Cohousing-L Mailing List: Community printers

[Janet Murphy (janetmusicrn]

I believe our community printer was donated by a member when we opened 16
years ago. I do not recall it ever being repaired.

It is a HP Color LaserJet CM1312nfi MFP. It is showing its age (it no
longer feeds stacks of paper from the top), but it makes copies perfectly,
and hooks up to our personal computers easily. I hope we can find a
comparable workhorse when we replace it (recommendations accepted!)

The printer is one of our best shared resources. Many of us only need to
print once or twice a month, and that isn't enough to keep ink from drying
out. Neighbors who have frequent printing needs have their own printers.

We used to ask users to pay 5-15 cents for black and white or color copies,
but decided collecting those small amounts was not worth the administrative
effort. We spend $600/yr on ink and paper, and I suspect half of that is
for private, not community, use. Donations are welcome, especially if you
are making copies for work or another outside organization.

>From a community standpoint, the printer brings many people to the Common
House, which is always a plus. Having a free printer also fits our ethic of
not charging for shared amenities (guest rooms, laundry, garden space, room
use...). We figure everyone uses different amenities over time so it evens
out, and we don't want to disadvantage neighbors of lesser means. It also
fits our ethic of having less private stuff. That's why we have a car share!

Janet Murphy (Cohousing Car Share Group coordinator, of course)
Arboretum Cohousing
Madison WI