Printing FAQ: Alternatives to Library Printing
Q. What are my alternatives to printing in the Library?
A.
- Download materials to a USB drive (aka thumb drive, flash drive, jump drive) or CD-ROM.
- E-mail the file or article to yourself.
- The Fedex/Kinko's station on the top floor of Mallinckrodt Center can do photocopying on-site, but any material in an electronic format must go to their Clayton office for processing. Submit your request to http://docstore.kinkos.com/clayton, and follow the instructions and pricing given there. Kinko's strongly suggests that you reserve this option for large orders (500 prints b/w; 250 prints in color).
- Also check ArtSci's printing suggestions.
Q. How else can I minimize my printing costs?
A.
- Use the Print Preview function to confirm that you will be printing what you expected to print.
- Print pages double-sided (duplexed).
- Use Duplex "booklet" printing in Biology/Chemistry/EPSci. This will reduce pages and print 2 pages in one image, getting four pages for the price of two. Your output will be printed on both sides, like a "booklet."
- When printing PowerPoint presentations, use the Handouts function to save paper by printing more than one screen per page. To help the Libraries address environmental concerns, you may use Format...Background to change a dark background color to something lighter, thereby saving toner.
- Do as much editing as you can on-screen and then only print the final document.
- Consider using the copy-and-paste function to highlight portions of text (for instance, in a web site) and transfer it to an e-mail or Word document to print later. Hint: Be sure to also make a note of the citation information if you're including it in a paper!
- Avoid printing e-mail.
- Avoid printing more than one copy.
- If your school or department offers an allotment of free printing, consider using that first.