Designing for Real-World Use, Serviceability, and Future Change
A print room is rarely just a place for equipment. In practice, it becomes a working production space—supporting printing, scanning, finishing, shipping, document control, and shared office supplies.
This checklist is intended to ensure a print room is designed for real-world use, serviceability, and future flexibility—not just day-one installation.
Core Equipment
☐ Multifunction Copiers
Confirm functional width (typically ~5 feet), door swing, lid clearance, output tray space, and full service access. Verify that no millwork or walls restrict maintenance activities or consumable replacement.
☐ Wide-Format Plotters
Plan for true functional width—often 6 to 6.5 feet for HP PageWide-class devices. Confirm feed type (top feed vs. rear feed/stacker), roll loading side, output clearance, and alignment with layout counters.
☐ Wide-Format Scanners (if required)
Confirm adequate counter or table space, lighting, infeed/outfeed clearance, power and data access, and proximity to plotters if scanning and printing are paired workflows.
☐ Future Equipment Growth Allowance (often missed)
Verify there is sufficient physical, electrical, and data capacity to add or replace devices without requiring a full room redesign.
Supporting Equipment
☐ High-Speed Document Scanners
Plan staging space for documents before and after scanning. Ensure power and data placement does not interrupt workflow.
☐ Mail Machines / Postage Meters
Confirm counter depth, power above counters, network access, and nearby storage for envelopes, labels, and postage supplies.
☐ Shipping Label Printers and Scales
Provide durable counter surfaces, clean cable management, and space for packing materials and outbound staging.
☐ Shredders
Select appropriate capacity (departmental vs. high-volume). Confirm ventilation, clearance for bin removal, and proximity to recycling or secure disposal.
☐ Folding, Binding, or Laminating Equipment
Plan for countertop or freestanding placement, adequate lighting, power access, and nearby consumable storage.
☐ Specialty or Finishing Equipment (often missed)
Include space and power for cutters, trimmers, electric staplers, hole punches, or future finishing tools.
Cabinetry & Counters
☐ 30"-Deep Base Cabinets for Wide-Format Use
Allows 24×36 drawings to be laid out without overhang. Coordinate cabinet depth with ADA reach requirements.
☐ Counter Height Reviewed (often missed)
Confirm ergonomic working height for standing tasks such as cutting, scanning, finishing, and document review.
☐ No Upper Cabinets Above Copiers
Avoid interference with lid opening, jam clearance, and service access.
☐ Upper Cabinet Placement Reviewed Near Plotters
Ensure feed paths and output areas are not obstructed.
☐ Under-Cabinet Lighting
Provide task lighting for reviewing, marking up, trimming, and assembling documents.
☐ ADA-Compliant Outlet Placement
Coordinate early to avoid non-compliant reach depths caused by deeper counters.
Storage
☐ Copy Paper Storage
Use full-extension drawers or cabinets near copiers. Keep paper off the floor and away from moisture sources.
☐ Rolled Plotter Paper Storage
Provide vertical racks or horizontal drawers with adequate clearance for roll changes.
☐ Ink, Toner, and Maintenance Supplies
Store in temperature-stable locations near equipment—but never on top of machines.
☐ Office Supply Storage
Staplers, punches, binding materials, labels, envelopes, and shared tools.
☐ Packaging and Shipping Supplies (often missed)
Boxes, tubes, tape, labels, and packing materials.
☐ Secure Storage for Specialty Media (often missed)
Photo paper, vellum, film, or archival materials requiring protection.
Infrastructure
☐ Dedicated Power Circuits Where Required
Confirm electrical requirements for copiers, plotters, scanners, and finishing equipment.
☐ Power Above Counters
Accessible outlets for electric staplers, cutters, label printers, laptops, and scanners.
☐ Hardwired Data Connections
Ethernet connections for copiers, plotters, scanners, and print management devices.
☐ Cable Management Planned (often missed)
Prevent cords from crossing walk paths or cluttering work surfaces.
☐ HVAC Capacity Reviewed
Ensure the room can handle heat loads from multiple devices while maintaining temperature stability.
☐ Humidity Control Considered (often missed)
Critical for paper performance and print quality—especially in wide-format environments.
Operations & Comfort
☐ Trash and Recycling Planned
Dedicated bins for waste, paper recycling, and cartridge returns.
☐ Secure Shredding Options
Locked bins or secure shredders for confidential documents.
☐ Noise Mitigation Considered
Review adjacency to quiet spaces. Use doors, partial enclosures, or sound-absorbing finishes as needed.
☐ Lighting Levels Reviewed (often missed)
Ensure adequate ambient and task lighting throughout the room.
☐ Cleaning and Maintenance Access (often missed)
Allow space to clean behind and around equipment without disassembly.
Access, Delivery & Lifecycle (Commonly Overlooked)
☐ Equipment Delivery Path Confirmed
Verify door widths, elevator sizes, turning radii, ceiling heights, and structural constraints.
☐ Door vs. Open Entry Strategy Evaluated
Balance noise containment with accessibility and equipment movement.
☐ Future Replacement and Service Access Planned
Ensure millwork or walls do not permanently trap equipment in place.
☐ After-Hours or Vendor Access Considered (often missed)
Determine whether service technicians can access the room without disrupting operations.
Governance & Management (Often Missed but Valuable)
☐ Print Ownership and Responsibility Defined
Clarify who manages supplies, service calls, and vendor coordination.
☐ Print Management Software Considered
Meter reads, reporting, and consumable automation can influence device placement and network design.
☐ Security and Access Control Reviewed
Determine whether the room requires badge access or usage restrictions.