Do you bring a printer to competitions?

[RoboMaster]

We have not brought a printer in the past, but now my family has an smaller, older, simple HP Inkjet that we don't use and it works great (needs new ink cartridges though). So we're thinking about letting the team use it at our regional. It could certainly be handy to print out a sign for pit organization, something that you can't bring a laptop over to show someone, or anything else you want hard copy. And it's a great thing to share with other teams who need to print something out. Every once and a while you hear on the PA system that a team needs a printer.

What do you think?

[Beth Sweet]

We don't, but I'm unbelievably grateful that Team 48 did to DC. Because of their printer, we were able to submit our video consent form for our Chairmans! Thanks Team 48!

[vhcook]

My former team (1776) always brought a printer to regionals. On Saturdays, we usually ended up loaning printer time to quite a few teams that had forgotten to print their shipping documentation. It's slightly less helpful at a bag and tag regional, but a printer also comes in handy in combination with some sticker paper to help teams that are failing inspection for lack of sponsor and school name labels on their robot.

[jamie_1930]

2228 always does

[Foster]

I find all of the Staples and Kinko's (open 24 hours) in the area of the regional. I make sure anything I want to print is on a memory stick.

While at the Finger Lakes Regional it was suggested that I have copies of our Chairman's presentation for the judges. Quick trip to Kinko's after dinner (two miles from the event) and I had my copies.

The copy centers can print any size, any amount of things that you need.

[Chris is me]

Printers and a printing station (either in your pit or running off an inverter in the stands) are essential. At WPI, my team used our printer for backup scouting sheets (problems arose with the Wii system), pit recon forms, match checklists, Chairman's video consent forms, and repeated revisions to the alliance selection list. If you have one, I would always recommend bringing one. See if you can get drivers on a flash drive for other teams to use too if the printer doesn't have CUPS drivers.

[JohnFogarty]

1102 does always, even with our 3 tech teams we always bring our printer.

[dude__hi]

One of the mentors brings a printer to every regional and championship. Helpful when someone forgot to print a flyer that needs to be photocopied or the pit crew want another sign to hang in the pit.

[Katie_UPS]

My team doesn't but I know 1259 does. Its super usefull for printing scouting data, and I think most hard-core scouting database teams that have a hardcopy format for the information have a printing station. If you decide to print one, remember that it probably cannot/should not be in the stands or pit, and would have to be in the hallways and monitered.

[ideasrule]

Team 610 always does, for printing out scouting forms.

[JohnFogarty]

out printer is allowed in our pit, and it is covered with a safety net as with our "On wheels Machine shop" which they allow in out pit as well.

[LWakefield]

Our team brings a printer. On the set-up day, we take pictures of all the robots for scouting. All of the robots look the same this year.

[blayde5]

115 brings a printer whenever we travel for scouting purposes. We like to take pictures of every robot and put them on our scouting sheets in a fat binder

Otherwise we just Kinko everything the night before

[Jon Stratis]

We always have one available - usually an old laserjet that another mentor picked up cheap. In the end, last week in St. Louis, we ended up going through a full ream of paper. Some was for our own use, like printing out scouting sheets, and some was for distributing information (like scouting data) to other teams. In the end, i would not go to a competition without one.

[TD912]

I know I heard a request for a printer over the P.A. at the NYC regional. We're thinking of bringing one next year, "just in case".