Who to Contact When a Campus Printer Is Broken

Questions

• Who do I contact when a campus printer is broken?
• The printer has a paper jam. Who fixes it?
• How do I contact Ricoh about a printer problem?
• Who repairs the Lexmark printers on campus?
• What is BDT, and how do I reach them?
• The printer won't turn on or shows an error code. What should I do?
• My printouts come out streaky, faded, or smudged. Who can fix the printer?
• Does Bowdoin IT repair printers?
• Scan to email, scan to OneDrive, or fax isn't working on a printer. Who handles that?
• What information do I need when I call about a broken printer?

Environment

This article applies to anyone using a campus printer managed through PaperCut:

• Who: Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff.
• Printers: The Ricoh multi-function devices (MFDs), which print, copy, scan, and in some offices fax, and the Lexmark printers in department offices.
• Who does what: Ricoh and Budget Document Technology (BDT) repair and maintain the printers under service contracts with Bowdoin. Bowdoin Information Technology (IT) handles paper jams, the PaperCut system, and every printing function: releasing jobs, signing in at the printer, scan to email, scan to OneDrive, and fax.
• Not covered: Personal printers, and moving a printer to a new location. Step-by-step toner ordering is in Order Toner for a Department Printer, and moving a printer is in Relocating a Printer or MFD: What to Know, both in the Related Articles section. Problems on your own computer, such as print jobs that never reach the printer, are covered in PaperCut Client Troubleshooting in the Related Articles section.

Resolution

Who to contact for each printer problem

Tell whether a printer is a Ricoh or a Lexmark

The brand name, Ricoh or Lexmark, is printed on the front of every campus printer. Most Ricoh printers are large multi-function devices with a touchscreen where you tap your OneCard to release print jobs. The Lexmark printers in department offices don't have a sign-in screen, so jobs sent to a Lexmark printer print right away.

Report a paper jam or a printing function problem to IT

Many paper jams clear by following the steps the printer shows on its screen. If the printer's screen doesn't show how to clear the jam, the jam keeps coming back, or clearing the jam would mean opening panels the screen doesn't mention, stop and report the jam to IT.

• Faculty and staff: Submit Report a Printer Problem in the Service Catalog, or call the Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
• Students, and anyone using a printer in a public space such as the library: Call the Service Desk at (207) 725-3030, visit the Tech Hub, or chat with Bowdoin Bot. IT contacts the vendor for printers in public spaces, so students don't need to call Ricoh or BDT.

When you report a paper jam or a printing function problem, include the printer's name or location and a short description of what happened, such as the message on the printer's screen.

Call Ricoh or BDT about a department printer

For a department printer that won't turn on, shows an error code, or prints poorly, calling the vendor directly is the fastest way to get the printer repaired.

1. Find the label on the front of the printer. On a Ricoh printer, the label has the Ricoh phone number. On a Lexmark printer, the sticker has the Budget Document Technology (BDT) phone number.
2. Write down the Support ID number and the printer's make and model from the same label.
3. Call the phone number on the label, and give the vendor the details listed in the Information to have ready when you call section of this article.

Information to have ready when you call

• The Support ID number from the label on the front of the printer.
• The printer's make and model from the same label.
• The building address and exactly where the printer sits, such as the room number or hallway.
• A contact name and phone number for someone near the printer.
• What the printer is doing, including any error code on its screen.

Keep printing while a printer is down

You don't have to wait for a broken printer to be fixed. PaperCut holds each print job for 48 hours, so a job sent to Find-Me-Print can be released at any other campus Ricoh printer by tapping your OneCard there. You can also release a held job to a working printer from papercut.bowdoin.edu. See Releasing a print job from the PaperCut portal in the Related Articles section.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

• Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
• Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
• In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
• Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.