This time it’s the printer…
May 1st, 2009
Lately it’s been the email server but (knock on wood) that seems to be under control. Now it’s one of the printers. Only this time, it’s not the printer’s fault. It’s (again) operator error. (And, no, I’m not the operator.)
I get an email from one of our “brightest”:
“Hello, GT. Our printer is out of ink. What do we do?”
Well, let’s see, there could be a number of options. You could kiss it gently and try to coax more ink out of it. You could whack it over the imaging drum with a sledgehammer. Or you could give me the model number and which color is out and I *might* be able to order it for you.
“Why do you need the color of ink and the model number? Don’t you know what kind of printer we have over here?”
:::sigh::: Let’s see… On this 700+ workstation, 900+ user network which has about 30+ network printers, ummmm, no, I can’t remember which model *your* specific printer is nor do I have any “inkling” (like that one?) of which one of the four color cartridges are out. Just bloody tell me so I can help you.
“Fine. Whatever. It’s a blah, blah and the **** color is out.”
See, wasn’t that fun??? And so painless too!
However, after checking, I discovered that the ink actually has about 30% of ink left. Now, y’all may feel differently but being the green dude (“green” as in cheap. I don’t give a shit about the environment.) I hate to waste good money, especially if it’ll save my budget at the end of the fiscal year and I can throw myself a keg party.
“But it says ‘low on ink.’ Just put a new one in.”
Further analysis finally prompts this gem from the end user:
“When I printed something, it came out in black and white.”
Me: “Well, did you set the print job to ‘color’ for that job?”
Enduser: “Set the job? You mean I have to tell the printer to print in color??? Why doesn’t it just know???”
Wow. Another impressive “rocket scientist.”
