Doesn’t Understand The Prints-iple

(This takes place in the self-serve area of our copy shop, where we have little tablet-like computers beside the copiers, where you can pay, insert a memory stick, or print from a few online sources.)

Customer: *pointing at the tablet screen which says “the copier is now ready to use”* “It’s not working! How am I supposed to get the files on my memory stick to show up!?”

Me: “It looks like you selected ‘Make Copies.’”

Customer: “Yeah.”

Me: “If you’re printing from a USB, you need to select ‘Make Prints.’”

Customer: “That’s the same thing.”

Me: “Um… No, it’s not. ‘Make Copies’ would make photocopies at the copier. ‘Make Prints’ would mean you are printing something… from a digital source.”

Customer: “Well… I’ll give that to you… but they’re the same thing!”