David LinckLike a leaky faucet, loss of printer paper from theft, though perhaps not noticeable on a day-to-day basis, can quickly add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars when losses are compiled over a year or longer. Most colleges and universities have printers located throughout the campus for use by students and faculty.
In many cases, students and faculty are charged per page printed by requiring them to scan their student ID or other type of magnetic debit card. While this captures legitimate usage of the printer paper, it fails to account for paper that is removed from the unlocked paper trays and used for home/personal consumption. It only takes a few seconds to open a paper tray, grab a handful of paper and close the paper tray. We have talked with many institutions of higher learning and in some campuses this problem has been rampant.
A less often seen problem is theft of toner cartridges from printers. This problem is not as widespread as paper theft due to the fact that in most printers, more doors or access panels must be opened to reach the toner supplies, making this type of theft less of a crime of opportunity. However, when toner is stolen from a printer the loss is more severe than losing paper due to the higher cost of toner as compared to paper. That being said, some specialty papers such as heavy card stock used in graphic printing can be very expensive and losing a few reams of this type paper can equal the cost of a toner cartridge!
Protect your paper and toner supplies by securing your printers with a good quality lock. There are several brands on the market – look for a lock that is easy to install and cost-effective. Look for a lock provider that will offer great customer support and help you to choose the best solution to meet your requirements.
