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Why is WVU changing the rules around printers?
With the To address significant demographic and financial challenges outlined during President Gee’s State of the University address, including a $35 million structural deficit for Fiscal Year 2024, the University must find ways to be more efficient. The Board of Governors and President Gee have challenged faculty and staff to be thoughtful about all future spending and examine old practices with a fresh perspective. WVU’s Managed Print Program, which began in 2005, is the most cost-efficient and sustainable option moving forward to provide printing, scanning, and copying services to faculty, staff and students. Centralizing a basic service such as print/copy/scan with standardized devices will help control costs and ensure appropriate vendor support. There are no new costs associated with the Managed Print program; the only change is that adoption of this program is no longer optional.
No new purchase of copiers, printers, scanners, multi-function devices, toner cartridges or supplies other than paper will be approved or funded for on-campus use or at home offices. Each department may continue to use any existing printer supplies through the end of June 2023. This spending prohibition applies to all such purchases made with state, WVU Foundation or research overhead/faculty startup funds, regardless of payment method (PCard, Mountaineer Marketplace or reimbursement).
When is this change happening?
ITS will begin replacing the aged fleet of printer-copier devices across all WVU locations in November 2023, with the goal of completing the deployment by June 30, 2024. This will affect all WVU campuses, including the HSC divisional campuses and some Extension offices. Departments, units or locations next in line will be notified before changes occur.
Installing these new multi-function Konica Minolta devices will have immediate benefits beyond the cost savings: Most of the fleet is end of life and needs to be replaced. New machines with current software will improve reliability and make it easier to complete repairs when there are issues.
Are there any other benefits?
This initiative also will make printing more flexible and secure for all faculty and staff, eliminating the risk that sensitive or confidential information sits unattended in a public location. Files sent from a computer to a printer-copier will remain in a secure electronic queue until the employee taps their ID card to release the job from any managed printer.
Additionally, the new machines also will give faculty and staff access to MyPrinting, commonly used by students, in cases where they prefer to use personal funds and a Mountie Bounty account.
Will paper be provided?
White, 20 lb. letter-, legal- and ledger-sized paper is included in the cost of the Managed Printing service, and MCM Business Systems will deliver to a central location that will be identified by building supervisors. These paper prices negotiated with MCM are superior and will yield greater costs savings as the University addresses continuing budget challenges.
Will the new devices have fax capability?
Fax capability won’t be set up by default on the new devices. ITS will work with building supervisors to discuss past and current needs as deployments are scheduled. ITS will configure the new devices accordingly for departments that require this functionality for legal or business reasons.
Faxing will be more secure with the new devices. Currently, received faxes are automatically printed and visible to anyone at the machine. With the new devices, incoming faxes will be directed to a secure network folder, so only people who have been granted permission to that folder can retrieve the document.
How many managed printers will departments be allocated?
Devices have already been allocated across WVU campuses based on historic demand. New devices will be placed strategically within each building, with enough capacity to support the users in that location. As needs are identified and past-use data is reviewed, these multi-function devices may need to be relocated, combined, or removed.
Can research grants still be used to purchase printers?
The Managed Print Program is more cost-effective and therefore maximizes the funds allocated to research activities, so faculty are strongly encouraged to take advantage of it. If a printer is an allowable expense, however, faculty may use externally funded research dollars or related cost-share funds to purchase printers, scanners or multi-function devices that don’t require a network connection. NOTE: If you purchase a printer with externally funded research dollars or related cost-share funds, you also must use those funds to purchase the ink, toner, and related supplies in Mountaineer Marketplace.
How
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Devices have already been allocated across WVU campuses based on historic demand. New devices will be placed strategically within each building, with enough capacity to support the users in that location. As needs are identified and past-use data is reviewed, these multi-function devices may need to be relocated, combined, or removed.
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much have faculty spent on printers and print supplies?
PCard and Mountaineer Marketplace data show approximately $900,000 has been spent on printers and supplies in the past over three fiscal years, all of that outside WVU’s Managed Print Contract.
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All employees benefit when WVU can be more efficient with increasingly limited financial resources. Standardization, simplification of operations, and leveraged buying power will help make the University more efficient overall. This program consolidates a basic service under a single contract, allowing the University to negotiate the best price possible.
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Until we get our new machines, how should we handle the need to print documents that are confidential or sensitive in nature?
Many existing networked printers and all new ones that will be installed as part of this program First, consider whether printing a document is necessary for a business reason rather than just convenience. If the information can be conveyed electronically, please use the secure transfer service at liquidfiles.wvu.edu.
The new devices will have a secure-release capability similar to that of the student-facing MyPrinting program. You can send your job to the printer, where it will remain queued up until you swipe your Mountaineer Card and select the job you want to print. WVU is currently reviewing responses to an RFP (Request for Proposal) to replace our existing fleet of printer-copier devices. Once this contract is executed, we will begin the process of ensuring all machines have this secure-release function.
If this functionality is needed immediately and is not currently in place for your department’s printer, please submit a ticket (WVU Login required) to have the machine replaced or reconfigured. Some locations may need to wait until the fall semester, depending The ability to do this will depend on the inventory available. Also consider whether printing a document is necessary for a business reason rather than just convenient. If the information can be conveyed electronically, please use the secure transfer service at liquidfiles.wvu.edu.
What is the process for purchasing 3D or wide-format printers and supplies?
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