IS&T installs new mobile printing software around campus

The new print stations include a touch screen and allow students to print directly from their phones. Photo by JACK SUNDBLAD, Staff Photographer

Urgently need to print an essay for a class starting in five minutes, but you left your computer at home? Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) has the solution.

A pilot program of three new mobile printing systems in Argyros Forum Student Union Tech located by the Amazon Lockers, the Rotunda in Leatherby Libraries and the new Campus Center at Rinker Campus has begun.

But how are these different from the old printers?

Through the Wepa print app, the systems referred to on campus as ‘Pete’s Print Stations’ now support mobile and touchless printing. Printing can be done in several ways, including through the use of USB, cloud storage and uploading to the Wepa app.

In a blog post on Chapman’s website last summer, IS&T Communications Manager Sarem Yadegari described Wepa as a “convenient and user-friendly service allowing our students to print from any device.” 

According to Yadegari, the new stations were implemented to create a faster and more efficient printing experience. However, some students have run into issues printing documents at the stations.

Second-year pharmacy graduate student Cindy Tran has liked being able to print from her phone by linking to cloud services like Google Drive. However, Tran has mixed feelings about the Wepa system.

“Sometimes, it works really well and is super fast and easy to use,” Tran said. “At other times, I find myself standing in front of the printer, inserting my ID card over and over again, hoping that the printer will finally find my printing bucks.” 

Tran continued: “The software takes normal documents pretty well, but if you are trying to print out a flyer, it can really distort the image, which is definitely frustrating.”

In response to issues that students have been having at the stations, IS&T Director of Client Services Barron Williams said there could be multiple explanations for this.

“Many factors at play can lead to a distorted image — the software used to create the flyer/document, the size of the images, the aspect ratio and resolution of the image and print method,” Williams told The Panther. “I understand and hear the user's frustration and would suggest printing to a Pharos station using identical methods and comparing the differences.”

However, Williams remains confident that Wepa is working as expected. According to Williams, more than 22,000 documents have been printed this month at the stations that support mobile printing.

Similar to the past printing systems on campus and at residence halls, it comes at an expense. The new systems can be paid using a Chapman ID card, given the student has available funds, and it can also be paid via a Wepa account or a debit or credit card. All users will have a starting balance of $20 during the pilot program. For reference, printing a single black-and-white, one-sided page costs 10 cents, while a color version would cost 30 cents.

Implementing Wepa, which is a subscription-based software, costs Chapman a fixed monthly fee.

“Each kiosk is roughly $200 monthly, including consumables, direct customer service and maintenance,” Williams said. “In addition to the kiosk, the cost of printing and paper is funded by IS&T.” 

There is currently a printing quota for students by way of free print credits. When these have been used, the student becomes financially responsible for further printing services. At this point, printing will automatically be deducted from their declining balance. According to IS&T’s website, this quota is in place to “reduce waste and promote environmental responsibility and sustainability.”

Once the pilot has been completed, and depending on the feedback received, the stations may expand to more locations across the Orange and Rinker campuses. 

More information regarding the new mobile printing systems on campus and how to use them can be found on IS&T’s Wepa blog post.