Printing ... new system for open access users

| Minerva | BSU Gmail | WMS | Liquid Office | Training | The Hub | Phone Book | 

Open Access Printing at Newton Park

Something about to go wrong with your printing? Follow that link ... otherwise, here's a page on what you need to print you work.

Overview

This concerns the Windows open access machines used by students and staff at Newton Park.

Print from the machine on which you are working, direct to a printer in the same room. You're charged for this - you have a 'Printer account' and are able to credit this with cash to pay for printing.

Where can I Print?

You can print from all open access rooms on the Newton Park site - Twiverton, Compton, the LIS rooms, Stanton.

How do I Print my Work?

Use the application's 'File/Print' dialogue as you normally would. But first, use 'File/Print Preview to check that what will be printed is OK.

Check also that the right printer is selected to meet your needs. The default printer should be a black and white one. If there's one in the room, you'll be able to select a colour printer as an alternative. There may be other devices available as well which will produce files rather than printed work - e.g. a 'PDF printer' of some kind, to produce pdf documents from your work

What's the cost of printing?

Students

Your printer account will start with a credit of fifty pages for which you don't have to pay - but when the balance is used up you'll need to credit the account with cash to pay for further printing. The cost per page is unchanged. The fifty page credit replaces the 'Free-at-point-of-use' dot matrix printers in the IT rooms which have been withdrawn.

Staff

If you need to use open access printing you can have your account credited to cover this cost using a University internal purchase order. You can also credit your account with cash via the moneyloader machine in the library at Newton Park, in LY G05.

How do I pay?

You'll be able to 'recharge' your printer account at a single point - a machine installed in the Newton Park Library computer suite next to the SOACS desk. Recharging the account will involve entering your user name, password, and money, into the machine. A receipt is not issued, but all transactions are logged for future reference. Staff who need to print can have their accounts credited against a University IPO.

Accounts can be credited centrally - eg a group of students can have their accounts credited to meet the needs of a particular course. This will need to be paid for via the University's internal purchase system.

Can I check my balance?

You can check your own account's printing status when logged on, by selecting the 'Dollar' icon on the Windows taskbar - this will reveal the balance in your account. Look to the bottom right of your screen for the icon.

Anything else?

The software we're using to control all this is called Pcounter

So I need a new password?

No, you still need the one - to log in to your own University account. When you've finished with your account, do log out of it - otherwise someone else would be able to print using *your* money, impersonate you, erase your work. Look after yourself, and others too, by keeping your account for your own use, in accordance with University IT regulations.

Printing during taught sessions

Academic staff can apply in advance for groups of students to have their accounts credited for taught sessions as follows:

1. Check that the budget holder agrees to fund the cost of printing
2. Email printing@bathspa.ac.uk giving the following information:
   • Module code (e.g. ED 342)
   • Number of students and number of copies per student
   • Name of budget holder

   Computing staff will add credits to the accounts. LIS will charge the budget holder 5p per print credit via IPO.

Help!

The IT helpdesk can help with immediate printing problems - look for the telephones in the open access rooms to call on their service. For problems with printing, or to request a log of your printing activity your point of contact is by email to printing@bathspa.ac.uk

Avoid wasting your print money

Once it's working for you, 'Pcounter' is reliable - when you press 'Print', it does just that. If you press 'Print' and nothing seems to happen, don't just press 'Print' again. Instead, find out where your printing has hung up or gone astray. You may not be at fault with these, but check the following:-

• Use 'Print Preview' before printing - especially when using 'Minerva' - 'Print Preview' does what it says on the tin.
• Is your account's default printer the correct one? Check that your default printer is 'A black and white printer' - colour printing costs more.
• Has money left your printer account? Select the black '$' sign at the bottom right of your screen - if your printer balance has changed, then your work is printed, or in a queue to be printed. It might be a matter of unblocking the queue - see below.
• Is the printer healthy? Go across to the printer and see if it's registering a paper jam. Once this is cleared (call a technician) your printing will appear.
• And ...use the 'Print preview' option to check that you're not about to print blank pages on the end of your documents.

Printing and 'Netwisp'

'Netwisp' is software that analyses dietary data. When printing from Netwisp, set your default printer to 'Black and White' before starting the program - once running, it doesn't pick up the change in default printer and this causes printing from 'Netwisp' to fail.

| Top | Home Page