Explanation Printer Paper Use Policy

The use of networked classroom, lab, and library printers is governed by PRP 3410-Student and Pennsylvania Resident Printer Paper Use Policy.

Important Details

Each student at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg is given an allocation of 500 non-color printouts when their Student ID account is created which is the allotment for the student's first enrolled semester. Prior to the end of their first semester, a student can print as many non-color printouts as needed up to that limit at no charge, using any of the designated printers on campus. Any student who prints more than 500 non-color printouts in the first semester they are enrolled is billed at a rate of $0.04 per page printed above the 500 page limit. If a student does not meet or exceed the 500 page limit, the balance of unused pages will still be available within their account for future free printing. Please be aware that printing to a color printer without choosing the "grayscale" option will greatly reduce your allocation of free printouts.
During semester break after the end of an enrolled semester:
- Any student who has gone over their entire allotment will be billed for the amount they've gone over, and are then reset with a new allotment of 500 non-color printouts which is the allotment for the next enrolled semester.
- Any student who has not gone over their entire allotment (i.e. still have unused printouts) will get to keep their remaining allotment as well as get 500 non-color printouts added which is the allotment for the next enrolled semester. In other words, unused pages will accumulate and roll forward from semester to semester as long as your Student ID remains in an active state (even if you've changed from undergraduate to graduate student). Note your Student ID account becomes inactive after the start of the 3rd consecutive unattended semester (including summer semester) and you will receive an email notification that your account is inactive.
Students do not receive 500 free non-color printouts for semesters which they are not enrolled. A student is given their 500 free non-color printouts for the next enrolled semester during semester break after the end of the previously enrolled semester, so if a student comes to campus during a semester which they are not enrolled and prints from their newly added balance, they are using their allotment for the future enrolled semester and will not have more free pages added when they do finally re-enroll. Examples of semester adjustments after attending in Spring:
- 500 non-color printouts ($20 adjustment) given immediately after the end of Spring semester for enrollment in Fall semester (not enrolled in summer semester)
- 500 non-color printouts ($20 adjustment) given immediately after the end of Spring semester for enrollment in Summer semester and another 500 non-color printouts ($20 adjustment) given immediately after the end of Summer semester for enrollment in Fall semester.
Please note that Pennsylvania resident library patrons are only allowed access to printers in Andruss Library.

How It Works

When you log onto a campus computer you will see an icon on the taskbar that indicates the dollar value of your current print balance.

Before printing anything after your account is created, this value will appear as $20.00. This represents the 500 free non-color printouts allotted to you for your first semester.
Each time you print, the value will decrease.
When the value reaches $0.00, this means you have printed 500 non-color printouts.
As you continue to print after reaching your 500 free non-color printout limit, the dollar value will appear as a negative number, based on a $0.04 per page charge. For example, if you print 10 non-color printouts after reaching your limit of free non-color printouts, the dollar value will appear as -$0.40 or ($0.40).
Note that there are 2 color printers in the Andruss Library and that some departmental labs also have color printers and if you print on a color printer the cost is $0.25 per page. This will effectively limit the number of free pages per semester because color printouts will subtract $0.25 per page instead of $0.04 per page. If you print any color printouts, you will not be able to reach a full 500 free printouts with your semester's free allotment. If you don't intend to print in color, be sure to select the grayscale option before sending print jobs to color printers and these pages will be deducted at the $0.04 non-color rate.
For Tap-To-Print Student Follow Me Printing, the release station will show your print jobs, page counts, and total cost for each job. You may release all at once or individually, but be sure to look at the printer job cost carefully before releasing your print job. Once you release the print job, the cost will be deduced from your print balance.
Each time you print on a PC to a dedicated printer, you will get a pop-up message showing how much money will be deducted from your print balance. You will need to confirm the deduction before the job gets sent to the printer. Please read the pop-up message carefully and agree to the page cost before confirming. You have the opportunity to cancel the print job from the pop-up message, which will prevent the page cost from being deducted from your balance. If the dedicated printer has a duplexer, you may also get a pop-up message asking if you want to save paper by converting it to duplex (double sided).

You may check your printing output balance any time by logging onto a campus computer and hovering over or clicking on the icon in the taskbar.

The bill for your next semester will include printing charges for the previous semester as a separate line item in Banner if your print balance goes below zero. Inquiries or disputes regarding printing charges should be directed to the Commonwealth University Helpdesk at 570-389-4357.

What Factors Were Used to Determine Per Page Pricing

There are three primary costs associated with printing:

The cost of printers and replacement parts;
The cost of toner and;
The cost of paper.

Printing consultants such as HP, Xerox, Bertl Research and Gartner estimate the cost per page for black and white printing at $0.05 to $0.09. Retail outlets like Staples or Office Depot charge at least $.06 per page for self printing or copying. Other PASSHE institution print charges range from a low of $0.04 to a high of $0.10 per page. All of the above factors were considered in establishing the per page price for printing at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg.

What Pages are Counted?

The only pages counted are those printed to a classroom, lab, or library printer. If you are a work-study student or a graduate student using your personal login to access a departmental or unit computer and printer, your pages will not be counted against your semester allotment.

Be Careful and Patient When You Print

Every time you send a page(s) to the printer by clicking YES/PRINT in the pop-up dialog box, that page(s) is sent to a print queue. Please note that the print queue includes all print jobs that have been sent to the printer recently. In some cases, others may have sent jobs to the printer ahead of you and you must wait for the printer to get to your job. Be patient and wait until your print job is completed. If you become impatient and send the same page(s) to the printer a second time you will get two copies of the page(s) and, consequently, be charged again for all pages that were printed.

In other cases, there may be a problem with the printer itself. If this occurs contact the helpdesk immediately at x4357 and report the problem. Do not send the same print job a second time or you will be charged for the additional pages.

Always Log Off Classroom and Lab Computers

It is VERY important to log off any campus computer you have used as soon as you have completed your work. If you walk away from a computer without logging off the next user could print pages using your print balance or access any files you have placed on your network drive.

How To Dispute a Print Charge

There may be occasions when a printer malfunctions and does not print your job, but charges you as if the job had printed. This may occur as a result of a paper jam, insufficient toner, an electrical disruption or any one of several other technical glitches. In such cases we will adjust your account by the number of misprinted or unprinted pages.

Here's how to receive an adjustment for misprinted or unprinted pages:

Contact the helpdesk by telephone (570-389-4357) or by visiting Ben Franklin 120. Be prepared to provide the following information:

Name
Contact information
Date
Approximate time and place of malfunction and the number of pages that misprinted or did not print.

As soon as the helpdesk confirms the daily printer logs, your balance will be adjusted with the appropriate number of pages.

If the misprint is toner related, then you must physically bring the pages to the helpdesk in person and provide the same information as above. It is worth noting that we will be monitoring toner use very carefully to avoid these issues.

Please note that questions or disputes about print charges should be directed to the Commonwealth University helpdesk at 570-389-4357.