paper thieves!

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

A minor part of our job (tech support at a college campus, where I'm a senior) is to make sure the dorm printers have paper. One hall is having a problem with paper mysteriously disappearing, and the dorm mom has taken to buying paper because she did not know that she could just call us for more. Seriously: I put a new ream next to a full printer on Thursday, and ALL of it was gone by Monday. The dorm holds maybe 80 students and there were no paper deadlines to my knowledge.

One of my coworkers suggested taping a note to the inside of the paper tray (just inside the lip, where it hopefully wouldn't interact with any machinery) that just said HONOR PRINCIPLE. (Our college is big on the honor principle, although obviously its efficacy varies.) Or maybe STOP STEALING PAPER YOU FUCK.

Short of padlocking the tray or making the poor dorm mom hold onto the extra reams, any ideas?

Also, on my last printer walk, I found half a ream of inkjet paper sitting next to the laser printer. I flipped out and gave a short lecture to the kids in the social room, but I doubt they were responsible. AUGH. Maybe we need signs that warn of how the paper might MELT in the super hot laser printer and gum everything up.

Guys, call us if you're out. And look, there is a REAM OF PAPER RIGHT THERE. USE IT. But don't take it all to your room and, I don't know, use it as rolling paper.

Comments

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

You don't even have to use a network camera, just possibly a fake at first to get them used to seeing it, and then after a while when no-one is looking, swap it for a real one if the paper is still missing after using deterants.

Also, making talk about the paper supply running low, and the campus may be starting to ask students to supply their own (works if management is involed with the scheme), helps is working wonders in stopping the thief.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

good ideas. The HAs of that dorm (and hopefully others) have started talking to the residents about the wonders of not stealing paper (and utilizing your 200 free pages of printing); hopefully that will make a difference.

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Any students have a interest lately in Rastering? http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator That would be a reason to steal reams of paper. Then again, it could be another dorm taking it.

Time to start a "Inventory" of equipment in the dorms and their rooms for unusuall happenings.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

oh god, that's totally the source. I've seen a few of those around, although not in that dorm specifically.

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Bingo was his name-o.