Papercut: Print Accounting Software Papercut: Print Accounting Software
In summer 2007 CSS installed new print accounting software called Papercut. Papercut runs on both Linux and Windows machines and quota information is available from either platform. Papercut puts a balance window on the desktop for students so that they can quickly see their print balance at all times.
When
you login, you will see a small window in the upper right corner of your
screen with your current balance (illustrated here). Clicking on Print
Help gets you to this page. Clicking on the Details… link
in the box and then logging into a web tool using your Engineering ID
to look at your print and transaction history. You can
also see the environmental impact of your print jobs. You can
minimize the Papercut window if you do not want it open on your desktop
all the time.
When you print on a lab printer, you will see a print job notification dialogue box like the one below that tells you the document name, the number of pages, and the cost. You must select Print to authorize the document to print and charge the amount to your print account.
What happens to my print balance when I cancel a print job?
What is the cost of duplex printing?What happens to my print balance when I cancel a print job?
There are two likely scenarios.
Scenario 1: Your print job is second, third, fourth, or any position other than first in the print queue. Papercut should refund the print job after you cancel it. You should see the refund reflected in your balance window shortly after you cancel the print job. You can also click on the Details link in the balance window, login to your personal print accounting page and check your recent print history to see whether papercut cancelled and refunded your print job.
Scenario 2: Your job is first in the print queue. Once a job reaches the first position in the print queue, Papercut will not refund a cancelled job. This is because it can't be certain whether any of the job printed. You can request a refund of the print job in the consulting office, 1253 SC, or the main office, 1256 SC.
What is the cost of duplex printing?
Duplex printing is now $0.05 cents for the first side and no cost for the second side--that's 0.05 cents per page, the same cost as single-sided printing per page. Print duplex to stretch your print dollars and conserve paper!Note about duplex printing: the printer paper handler briefly extrudes the paper to turn it over and print on the other side. Please wait until the pages are in the top output tray before removing them.
Papercut keeps statistics on how many pages are printed on each printer, as well as information about the environmental impact of the resources used for printing. In the months since Papercut was installed, printer ptrcss01 has had the most pages printed and ptrcss02 the fewest.
When faculty and staff print to the CSS color laser printer, you will get a print job notification dialogue box (see below). The dialogue box tells you the number of pages and cost of the submitted print job. To release the job, select the 'Charge to shared account' button and the departmental account from the pull down menu. The menu contains only accounts for which you are authorized. In most cases, you will have only one choice and it will be selected automatically.
All students are allocated print quota at the beginning of each semester. When you spend your print quota, you are allowed to credit print, i.e., accumulate a negative balance with a maximum limit. Every month CSS charges negative print balances > 1.00 to your U-Bill. Sometime during this academic year, this procedure will change and you will be provided a tool with which to pay the credit directly.
Printers, Print Quota, and Printing has more information about printing from your Engineering Account.
CSS | College of Engineering | © The University of Iowa 2008.
All rights reserved. |