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I am not quite sure who originally said it but it is just as true now as it was when it was first uttered: “I’m still waiting for the paperless office.” For with every new iteration of the latest cell phone, tablet or computer technology comes an increased quantity of physical output. With that being said it is incredibly important to be familiar with the various forms of printing technologies found in modern workplaces and even, to a lesser extent, in some homes. As an IT professional working in a public library setting I have come into contact with almost every form of printing technology in my day-to-day activities.

For example, Laser printers are the workhorses of our library system. The speed of these printers and relatively low expense for black and white or color output makes them incredibly desirable for on-demand jobs. However, these printers are not without issues. Transfer belts can break, fusers need replacing after so many years… the list goes on. Toner is also a commodity in seemingly short supply around libraries. Patrons and staff utilize an astronomical level of various toners (not to mention paper) in their day to day usage of the library. So it comes as no surprise that extra-large capacity toner cartridges intended for months upon months of usage only last between two and three months at our busiest locations.

The second most common type of printer we utilize within a library setting is that of thermal printers. These are used primarily for receipts during a patron’s checkout process of their borrowed materials. Understanding how to replace the paper (not to mention removing debris or jammed paper) becomes essential to properly supporting these vital machines. Furthermore, utilizing thermal printers for printing temporary guest passes for accessing our computer resources becomes even more important during the waves of visits we receive from nearby schools. Thankfully, with regular maintenance and a steady supply of thermal rolls of paper these machines continuously demonstrate why they are still relevant in the twenty-first century.

A subset of the thermal printer category also includes our label makers found throughout the offices of our library system. These are a style of thermal printer wherein the device outputs to a special type of adhesive-backed plastic covered paper suitable for labeling various surfaces. These have proven to be incalculably helpful for long term and short term labeling of everything from bins to shelves both within and outside of the library system. I know we make use of these label makers extensively for, among other tasks, labeling our various toner shelves for organizing our printers throughout the library system.

While not represented in a physical manner, our library does make use of virtual printers for accomplishing certain tasks. For example, when a patron submits a print job to our print queue for either a black and white or color print it is then held in a virtual print queue. A staff member then reviews whether or not the patron has funds available in their daily allotment for printing before releasing the prints.

No matter what type of substrate or process printers continue to prove themselves in an increasingly digital age. It may be true that we may not have ended up in the much-vaunted “paperless office” as predicted decades ago at the start of computing. However, we have ended up with a variety of interesting technologies to help ease the process of information publishing and distribution, whether for documents, labels or disposable receipts.

Thumbnail Credits
"Document Paper Text Word Document © OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay Content License"
"Printer Laser Copy Copier © Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay Content License"
"Johannes Gutenberg Man Portrait © GDJ / Pixabay Content License"