”
Meyer has struggled with the printers in the past, but the new systems have made it even worse.
“I guess I just don’t understand them fully and am not using them right,” said Meyer.
Meyer would like the committee to issue a step-by-step module to help students understand the system better. She believes it will help with all the confusion.
“The only real problem that we’re bumping into this semester is the initial signup process. People generally only go to print things directly before class or when in a hurry, so it can be confusing,” said Zitter, “I think that once people take the time to create an account and use the Ink cloud, it will make printing a lot simpler and faster.”
There are six kiosks on campus. They are located in Chestnut, Copley-Thaw Hall, Mackay, Millsap Foyer and Norrington. More kiosks are being requested around campus to make it more accessible for students.
Park gives students a $20 credit for prints in a semester, which is equivalent to 400 pages.
“That’s to prevent the abuse,” said Zitter. “You can purchase more funds through Ink if that runs out, although the majority of students will not run into that problem.”
There are still a few kinks to work out, but the IT committee is up for any and all questions.