[DRAFT] Bowdoin Print Policy

Purpose

Bowdoin’s printer policy is designed to provide guidelines for the type of printing hardware used, the placement, and the appropriate use of printers across the college campus. The primary goals of this policy are to ensure access to printing for necessary college operations, encourage sustainable printing practices, and reduce costs. As a result, this policy formalizes student and office printing at Bowdoin and aims to:

• Support environmental initiatives by minimizing the number of printing devices used at Bowdoin and the volume of consumables used during the printing process while encouraging the use of digital documents with scanning to files.
• Reduce expense of consumables by using the most efficient multi-function devices (MFDs) for print/copy/scan/fax and centralizing paper and toner purchasing.
• Support the Digital Excellence Commitment program by enabling print/copy/scan access to students where they are rather than enforcing a small number of dedicated printers.

Definitions

Printer will be used universally to refer to all devices capable of printing- including both multi-function devices (MFDs), and single-function printers (SFP), unless otherwise noted. 

Secure print refers to the process of requiring a printer user to authenticate. Features of the printer device are enabled after authentication and the printer user will only be allowed to view and release documents they have submitted.

Scope

The scope of this policy does not include special use devices such as wide format, label printers, plotters, 3D printers, or machines used in the Copy Center.

Authorized Devices and Configurations

All printers and supplies will be purchased centrally through Bowdoin’s budget office, centrally managed by Information Technology and will be:

• Contracted for service and supplies
• Networked (local, non-network printers are prohibited)
• Setup with default configurations
  • Duplex (2-sided)
  • Black and White
  • Secure print
  • Scan to email / OneDrive / Cloud Services

No new print devices will be acquired, installed, or permitted without evaluation and prior approval by the Bowdoin Printer Committee. Requests for new printers will be reviewed by the Bowdoin Printer Committee and approved by a senior officer. The use of a Bowdoin-issued credit card to purchase a printer will not be allowed. Purchase of printers made with college or personal funds for home use is not allowed.

Opportunities for the purchase or acquisition of SFPs and MFDs using outside funding, through grants or donation, will be reviewed and approved by the Bowdoin Printer Committee and Information Technology. The College will not support the purchase of equipment without this approval. This helps to ensure compatibility and sustainability of maintenance. While there may be no cost for a device, there may be on-going maintenance costs that will be the responsibility of the department, grant, etc.

Type and Location

The type and location of printers, including new and moved printers, will be determined, or approved by the Bowdoin Printer Committee, taking the following factors into consideration:

• Number of print users
• Print volume, historical and projected
• Access to device (this includes distance users must travel to get to the device as well as barriers such as stairs or doorways)
• Necessary business uses
• Impact on the environment
• Special uses (this includes needs such as trays for non-standard paper sizes and specialty inks)

Shared multi-function devices will be preferred whenever possible as they are generally more cost effective, efficient, faster, and easier to manage centrally.

Usage

All printers will be available to all faculty, staff, and students unless there is a legitimate security, privacy, or business requirement.

• Printers that become off-limits to any group will be secured centrally by Information Technology.
• Requests to limit access must be submitted to the Support Portal (https://support.bowdoin.edu) and will be reviewed by the Bowdoin Printer Committee.
  • If approved, the device will be labeled such that it is obvious that certain parties are not allowed to print to the device.
• A desire to limit printing due to print volume, print timing, preference by faculty and staff, or concern for materials cost are not legitimate business cases.

Print jobs should abide by defined Print Standards whenever possible.

Exceptions

Exceptions to this policy will be reviewed by the Bowdoin Printer Committee on a case-by-case basis for situations that involve critical business needs where the benefits of the exception outweigh the intentions of this policy, or for accessibility needs.

Supplies and Service

Basic printer supplies will be provided to departments free of charge and can be ordered through the Copy Center. These include:

• Printer Toner
• Printer Staples

All printers will be under contract for service and maintenance. Departments will be responsible for contacting the printer provider to request service as needed. Contact information will be displayed on the front of each device.

Print Data and Distribution

Print volume data may be distributed to the Bowdoin Printer Committee, individual departments, Office of Sustainability, Finance, and others periodically.

While print volume data is not anonymized, the content of each print job is encrypted and cannot be discovered.

Costs

All faculty and staff should try to reduce the overall cost for printing by limiting the number of pages and copies printed, printing in black and white and two-sided when possible, and submitting large jobs to the Bowdoin College Copy Shop.

Faculty and staff printing may be charged back to each department on a quarterly basis. Charges will be issued for the total cost of printing done by or on behalf of each individual department and charged to the departmental budget.

Students are provided a printing allotment of during each academic semester equivalent of up to 1200 duplex, black and white pages. The cost per print is as follows:

• B&W, single-sided: $.03 / sheet
• B&W, two-sided: $.05 / sheet
• Color, single-sided: $.30 / sheet
• Color, two-sided: $.45 / sheet

Supervisors who work on campus for a department where printing is part of the job requirements of student workers may request to allow students to charge their printing to the department rather than debit the printing costs from their student print allocation.

Additional Notes

The Bowdoin Printer Committee has not been fully defined. It will be made up of people from various campus groups representing different interests across the college.