How much is the theft of paper and toner costing your school?

Like a leaky faucet, printer paper loss from theft, while it may not be noticeable on a day-to-day basis, can quickly add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars when the losses accumulate over a year or more. Most colleges and universities have printers located throughout the campus for student and faculty use.

In many cases, students and faculty are charged per printed page and are required to scan their student ID or other type of magnetic debit card. While this captures legitimate printer paper usage, it does not account for paper that is pulled from unlocked paper trays and used for home or personal consumption. It only takes seconds to open a paper tray, grab a handful of paper, and close the paper tray. We have talked to many higher education institutions and on some campuses this problem has been rampant.

A less frequently seen problem is the theft of toner cartridges from printers. This problem is not as widespread as paper theft because on most printers more doors or access panels must be opened to get to the toner supplies, making this type of theft less of a crime of chance. However, when toner is stolen from a printer, the loss is more serious than paper loss due to the higher cost of toner compared to paper. That being said, some specialty papers, such as the heavy card stock used in graphic printing, can be very expensive and wasting a few reams of this type of paper can be the cost of a toner cartridge.

Protect your paper and toner supplies by securing your printers with a good quality lock. There are several brands on the market – look for a lock that is easy to install and cost effective. Look for a lock supplier that offers excellent customer service and helps you choose the best solution to meet your needs.