Wireless printing is now available to students at Simpson after an investment made by the college.

“We worked with the Student Technology Committee and they told us that printing was not convenient if you were working on your laptop,” Kelley Bradder, vice president of information services and chief information officer, said.

In order to make it more convenient for students, information services updated its PaperCut software, which is a software package that allows Simpson to manage its printers and purchase a new server for the process.

Wireless printing has been possible since early September, but information services wanted to make sure everything was running properly before it made the service available to students and faculty.

“We had a small group of people testing it on different types of computers and devices in September before we introduced it to the entire campus on Sept. 14,” Bradder said.

Before Simpson had wireless printing, students found it inconvenient to print their work without putting it on a flash drive, e-mailing it to themselves or by doing their work from a computer connected to a printer in Dunn library or a residence hall.

“I’m really glad that Simpson decided to do this,” sophomore Becca Mohnike said. “It makes it a lot easier to do homework wherever you are on campus.”

Students also see a benefit to being able to print something earlier and pick it up either on their way to class or whenever it is convenient for them.

“I think it’s cool that I can print something anytime and pick it up when I want to,” junior Derek Haugland said.

However, Mohnike has some concerns about printing wirelessly.

“I just hope my work doesn’t get taken by someone before I get to the printer,” Mohnike said.

Bradder stresses that students need to pick up documents right away to avoid this problem.

“Students need to be diligent in picking up their printing when they print remotely, and be careful to only pick up their own documents,” Bradder said.

While printing has become more convenient for students by going wireless, the prices for printing and the allocated dollar amount have not changed.

According to the Simpson website the cost to print a single black and white page is still only three cents, a duplex black and white page is five cents, a single color page is 12 cents and a duplex color page totals 20 cents.

Each semester Simpson students receive a $12 quota for printing. If you surpass your quota you may still print, but any amount past the allocated amount is put on the student’s account.

Bradder has high hopes that the wireless printing will help ease the burden on students.

“I hope this improves printing for students and makes their lives a little easier,” Bradder said.