Why does duplex (two-sided) printing count as two pages on my printing allotment?
Although duplex (two-sided) printing is a good way for students to reduce the use of paper at Indiana University, it does not represent a significant savings in printing costs. In fact, the cost of paper represents only about 12.5% of the cost of printing a single page image on one side of a sheet of paper.
You would have to print 16 pages in duplex (on 8 sheets of paper) in order to recover the cost of printing one page of your allotment. If you printed your entire allotment in duplex, the savings to UITS in printing costs would be less than $3.00, or 75 printed pages. However, several other factors further lower the amount of savings.
Consumables (i.e., toner and paper) make up the bulk of the cost of printing, but there are other costs to consider. For example, printer parts are often not covered under warranty, since the rate at which they wear out is directly proportional to the number of 8.5"x11" page-images printed.
Other less obvious costs include the price of the printers themselves and the costs of the staff needed to take care of the printers. Another cost is associated with the print management software that keeps track of who has printed how much and that provides students with direct access to their printing information.
Finally, duplex printing reduces printer reliability, causing more paper jams and faster wear on parts. When all of these things are factored in, the real savings from duplex printing is negligible.
The best way to make your printing allotment last is through conservation of printing resources. For instance, one way to preserve your printing allotment is to print two pages on one side of each sheet of paper. This reduces costs for all components of printing and only counts one page against your allotment.
For more suggestions for conserving paper in the Student Technology Centers (STCs), see At IU, how can I conserve paper in the STCs?
Last modified on January 20, 2009.
