New kiosks helped reduce printing at UB by 50%

A print kiosk in O'Brian Hall on North Campus.

Photo by Douglas Levere

Published November 5, 2021

by Kaylie Horowitz

Installed in 2020, UB’s new Print Anywhere kiosks aren’t just more convenient and touch-free—they're helping support UB’s commitment to sustainability.

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Author

UBIT Communications Assistant Kaylie Horowitz.

Kaylie Horowitz (she/they, UB graduate student) is in the Master’s program for Theatre and Performance Studies. Upon completion of her thesis, she hopes to attend an MFA program in directing and pursue a career of working and teaching at a regional theater. Originally hailing from Florida, Kaylie enjoys playing video games, voice acting, and over-analyzing animated media.

During the first week of the Fall 2019 semester, students printed over 470,000 pages. Compare that to the first week of Fall 2021, where a little over 206,000 pages were used.

Why such a big difference?

Previously, printing took place at a few central locations on campus. But now, with more kiosks in more convenient locations all over campus, students expect shorter (or no) wait times to print, and feel confident they can print what they need, when they need it.

“I used to print everything I could think of, just so I didn’t have to make a second trip,” Grace Golabek, a UB Law student, told UBIT. “Now, because there’s no wait and I don’t have to travel as far, that’s no longer necessary.”

The reduction of waste from printing isn’t just a happy accident. UBIT has been part of sustainability discussions on campus and is eager to help reduce UB’s environmental footprint wherever possible.

What are the other environmental benefits to UB’s Print Anywhere kiosks?

  • UB printing no longer uses cover sheets. Did you know that cover sheets added nearly 2 million additional sheets of paper printed at UB each year?
  • The paper in UB’s new print kiosks isn’t made from trees, it’s 100% tree-free and made using waste sugar cane stalks.
  • The introduction of UB collaboration tools like OneDrive and UBbox make it easier to read and share documents digitally, eliminating the need for some printing.

New to UB printing?

All UB students receive a quota of pages to print each semester that can be used from any of the 40+ printing kiosks on campus. Print with ease from any computer, smartphone, or USB drive. 

For help with printing, contact Wepa support at 1-800-675-7639, or visit wepanow.com.