About Printer Recommendations

CIO is eager to consult with you on your printing needs. Please be advised, however, that the Dean's Office encourages the purchase of "workgroup printers"—printers that are connected to the network and shared by a group of workers—in lieu of personal, desktop printers. CIO has developed this page to help explain this position:

• Better Value:
  • Workgroup printers tend to have more features (for users and administrators), offer better reliability, have lower operational costs, and serve more users. 
  • Workgroup printers are designed for speed and reliability; print cartridges for inkjet printers are almost always more expensive (per page) than standard workgroup print cartridges. 
  • Further, support for desktop printers is typically more difficult and more costly.
• Cost of High Turnover: Workgroup printers are designed for longevity.  Not so with desktop printers.  The cost of hardware repair of desktop printers is so high relative to replacement costs that they often are scrapped instead of repaired. These two factors combine as incentives for vendors to stop supporting desktop printers rather quickly. This fast turnover has the effect of increasing long-term costs of desktop printers and their administration.

• Flexibility: Whether you're buying a desktop printer or a workgroup printer, a network card is essential. Even though you may not imagine it when purchasing, many printers are repurposed during their lifetimes. Adding a network card after the purchase of the printer is typically cost prohibitive or, as is the case with many desktop printers, simply unavailable as a post-purchase option.

• More effective, lower cost administration: CIO works to serve the College in a timely fashion with few resources. This is done in part by focusing the development of technical expertise and the nurturing of vendor relations with a small, rather than wide, range of different printers and vendors.

In short, the Dean's Office recommends networked, workgroup printers because typically they a) provide units with greater speed, reliability, functionality b) cost the department and college less, and c) help CIO to serve you better with fewer resources.

There are many situations that call for single-user, desktop printers (e.g., access for the physically challenged; unique need for a specific feature; valid concern for privacy/security).  Please consult with CIO to find the right printer for your needs.

For questions or concerns related to printer recommendations, please call User Services at 244-6053 or via their contact form .