Laser printing at public workstations: User behaviors and attitudes

The provision of laser printing may become an increasingly common but potentially costly change at libraries' public workstations. This article reports findings from a survey of student library users at Penn State Erie during the first semester after unlimited, free laser printing was made available. Students were surveyed on the amount and types of printing that they did, their attitudes and behaviors toward wasteful printing, and their willingness to pay for printing. Findings reveal that students' printing was highly focused on their curricular needs. While students strongly support free printing, they are also quite sensitive to the issue of wasteful printing.