Yale Printing and Publishing Services (YPPS) is rolling out a new, unified printing system called BluePrint, featuring more robust equipment and a green initiative.
The updated system, which will be completed this summer, will replace much of the older printing equipment on campus, bringing multi-function equipment with updated software to each printing cluster. The new software, called Papercut, will reduce paper waste and is part of YPPS’s sustainability effort, which also involves using 30 percent recycled paper. With BluePrint, each cluster will also feature color printing and reduced printing costs.
Jeffrey Gworek, director of YPPS services, said YPPS is introducing BluePrint in an effort to be more attentive to student needs. Printing services will be more reliable, he said, adding that contact information for technological assistance will be displayed on posters near all kiosks. Members of the Student Technology Collaborative will continue to provide support, he added.
Gworek said sustainability continues to be a priority for YPPS and that all equipment has been certified by EnergyStar. The initiative to use recycled paper is certified a nonprofit organization that aims to protect forests around the world. In honor of the 25th anniversary of YPPS, the service is currently running a promotion where users can print color pages at a reduced cost of 25 cents per page. Though the cost of printing may seem high to students, Gworek said it is important to understand where the printing costs come from. He added that other institutions also charge comparable rates.
Currently, the cost to print in black and white using YPPS printers is 6 cents per page. According to Gworek, this falls around the national average for universities of 5.7 cents. At other institutions, costs range from 2 to 14 cents per page. Printing in color costs 30 cents.
The changes to YPPS come several months after a for-profit printing company — “Wireless Everywhere. Print Anywhere,” (WEPA) — installed kiosks around campus in many of the printing clusters. WEPA offers cloud-based printing from multiple devices.
Gworek said that though YPPS does consider WEPA competition, a main difference between the services is that WEPA operates for-profit, while YPPS does not. Both machines are high quality, he said. While WEPA aims to cater to a demand for convenience printing, Gworek said BluePrint has placed more emphasis on being “green.”
Though WEPA allows students to print from their personal devices, most students interviewed said they had never tried printing from a WEPA kiosk.
“[I’ve] heard of WEPA, but never used it,” David Roeca ’15 said.
Eve Houghton ’17 said she had never heard of WEPA and always uses the Yale printers.
Shane Kim ’17 said printing is starting to become a “thing of the past,” so it seems worthwhile to make existing printing systems more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Twenty-four hour printing access is available in all residential colleges.
Correction: Feb. 19
A previous version of this article stated that the YPPS equipment had been rated by the Forest Stewardship Council. In fact, the equipment was rated by EnergyStar, and the recycled paper was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. In addition, a previous version of this article stated that the cost of black and white printing at Yale was 5.7 cents per page when that is in fact the national average for universities. The cost of black and white printing at Yale is 6 cents per page.