Printing Quota | Computer Labs

Beginning with the Fall 2004 semester, SUNY Fredonia has changed the way students print in Computer Labs and in Reed Library. In the past, the increased printing costs were paid from the technology fee. In order to encourage conservative use of technology fee funds and to be more environmentally friendly (save some trees), the Information Technology Advisory Board (ITAB) initiated a pilot project to evaluate printing trends and recommended implementation of a printing allocation.

Each student will receive up to 600 pages per semester without any additional charge. At 3 cents a page (2 cents per side for duplex printing and 10 cents for color print), this represents an $18 value and is provided as part of your technology fee. You will be able to view your remaining print balance every time you print. If you need to print more than 600 pages, you may purchase additional non-refundable pages in 200 page ($6) increments at the Cashier windows in the Office of Student Accounts, third floor of Maytum Hall.

Pilot Project Statistics

Following a pilot during the Spring 2004 semester, the Information Technology Advisory Board considered the following information:

Printing costs had doubled in three years
Many printed pages were left in the recycle bins signaling possible wasteful printing
3,306 users (67%) printed an average of 250 pages
2,975 (90%) of the 3,306 users printed less than 600 pages
331 (10%) of the 3,306 users printed between 600 and 3,000 pages

The 600 page per semester quota was recommended based on the statistics above in addition to researching quotas that had been successfully implemented at other institutions across the country. The quota should adequately include any possible bad prints due to printer jams or other technical problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did SUNY Fredonia select a 600 page ($18 value) per semester initial balance?
The pilot project statistics showed that 90% of the users printed less than 600 pages. The $18.00 allocation allows for printing 600 single-print pages at $.03 per page, meeting the need for 90% of the student population.

How much does each page cost?
Single-print black and white page - $.03
Duplex print black and white page - $.04
Color print single page - $.10
Color print duplex page - $.16

I have noticed that not all labs have color printers. Where can I print in color?
Reed Library and the Thompson Hall Media Center have color printers.

Is there a maximum for print jobs?
Print jobs are limited to a maximum of 50 pages per job. This is to eliminate the problem of very large print jobs delaying the printing of jobs for other students, as well as to reduce the potential for wasteful printing.

What if I absolutely need to print something that is more than 50 pages?
Split your print job into two or more jobs. You can easily do this by:

Choosing Print from the File menu in the program you are using.
In the Page range section of the print dialogue box click on Pages: and input the range of page numbers (1-50 or 51-100, etc).
You can also use this dialogue box to check that you are sending one copy of your document to the printer.

How do I increase my quota?
You may purchase additional pages in 200 page ($6) increments at the cashier windows in the Office of Student Accounts located on the third floor of Maytum Hall. At the time of payment you will receive a "PrintQuota TopUp Card" with the value of the card, a code, and a web address. Access the web address and then enter the code from the card to increase your quota accordingly.

How can I reduce my printing costs?

The G22-McEwen, Reed Library, Media Center W203 Thompson, and 122 Houghton lab printers are set up to print double-sided. This is the most cost effective way to print material.
If you need to print PowerPoint slides, consider printing them 3 or 6 slides to a page.
Don't print draft copies of your document for every minor revision.
Check print preview to find out how many pages will be printed before sending your print job to the printer.
Only print the pages you need.
Print only the changed pages of a revised file, not the whole thing.
If your print job does not print don't re-send it without first checking the print queue from your PC. There may be many other jobs ahead of yours or the printer may have run out of paper. If you keep re-sending your document to the printer multiple copies will be printed later and deducted from your Printing balance. You can delete your own print jobs from the queue to prevent this from happening.
If you can not wait for your print job to appear make sure you delete it from the print queue before you log off. This will prevent the job being printed and deducted from your print quota balance after you leave.
When you leave a computer system, make sure you remember to log out. If you leave yourself logged in, someone else may be able to use your printing quota.

Does my account balance roll over to the next semester?
No. Account balances, including additions made using TopUp Cards, are reset to their initial value before the start of the new semester.

What are the initial quota values set to?
For Fall and Spring semesters the initial quota is 600 pages or $18.00.
For JTerm the initial quota is 150 pages or $4.50.
For Summer Sessions I and II (Combined), the initial quota is 600 pages or $18.00.