Based on my time working university IT, yes. And they all insist on having their own, grant-purchased printer in their lab on the network, supported by you.
Not having to walk 30 feet down the hall to the shared copier/printer on every floor to retrieve your print.
I'd rather walk 30 feet to a printer that prints at better quality, can staple, can print 5x or 10x as fast, doesn't make noise next to my desk, and can be loaded with 5 reams of paper instead of 0.5 reams.
A common setup is to have shared printers for high volume things like exams and additionally have low volume printers per group.
> 30 printers all different
Have you tried endorsing certain models? Most researchers don't want to spend time picking out printers and will just get a random one. If you suggest one, they will probably just agree.
Takes care of the confidentiality issue.
So that doesn't fix the issue and is already much more annoying than a small printer (other room, lock, finding your print out). Add any further hassle like id cards on top and nobody will use it.
Why can't we share a communal printer? Good question. Especially considering how sparse usage is compared to the 80s/90s.
My guess is a "tragedy of the commons" type snafu, with the printer always seeming broken by someone else's job.
I actually liked going to the print room - kinda like the water cooler where you could meet people and talk - catch a look at their print job and strike up a conversation "Oh I see you're running regression tests...". IIRC at UCL CS the print room was also where the coffee pot lived.
Reliable A3 duplex colour every time, activated by an identity card, and far faster than anything that fits on a desk.