Student Print Management

Why was print management implemented?

Print management was installed in keeping with the College Strategic Plan environmental sustainability goals and the Responsible Stewards Call to Action program. The system monitors individual printing and copying across the campus. It uses a system of credits and per page costs to encourage students to think before they print.  

How does the print management system work?

Student print management accounts will be credited $15 at the beginning of fall and winter terms, and $3.70 for the spring term. There is no charge to the student for this initial print credit. The cost of each print job will then be charged against your print management account. 

How much does it cost to print?

The print credits loaded at the beginning of the term will cover about 400 pages of single sided black and white printing. A full cost schedule is available for each printer through your print management portal.

How do I access my personal print management portal?

A link to the portal is available on the Alma College web site student gateway page under Offices and Services or directly at https://papercut.alma.edu/user.

How do I purchase additional print credits?

Top Up cards are available for purchase through the book store in $1, $5, and $10 increments. 

Are print credits transferable or refundable?

Print credits are not transferable and are non-refundable.

Do print credits rollover from term to term?

College assigned print credits will not rollover from one term to the next. Any remaining print credits purchased from the bookstore will rollover from term to term. Print jobs are charged against the College provided credits until these are exhausted, then student purchased Top Up credits are consumed.

How can I check my print credit balance?

Detailed print job information, including individual job costs, and your credit balance is available through the print management portal.

What happens if I exceed my print credit balance?

The system provides “overdraft” protection of $1, or about 28 single sided black and white pages of print. If you purchase Top Up credits from the book store, these will be applied to your overdraft balance first. Any remaining credit will be added to your account.

Does the system indicate the environmental impact of my printing?

Yes, the print management portal summary page shows an estimated environmental impact by user.  The Environmental Dashboard link on this page shows additional information.

Can I print to campus printers from my personal devices?

The print portal includes a web print capability. Documents may be submitted via the portal to any student accessible printer on campus. Microsoft Office, many image formats, and PDF files are acceptable document formats.

How can I print a document type not supported by Web Print?

Web Print supports MS Office formats, many image formats, and PDF files. If you need to print a document type not supported by Web Print, you will need to “print to PDF” from within your application, then submit the PDF file to Web Print.

Can I get a refund for jammed or damaged print jobs?

Charges for a missing or damaged printout due to a printer problem are eligible for a refund. Refund requests must be made within one week of the print date via the print management user portal. To make a request, select “Recent Print Jobs” followed by the “request refund” link for the job you would like a refund for, and enter a reason for the request.

Printing charges related to user error will not be credited. Some of examples include:

• Printing to the wrong printer, or selecting the wrong paper size or orientation
• Printing the wrong document
• Printing more copies than needed
• Failure to logoff and another student uses your account
• Print jobs that are lost or thrown away

How do I avoid being charged for printing done as a student worker?

There are two ways student workers may charge printing to the department they work in. First, the department must contact ITS to include you in a student worker group. Once this has been done, you will see a “Charge to shared account” option in Web Print no matter what device you are printing from. If you are printing from a college owned PC or Mac that has a print management client installed, you will see a popup box asking where to charge the print job. 

Where should I print high volume or special need print jobs?

High volume printing or printing that requires special handling should be done at the copy center.

How do I handle printing for my student organization?

Printing for student organizations should be done at the copy center.

May I bring my own printer to campus?

Personal wireless printers should not be brought to campus.  These units can interfere with campus wireless service.  Printers are available in all of the main housing facilities and are accessible via Web Print.

Is Web Print accessible from the ACGuest wireless network?

Yes, the print portal is accessible from the campus wired network, and ACGuest or ACWLAN wireless networks.

My personal computer was set up to print to a campus printer in the past.  Will this still work?

Web Print is the only supported way to print from personal devices to campus printers.  Old queue based printers installed on personal devices will continue to function.  Print jobs are billed the same either way. Should you have any issue with an old printer installation, the fix is to switch to Web Print.