Through a software-based reporting system, schools and universities save money and slash the number of pages they print by more than half.
At Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., students could print however much paper they wanted. They would leave paper lying on printers, desk and tables around the main computer lab — the wasted paper filled three huge trash cans next to the printers, said Bryan Palmer, academic computing systems support manager.
“We were always looking for ways to reduce the waste," he said. "We made pleas to the students to pay a little bit more attention to what they’re printing and try to reduce the waste, but in a system where there’s no accountability, you can only get so far.”
Cut waste
Five years ago, the university set up card readers in the lab so students would physically have to swipe their campus card at the printer to officially release documents to be printed. Then, in September 2008, the university installed Equitrac Express, a software-based reporting system that tracks who prints what.
