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Printing FAQ
- Why charge for printing?
- The volume of printing in the Libraries quadrupled between 2001 and 2005
(see Excel chart), causing related costs to surge.
Continuing to support free printing would require the Libraries to reduce expenditures for library collections.
- Alternatives to reduce the volume of printing such as displays encouraging
conservation and provision of two-sided printing, have had little effect.
- Our Libraries are alone among peer institutions in providing free printing.
Here's a chart of printing fees.
- Free printing in the Libraries encourages both members of the WU community as well as outsiders to do printing here that might otherwise be done on their personal printers.
- When libraries start charging for printing, volume is reduced by as much as 50%, alleviating the environmental impact.
- Shouldn't I be able to print for free from E-Res?
- Well, no. Before E-Res, costs for physical copies of reserve materials were borne by students deciding to make photocopies. There has been a four-year respite, while students shifted from making photocopies of print reserves to printing from library computers. The Libraries anticipated that students would read the material online or print it on their own printers. We were wrong.
- Consequently, the cost of physical copies of required readings has been transferred from the individual student to the Libraries' not-inexhaustible budget. Because we instituted E-Res while in the midst of a three-year renovation of Olin Library, we could not make the technological changes necessary for charging while at the same time constantly relocating computers to accommodate construction.
- Now that the renovation of Olin Library is complete and our budget reserves were depleted by four years of free printing, we are obliged to begin to charge for printing.
- Some faculty members may find that it is more cost-effective to order course packets for student reading, to be offered for sale at the bookstore. Others will leave the choice of reading online, downloading, or printing to the individual students in their classes. We in the Libraries will focus our resources on acquiring the broadest range of scholarly materials for WU students and faculty, and return the choice of medium to our users.
- Doesn't my tuition pay for printing at campus libraries?
- A portion of your tuition goes to the Libraries, and we, in turn, use those dollars to build collections and provide services for the community. Free printing in the Libraries is a great convenience. However, it is not the best way to use limited resources to support teaching and research. The Libraries resources are best used to provide the broadest array of books, journals, and e-resources and making them available to the entire University community.
- How much do the Washington University Libraries charge for printing?
- 8 cents per sheet for one-sided printing
- 12 cents per sheet for two-sided (duplex) printing
- 50 cents per page for color printing
- Photocopier charges will remain unchanged: 12.5 cents per copy if using a copycard; 15 cents per copy for cash.
- Are these prices fair?
- These prices recoup most but not all of the cost of printing. Those costs include printer, toner, equipment, and service. The prices are comparable to those charged by other university's libraries (see chart).
- Why not provide a quota of free prints?
- We did investigate providing some free printing. However, even at 8 cents/page (12 cents/duplex), we will still not recover our costs and so cannot afford to support free printing. In most universities, the free printing provided comes from the individual schools and departments, not their libraries. Most schools here at WU provide some free printing for their students in their computer clusters. Check with your department/school for what they offer.
- When did this charge go into effect?
- The charges went into effect October 20, 2006.
- What are other institutions doing?
- Prices at other universities range from 5 to 10 cents for black-and-white print jobs. To completely cover our costs (paper, toner, equipment, and service), we would have to charge more than 10 cents per sheet.
- How do I pay for printing?
- If you are a student, you can charge printing to your
Student ID Vending/Laundry/Printing account. You can add money to your account at the
Campus Card website.
- If you are faculty or a staff member, you may make arrangements
to pay from your campus card payroll account by visiting:
HRMS
- Any user can purchase a copycard from a vending machine in
Olin Library's photocopy room on Level 1 or in any of the following libraries: Art,
Business, Chemistry, Earth & Planetary Sciences, East Asian, Music, and West
Campus. Copycards work both on photocopiers and printers.
- If you are a University employee using library computers for departmental use, you may purchase an account with a predetermined number of prints from the Olin Library Administrative Office.
- Where can copycards be purchased?
- Copycards will be used by visitors to pay for printing and will continue
to be used to pay for photocopying. Card dispensers are available in
Olin,
Art & Architecture,
Business,
Earth & Planetary Sciences,
Law,
Social Work, and
West Campus Libraries.
There are also card dispensers available at Lewis Center and Wohl Center.
- If I have an unpaid library fine, can I still print?
- Yes. Library fines are unrelated to your ability to print.
- Where are black-and-white printers located?
- In Olin Library
- On Levels A, B, 2, and 3, across from the restrooms in the stack areas. The two machines located on these floors function as printers and as copiers.
- On Level 1, six printers are located in the public computing area, next to the Help Desk. One of these printers accepts payment by copycard; it is the only location in Olin Library that does so.
- In the Arc technology lab on Level A. There are four print stations in this area.
- In Whispers Cafe. There are two printers in this area.
- In other libraries: Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry,
Earth & Planetary Sciences, East Asian, Mathematics, Music, Physics, and West Campus.
Copycards can be used with printers in all these libraries except Math.
- Where are color printers located?
- Art, Biology, Chemistry, and Earth & Planetary Sciences Libraries.
Color printers will accept copy cards.
- What paper sizes are available?
- Library printers will only print on 8.5" x 11" paper. Library copiers also have 8.5" x 14" paper.
- The Earth & Planetary Sciences Library has a scanner and printer (plotter) that can print larger documents such as maps or artwork. Check with the E & PS Library staff for availability and costs, since this printer is not part of the printing program discussed here. The E & PS phone number is 935-5406
- If I print on both sides of the sheet, does that count as one copy or two?
- There is a discounted rate for printing on both sides of the sheet. It's 12 cents for printing on both sides; 8 cents for printing on one side.
- Can I cancel a print job?
- Yes. On the print release station, highlight the print job and click on Delete.
- What should I do if the printer doesn't work?
- Ask for help at the nearest service desk.
- Any chance of a refund?
- We offer reprints or refunds if there is a paper jam, poor image quality, or any equipment or system error.
- Use the Print Preview function whenever possible to confirm that you will be printing what you expected to print.
- The Libraries are not responsible - and can not offer refunds - if you print too many pages, misspell words, or print the wrong pages or documents.
- What are my alternatives to printing in the Library?
- Download materials to a USB drive (aka thumb drive, flash drive, jump drive) or CD-ROM.
- E-mail the file or article to yourself.
- Use your temporary Library network space. Files saved there will remain for a week.
- 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
- How can I minimize my printing costs?
- 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 4 pages for the price of 2. 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.
- Why is the Mozilla Firefox browser on the public computers?
- The Libraries have replaced Internet Explorer (IE) with Mozilla Firefox as the internet browser on all public machines. When printing webpages using the new printing system, IE inserts blank pages at the end. The switch to Mozilla Firefox will save paper and avoid extra printing costs. Mozilla Firefox also has tabbed browsing, a built-in search box, and fewer incidents of being attacked by internet viruses.
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