What to consider when purchasing a printer

• What is the expected volume for the printer?
  A good rule of thumb is higher volume printers tend to cost less per page. A printer that is less than 200 dollars can easily outrun the cost of a more efficient printer over the course of a couple years.
• Does the printer need to print color?
  Printing in color is much more costly than black. "Inexpensive" ink-jet printers can cost upwards of a dollar per page when printing photographs.
• Does the printer need to be networked?
  HP charges a premium for the security and interoperatability CAS needs for its network printers. If you need a network printer that is not listed, contact us before purchasing it so we can ensure it works.
• What about wireless printing?
  CAS does not support wireless printing, because it has been consistently unreliable over the years. The wireless network at UNT is considered a convenience network as opposed to a production network. Still, Datacomm always prefers that any extra devices have Wireless networks disabled so they do not interfere with the UNT and Eaglenet wireless access point signals.
  You can potentially save some money by avoiding a printer model with wireless capability - but some models come with it as standard. CAS will attempt to disable the wireless card on the device, if it exists.
• Don't forget the cable!
  Most personal printers do not include the necessary USB cable to connect them. Any "A to B" USB cable between 3-12 feet should work. For network printers CAS can provide 14' network cables, but if you need a length longer than that you will have to purchase it from an office supply store or with your printer.

Printer Recommendations

Note: The models listed below (for network printers) are just suggestions. We can support several more models than those listed below, however note the models listed below are known-good printers that we have setup in the past. It's reasonable to assume newer models with similar model names but slightly newer (i.e. last number in the model designation is slightly higher) will likely work the same as their older counterparts. If you're wanting to purchase something not from this list, please contact us to check before purchasing.

Personal Printers (Also known as Direct Attached Printers)

Most personal printers will work fine with a modern Windows, Mac or Linux machines when directly connected via USB.
There are printers for many uses:

• Black-and-White Laser: print fast, high-volume, monochrome documents.
• Color Laser: print fast, high-volume, color documents.
• Color InkJet: print slower, but high-quality color pictures and documents, especially when printed on specialized paper.

Shared Office Network Laserjet Printers

• Ricoh P 311
• Ricoh P501
• Ricoh IM350 Multifunction B&W
• Brother MFC-9340CDW (older model)

Shared Office Network Color Laserjet Printers

• Ricoh P C311W
• Ricoh P C600
• Ricoh IMC300F Multifuncition Color

Purchasing Procedure

1. Decide which Printer you would like to buy. If you are purchasing a significant number of printers this would be a good time to involve CAS.
2. Have your department's purchasing agent (e.g., Administrative Assistant or grant account holder):
   1. Choose a vendor: you can use the vendors linked above as they have a DIR contract with the State of Texas. If you would like to obtain additional quotes here are some ways you can find other vendors.
      • DIR Store: Use the Search bar to find existing contracts with manufacturers. For example, you can enter "Hewlett Packard" in the Search bar.
      • Centralized Master Bidder's List: Type "204" for the Class Code and "77" for the Item code to find laser printer vendors. This site is handy for finding HUB vendors.
      • Comptroller Tax Status: Checking the comptroller tax status before attempting to purchase from a company can save you time in the long run.
   2. Purchase the Printer with either a Purchase Order or Purchase Card.

Please direct questions regarding your purchasing account, the purchase process, order status, etc. to UNT Purchasing and Payment Services.
Please contact us with all other questions regarding recommended printers.

CAS: Minimum Network Printer Requirements