Most of us know the frustration of a home printer jamming or running out of ink right at a deadline. Or a new printer that’s not connecting properly. Or maybe you print so infrequently, you don’t even own a printer.
Fortunately, Johnson County Library has printers for public use. And now it has added a wonderful new amenity: wireless printing at an affordable price at all 14 branches.
For years, people have been able to print out event tickets, resumes, term papers or even — true story — last-minute wedding vows at their friendly neighborhood Library branch. But printing from the Library is now easier than ever, thanks to a technology upgrade that provides wireless functionality.
“The goal has been to modernize our print offerings,” said Dylan Reiter, a Library information specialist who served on the wireless printing project team. In recent years, patrons frequently requested mobile-print capability, and the Library is delighted to bring that to fruition. It means patrons don’t have to log on to a Library computer to submit a print job. Instead, they can simply send from their own devices.
New benefits include:
- Printing seamlessly from personal devices, including laptops and smartphones.
- Sending your documents to the Library’s print queue from your home, office or on the go.
- Paying with a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Wallet as well as with cash.
With all this added convenience, the price remains the same as it has been for many years: 15 cents per black-and-white page and 50 cents per color page. That’s less than printing at many local stores.
Applications Administrator Brianna Cook, who helped oversee the project launch in October 2024, said wireless printing is a big step forward in customer service.
“This opens up more avenues for our patrons to have accessibility to printing, without having to preemptively come to the Library,” she said. “It’s providing a patron-focused solution that allows them more autonomy in the process.”
Patrons can submit print requests from any location or device, including mobile, through jocolibrary.org/print or directly via email. Then at any branch, they will find a print release kiosk where they have a code for their document. Library staff members are also available to assist.
Another big convenience is the flexible payment options. The Library’s bill accepters used to take only change or small bills but now accept $10 and $20 bills, as well as credit and debit cards and tap-to-pay at the print kiosks.
“That was a big piece for us,” Cook said, “being able to provide more ways to pay. It will provide more opportunities for people to utilize Library services.”
Printing has always been in big demand at the Library. Between November 2022 and November 2023, the branches handled nearly 140,000 jobs, comprising more than 555,000 pages, either black-and-white (both one-sided and two-sided) and color (one-sided). The items that patrons have told us they’ve printed at the Library run the gamut, including sheet music, return shipping labels, academic and business reports, insurance cards and bank statements.
A team of Library and Johnson County Finance staff members began exploring wireless printing in 2023. They eventually chose the vendor Today’s Business Solutions (TBS), known for wireless solutions and money management capabilities, especially in the public library and higher education sectors.
“We wanted to be sure we were going with a trusted vendor that is widely used and respected and offers a great product,” Reiter said. TBS serves clients nationwide, including the Kansas City Public Library among other major library systems.
“We talked to representatives from a number of library systems,” Reiter said. “We heard a lot of positive things which helped guide our decision.”
In addition to printing, Johnson County Library also offers affordable single- and double-sided document copying at the same low price. You do not need a Library card to use this service. Next time you have a document to print or copy, let Johnson County Library save you money and time.
Wireless printing is now available at all 14 Johnson County Library locations. Enjoy the convenience of printing from your personal devices as well as flexible payment options. Visit jocolibrary.org/print to learn more.
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