In Message Mon, 28 Jun 1993 11:30:40 -0400 (EDT),
TOM HANLEY <HANLEY@DAYTON.BITNET> writes:
>We are looking to add a laser printer to our student computer lab. We
>want to recover the cost of the printing while having to handle as
>little money as possible and have as few hassles as possible.
TOM,
I E-Mail you directly because we do not have any direct experience with
controlling laser printers, but will be doing so this fall. We will have a
setup like the one you described from the outside vendor (minus the card
dispenser). We have been using related equipment for years in our photocopy
service. I'll describe our cash handling procedures as well as our planned
standalone laser printer stations.
I dont know if you are currently handling money in your
circulation dept. and are concerned about getting an unmanageable flood of
cash transactions, or if you can see the auditing and other typical cash
handling problems and wish to avoid over-the-counter cash transactions
alnogether. Our experience with cash handling has been generally positive.
We have been running a photocopy service in our library for more than
10 years, and while it has produced some headaches it has been a great
success, funding two full time positions and providing for its own upgrade
and renewal as needed. We program the cards as we need them, and sell them
over the circulation counter in fixed denominations. Our present cost for
photocopies has a sliding scale based on the capacity of the card purchased,
ranging from 5.6 cents per copy to 13 cents. The sliding scale is an
incentive to buy the largest card, thus reducing the number of transactions
per patron.
We have also set the cost per card to an even dollar amount to minimize the
amount of change in the cash register, and as each transaction is completed
the staff member places the funds in an envelope which they initial and
drop in a cylinder-top safe. The use of the safe in this way eliminates some
of the uncertainty in the cash handling process and helps to satisfy some of
the multitudinous concerns of the auditors.
We have a staff member who performs half-time bookkeeping functions and
does daily deposits.
The equipment we use is the same as we intend to use
in our computer lab this fall to control two laser printers, and is
manufactured by COPICARD, INC. We have been using their equipment since 1984
and all the equipment we have purchased from them over the years is still in
service. I dont want to sound like a testimonial, but we have gotten very
good service from their equipment.
Since we originally decided to provide laser printers in the LAB we have
had the good fortune to be able to network our lab, and this will change the
way in which the data gets to the printers, but not the basic equipment
configuration.
Our plans for the standalone printing stations were:
Using equipment manufactured by COPICARD, INC. we intended to set up
two printing stations. The equipment configuration would consist of
a copier controller, the laser printer interface, and some sort of PC as a
printing station. The printer controller interface connects between the
printer and PC on the same connectors a standard printer cable would use.
We intended the printing station to be a less capable PC
than the typical lab PC to reduce the temptation to edit a file while using
the printing station. Official policy would have been (and will be) to
prohibit editing on the printing station PC. We find the students are
effective "police" where abuse of policy is concerned (particularly when the
abuser inconveniences them...).
We have not decided what the cost per page will be, but it will not
exceed our cost per page for photocopies.
COPICARD manufactures a card dispenser such as you described in your
query, but for reasons I cannot recall we decided not to go with one back in
1984... HMMMM, perhaps this concept should be revisited.
The equipment to control a given printer has cost us in the neighborhood
of $1700.00.
If you have any questions please feel free to E-mail me or call.
good luck with your project.
slownet: Mark S. Evans/FSU Law Library/Tallahassee, Fl. 32306
internet: mevans@mailer.fsu.edu
tagnet: 904-644-7287
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