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Computer Facility Pay-for-Print Procedures

OIT provides printing services in campus computer labs and teaching facilities. In Spring 2009 the unit analyzed the cost of these services and discussed the costs with the Student Technology Advisory Board. The two groups agreed upon the following changes.

Increase the charge for prints. We have charged 2 cents for black and white prints and 25 cents for color prints. After an extensive study of  consumables, infrastructure to support printing (i.e., servers and software for the printing environment), as well as the cost to replace our printers on an annual basis, OIT determined that our current price structure needs to be adjusted.  Starting August 24th, we will raise  prices to 3 cents for black and white and 40 cents for color. These new prices still do not meet our costs, but it was what was approved by the Student Technology Advisory Board.

Implement pay-for-print services in computer teaching facilities. Historically, most computer teaching facilities have offered free printing to the students and teaching faculty that have academic classes scheduled in the facility. In order to recover our print costs, and to minimize increases in print prices for students using the other computer labs on campus, we need to begin charging students for printing in all facilities. The affected facilities include: BEH 102, BEH 240, BHS 451, CBC B135, CBC C125, CBC C129, CBC C309, CBC C311, CBC C321, CBC C323, TBE B367, WHI 304

Print Procedure Changes
In addition to the above changes, we will also change how you print in the computer facilities. After you send your job to the print queue, you will need to  approve and release your job to the printer. This gives you more control over print jobs. This system will also be integrated with your Rebelcash account on your Rebelcard, so it will be much easier to pay for printing.

Purpose of New Computer Lab Print Procedures & Costs

  • Recover costs. OIT will now have stable funds to maintain the existing level of service for repairs, replacements and consumables.
  • Equalize costs. Each person will pay for his or her own printing. Costs will be shared equitably between teaching facility customers and non-teaching facility customers. This balanced solution is more sustainable.
  • Reduce waste. Prior to the new print queue system, students could not see how many pages they were sending to the printer, nor how much it would cost. Now students can see the totals for both, and delete unwanted jobs prior to sending them to the printer. Increased management capabilities and costs may reduce waste.
  • More consistent printing environment. The OIT computer labs and the University Libraries now have a more consistent print system. No longer do you need to visit a lab monitor to add funds to your print account for printing, as it will be automatically deducted from your Rebelcash account. Plus, prices are the same.