The 42 photocopiers on campus operated by the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union will see a price increase next year, from 15 cents to 20 cents per copy.

The increase comes after multiple years of decline in the use of the Copy Central copier service, said Reid Nystuen, USSU vice-president of operations and finance.

From 2008 to 2011, use of the photocopiers slid by more than 50 per cent, from more than 500,000 copies per year to less than 250,000. About a decade ago, Nystuen said usage was as high as 1 million copies per year.

In the past three years, the cost to operate Copy Central has jumped from $10,000 to $40,000.

“The increase from 15 to 20 cents is happening on a trial basis, to be reviewed after three months,” Nystuen said.

The increase in price, which stemmed from a motion at last week’s University Students’ Council, is meant to curb Copy Central’s growing deficit. However, if the increase results in even less use of the copiers, the change may be reversed at the end of the three-month period.

“Students are not using the photocopiers as much as they used to, and for me that’s understandable,” said Nystuen. “Just based on the way academic materials are being distributed — you can get your PowerPoints online, you don’t need as much stuff from the reserve section with all those online sources.”

Copy Central’s photocopier machines can be used with coins or copy cards, which can be purchased from the Copy Central hub on the first floor of the Murray library. The increase is set for September.

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