Many students have been frustrated with non-working printers throughout campus, and PC Support Services shares the same sentiment.
According to PCSS staff, they are aware of the problem.
Marsha Philemon, public labs manager at PCSS, said check-ups for on-campus printers are more frequent then students think.
"We have several times a day where we have lab consultants checking up on the printers to make sure there is an adequate amount of toner, paper and other consumables on hand and that they are functioning properly," she said.
However, due to the check-up schedule, there may be a delay in fixing printer problems.
"The problem is, if we have a check up at 1 p.m. and the printer gets jammed at 1:10 p.m., we won't check it again until 2 p.m.," Philemon said. "So we need to make sure the students communicate with us to let us know there is a problem so we can fix it."
Junior Jerin Karingattil said she tries to print documents through the printers in the Arts & Sciences Hall every so often.
"If I'm in a hurry, then yes, it's a little frustrating when both the printers in A&S won't print," Karingattil said. "So I try to give myself enough time so I can avoid it all together and just print from the library instead. Of course it's a problem if the library printers aren't working either."
Philemon said PCSS receives very few complaints from students, which is part of the problem because they need to know what the problems are in order to solve them.
"One of the most common reasons for the computers jamming and slowing down is when students print multiple copies at once or there are a large amount of students sending print jobs to the cue," Philemon said.
Philemon added that students' reports of jams or printer problems to PCSS personnel will help solve the printer problem faster.
"In the case of an emergency, we are able to send print jobs to the printers without swiping student ID cards," Philemon said. "Students have to inform lab consultants about any jams or problems and they will be able to release a job through the printer."
According to Philemon, if there is a campus-wide printer problem, PCSS will notify the community.
This includes putting up signs with information about the problem, as well as a contact number.
PCSS tries to schedule system upgrades and updates at times of convenience to students, such as before 7:30 a.m., after 10 p.m. and on weekends, Philemon said.
According to Philemon, students should contact PCSS when there is a problem in order to give a representative enough time to travel from Corrigan Hall to the various printer locations across campus.
Philemon also said communication is key because without it, PCSS will not know when there is a problem.
Junior Legna Perez, a student that is also a PCSS lab consultant, said she does her best to assist students with any printing problems that occur.
"If there is a problem, I try fixing it but it is important for students to be patient because there are not always quick fixes for some of the problems," Perez said.
Rawan Eewshah can be reached at rawan.eewshah@student.shu.edu.
