The Otto G. Richter Library’s new printing system was supposed to decrease the amount of paper printed – instead it did the opposite.
U-Print, the printing system that requires students to swipe their Cane Card before a document is printed, was supposed to be an environmentally friendly system that limited the amount of unnecessary print jobs.
Bill Walker, the dean of libraries, said that 1.435 million print jobs were made in the library this January, opposed to last January when 900,000 print jobs were made.
Still, Walker doesn’t think this has anything to do with wastefulness.
“The gate count at the library has gone up, and the amount of printing has gone way up,” he said, noting that this may imply that students are taking classes more seriously this year.
Prior to U-Print, Walker said many people were also not picking up the paper once it was sent to the printer.
“We had a lot of abandoned print jobs,” he said, adding that this does not happen as frequently with the new system.
Many abandoned print jobs were due to students accidentally pressing print. U-Print allows students to easily correct those errors.
“If you print something by accident, you can still cancel it,” said Alison Kaphan, a sophomore.
Students are doing a good job of putting all of their unneeded paper in the recycling bins, said Roca Beiro, facility manager of the library, who only complained that users sometimes throw coffee cups as well, which ruins the paper because it cannot be recycled after being wet.
Beiro said additional computers and printers have been installed, which may also explain why more paper has been consumed this year.
Justin Lichtenstaedter may be contacted at j.lichtenstaedter@umiami.edu.
Dean Walker said the University is planning to switch to a wireless printing system within the next 12 months.