How to better pay for shared computer supplies at a retirement village?

November 17, 2008 11:02 AM

My dad lives in a retirement village that provides a shared computer (in a common area) used more heavily by just a few people. Supplies (ink/paper) are covered by dues everyone pays. What's the best way to have those that use it more pay more, e.g. somehow track usage, or maybe have users pay a nominal usage fee to cover ink/paper supply costs (and cost when it's to be replaced).

The people that manage the computer are not computer administrators, so if the solution is to track use by login, the results would have to be easy to generate.

posted by idad to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Use a laser printer instead of color inkjet. This will save a lot of money in ink all by itself.
posted by rhizome at 11:43 AM on November 17, 2008

Sequester the printer in a staffed office and charge by the page.
posted by 517 at 11:49 AM on November 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

put out an honesty box for print outs and charge a small amount per page.
posted by netsirk at 12:30 PM on November 17, 2008

don't supply paper anymore. ink is harder to do but make people buy their own paper.

how much usage are we talking about here? there are software packages (PaperCut and Pcounter come to mind) that can track it but they cost a lot for just one machine. might be worth it if you're churning through inkjet cartridges pretty regularly, though, or there might be cheaper solutions (those two are the only ones i've heard of, but there are probably a ton more).
posted by mrg at 12:31 PM on November 17, 2008

At my community college we all use our ID/library cards to put in money and use it to pay for printing, each page is 20 cents. When you want to print, it gets sent to a printer which has this program/application that shows which documents are in line to be printed. Click on your document, press 'Print' and then swipe your card on cardswipper thing next to the printer computer and it prints! Seems to work great.
posted by guniang at 1:08 PM on November 17, 2008

How honest do you think people are? Or, is anyone monitoring the computers?

If so, each resident could get an allotment of pages per month or year. Keep a simple binder with a kind of "check out" system. If you print something, write down your name (or unit number or ID or whatever) and the number of pages printed. Someone then goes through this list each week or two and updates a very simple spreadsheet, table, whiteboard or paper tally. Once residents go over, provide the ability to refill their allotment. $20 for 200 pages or whatever.

Dealing with software and swipe cards seems way over the top for this situation. Basically you need a way to tally usage and then have heavy users pay their way.
posted by barnone at 2:30 PM on November 17, 2008

I'm thinking the problem is one of perceived unfairness? The many subsidizing the few?

If so and if it's really a few heavy users: Stop the dues. Stop buying communal supplies. Let each user contribute into a fund to buy what's needed - list and post the contribution of each person. Let peer pressure even out the kinks.

Maybe.
posted by Xhris at 2:33 PM on November 17, 2008

Why should users pay an additional fee for a service you said their dues already cover?

If the dues cover the cost of the paper and ink, then charging people who use the printer more often isn't fair or appropriate unless you abolish the dues and implement a per-use fee plan. People pay dues for unlimited use of the printer, and the service is available to everyone who needs it. Some people use it more than others, and I'm certain there are people who pay dues and never use the printer at all.

If usage is increasing and the dues aren't covering expenses, then either raise the dues (and explain why) or drop that part of the dues and institute a per-use fee plan. But you can't charge dues and then ask people to pay for a service their dues already cover.
posted by mattdidthat at 3:09 PM on November 17, 2008