Classroom and Lab Computing

ITS Printing Services

Revision 2.1 11/12/07; 2.1.1 3/12/08; 2.2 5/16/08

This page us the home for all documentation for a proposed service for campuses and departments to enable control and chargeback for student printing.

Background

Students using labs and classrooms managed by ITS at University Park have controlled access to laser and color printers.  Each student can print up to 110 pages each semester without charges (the cost is covered by their IT fee).  Students are billed via the Bursar for additional pages.  The system controls costs by limiting student printing and recovering some costs.   The system consists of several components, including a server called PALS written by ITS staff, a product called Pharos Uniprint, and ITS accounting software.  Information about printing for students is here.

This system has been working for a number of years, but with a few problems.   After reviewing what work needed to be done to allow units outside ITS limit and charge for printing and trying to see the "big picture" and all other options, it was decided to change to a system where pages have to be pre-purchased with a LionCash+ account (all students and employees can have one).

Details on how the LionCash+ based system works from a management perspect are here; another description directed at end users is here.

Need

Various departments, colleges, and campuses have asked how they can limit or charge students for printing, in order to reduce costs.  Free and unlimited printing no doubt results in significant unnecessary printing.

Timelines

• October 30, 2007 -- Finish technical design documents (done)
• March, 2007 -- Software development (done)
• April, 2008 -- Testing, user documentation, publicity (done)
• May 12, 2008 -- cut-over to new system (done)
• Fall 2008 -- phase-in other campuses and departments ("units")

Business Model

From a unit or campus perspective, how it works is:

• The 110 subsidized pages (now called the semester allocation) applies to all students and all printers (note that color or larger format pages count as multiples of a single 8.5x11 inch page, see rates here.)
• Students buy additional pages, any time, via a secure web page that debits their LionCash+ account.
  • Students get an extra 10 pages added to their semester allocation the first time (ever, not per semester) they purchase pages with LionCash+.
• Faculty and staff have a limited number of free pages but can use their LionCash+ to buy more.
• Users may return unused pages that were purchased with LionCash (crediting their LionCash+ accounts) once a semester.
• Units purchase and maintain their own printers and supply paper and toner.
• Units are reimbursed, after the end of each semester, for pages purchased via LionCash+ and printed on their printers.
• LionCash+ takes 2% of gross sales.
• Units absorb the costs of the semester allocation pages printed on their printers.
• Units may add "unit allocations" to any number of users at any time.
  • unit allocations are not carried over to the next semester.
  • unit allocations printed on another unit's printers will result in an accounting adjustment to credit the printer-owning unit with the cost of those pages;
• CLC Print Servers at University Park may be used; for units at other campuses it may be better to have local servers, but we wish to test the speed of using a print server at UP for printing at another location.
• ITS covers the cost of a state-wide Pharos Uniprint license.
• Users must be authenticated via their Access Account on the computer used to print directly to a printer using this system.
• Users must be "logged into" PALS in order to print; software to be installed on computers to do this, and to make the print server connection and give "pop-up" messages to users will be maintained and distributed by CLC.
• Release stations are supported for printing from unmanaged computers.
• Accounting adjustments are made 2 weeks after the end of each semester.