Information Technology Policy Manual 2022

PRINTER POLICY

PURPOSE

The goal of this policy is to facilitate the appropriate and responsible business use of the City of Greensboro’s printer assets, as well as manage the City of Greensboro’s printer/plotter cost of ownership by reducing the utilization of paper, toner, ink, and associated product support material . Background After personal computers, printers represent the second highest equipment expenditures within the City of Greensboro. Printers are highly important to productivity. Our guiding principle is to provide a high level of productivity while using our resources in the most cost-effective manner. Studies show the “best business practice” is the use of centrally located, high -volume laser printers or Multifunction printers (MFPs) over individual personal printers for the following reasons: • Personal printers lack the options and features in printers designed for large volume printing over a network. • Networked high-volume laser printers and MFPs can be managed remotely. Utilities allow the City of Greensboro IT staff to view the status of a printer and be notified of any problems immediately, and also to receive warnings of potential problems. • Total cost of ownership is significantly less expensive for networked high-volume laser printers or MFPs since they can be easily standardized. Most of the costs of printers are the "people costs" of training, installation, management and downtime. It is expensive to maintain a variety of printers. This Printer and Plotter Policy applies to all employees of the City of Greensboro, as well as any contract employees in the service of the City of Greensboro who may be using the City of Greensboro’s networks and equipment. All references to printers within this pol icy include multifunction printers (MFP) and plotters. Supported Printers An effort has been made to standardize on specific printer types in order to optimize productivity and minimize costs. The following represents the types of printers that are supported by the City of Greensboro’s Information Technology Department: SCOPE • Personal printers are not built for heavy-duty loads. Overtaxing a personal printer will lead to premature breakdown.

Leased Networked Laser Printers

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• Leased Networked Multifunction Printers

Leased Networked Plotters

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