Do you need a printer for law school?
The short answer to whether you need a printer for law school is no. Your law school will provide printing options through your school library. You will likely either have free printing, an allotted number of pages for free, or a discounted print rate as part of your law student fees paid each semester.
However, you may want to have a printer yourself for convenience. Many law students like to be able to print off their assignments to review and mark them up before turning them in. Having a law school printer can make this task much easier. Instead of running to the library to do a final review in hard copy, you can just print one in your room. We highly recommend reviewing your work in hard copy before turning in a final draft. You can catch errors much differently than if you are only reading off of a laptop screen.
What do I need to print in law school?
Interestingly, you will rarely print off case law. The reason for this is because it will already be printed for you in your law school textbooks. However, here is a list of common things you may print in law school:
- Resumes
- Drafts of assignments to proofread
- Legal memos and other written assignments that you must turn as a physical copy
- Internship/Job offers that you need to physically sign
- Health forms/waivers/other miscellaneous forms you sign throughout law school
What are the Pros of Buying a Law School Printer?
Connivence is the main benefit of purchasing a law school printer. It is nice to be able to quickly print something from your room instead of having to run to the law school library. Additionally, you won’t have to deal with the hassle of using your student id card to log in to the library printer.
What are the Cons of Buying a Law School Printer?
Price is the main disadvantage of buying a law school printer. You will want to spend enough money so you don’t end up with a crappy printer that doesn’t print evenly or has ink nozzles that dry out too easily. So, it will cost you a little bit to get a decent printer. Then, you’ll also have to pay for ink cartridge replacements and paper. If your school offers free printing at the library and you live nearby the law school, it may be financially better to skip your own printer and just use the school’s.
Conclusion – Should You Buy a Printer?
Our recommendation is to skip out on the printer your first year. See if you can make it using the law school library printers. Once you get to your 2L year, that is when the printing will occur more. You’ll start having more written assignments, you’ll be printing resumes, and it may be advantageous to get a printer in 2L.