Computing Labs Printing Policies

    Printing has been a cost issue for various universities including UTPA. In Fall 2007, the Division of Information Technology implemented Phase I of reducing paper misuse by purchasing duplexers, installing software in our Academic Computing labs in the Academic Services Building and several boundary labs in other buildings. The duplexers allowed students to prevent waste and allowed the student to duplex as much as possible and only print single pages for their special projects as needed.

    • printouts to be made only 30 pages at a time

    • default printing option was set to duplexing

    • time savings for students who no longer had to wait for 30+ page printouts to be printed

    • multiple printouts were no longer allowed as students previously assumed their print jobs weren't

      printed and would submit their print jobs several times and extra copies were left to be thrown away

    • less downtime of printers due to repairs and maintenance associated with high volume printing

    • reduction in paper and toner misuse

    During Summer 2008, nearly a year into Phase I, we started reviewing what other universities within the UT System and universities in Texas had regarding print quotas, and we found out we were the only larger university that did not have a printing quota system. When we assessed our printing for the beginning of Fall 2008, the number of print jobs was over a million per month, and the semester had only started. On October 3, 2008, several Computer Support Services (CSS) staff members met with the SGA President and presented our findings and asked for SGA to spend some time considering the implementation of a print quota system. On October 24, 2008, SGA staff members met with CSS staff members and informed us that SGA had approved the Phase II of the print quota system. The second phase will allocate 250 credits to each student for each long semester (Fall/Spring) and 125 credits each short semester (Summer I/II). If the student requires additional credits, they will need to visit the Computing Lab Scheduling Office ASB 2.162 or call (956) 318-5343. The student will be required to be advised by a CSS staff member on University Printing Policies and will sign a form stating he/she has been counseled on the policy.

How will I benefit from this system?

    There are two primary benefits to be achieved through the new University Printing Policy:

   
    • Reduced Waste – Each day, thousands of sheets of paper are printed on the UTPA Campus. The lack of any page limits or per page fees in the past has led to excessive and abusive printing. All returning students will recognize that a large percentage of these end up in the recycling bin. This waste of paper and toner negatively impacts the environment. By reducing the waste we contribute to the UTPA Go Green initiative.

   
    • Improved Computing Lab Services - The cost of providing printing services has been rising each year as has the number of individuals utilizing those services. These two factors have seriously strained the budgets of departments, such as Computer Support Services, offering student printing as a service. Through cost recovery, our computing departments can better upgrade and maintain the high-quality computing services currently enjoyed by UTPA students.

Who is allowed to print in the computing labs?

    The computing labs are funded by student fees. Therefore, only students will be allowed to print in the computing labs. Printing is provided for academic purposes only. It is considered abuse to use UTPA campus printing for commercial purposes. Abuse can result in loss of computing lab printing privileges permanently.

How many credits will I get every semester?

What are the costs for printing?

    B&W Single-Sided 1 Credit

    B&W Double-sided 0.5 Credit

    Color-Single-sided 2 Credits

    Color Double-sided 3 Credits

    NOTE: Printing quotas and costs are subject to change each semester.

When will these changes begin?

    Computing Support Services Labs begin the changes on Monday, February 9th, 2009.

What happens when my quota is exhausted?

    Once the print quota has been exhausted, the student will need to visit the Computing Labs Scheduling Office in ASB 2.162 during regularly scheduled hours to request additional credits to his/her account. After being advised on our printing policies and given recommendations on minimizing your printing you will have to review and sign the lab printing policies form. An additional 50 credits will then be issued to your account as quickly as possible but never exceeding the one business day of receiving the request. An e-mail notification will be sent to the student's BroncMail account when it is completed.

NOTE: During the last two weeks of the semester the print quota will be lifted to allow students to print research and other assignments without requiring credits.

Will unused credits be transferred to the next semester?

    The unused portion of the fee allowance expires at the end of the academic semester. You will be allocated a new printing allowance once you've enrolled and classes have begun.

How do I get my refund?

    A print job that is illegible (faded, large streaks, crumpled paper) resulting from a problem with a printer will be eligible for a refund. You will need to fill out a Refund Request Form and give it and the print job to the lab assistant or proctor on duty. They can be identified by their photo id badges they are required to wear.

NOTE: Any print job that does not print properly because of any user error or web site settings will not be eligible for a refund. If you are unable to locate proctor or lab assistant contact the Computing Lab Scheduling Office at (956) 318-5343.

What happens if my print job is eligible for a refund?

    If a print job is deemed to be eligible for a refund, the credit to the account will be made within one business day of receiving the refund request. An e-mail notification will be sent to the student's BroncMail account when it is completed.

How can I reduce my printing use?

    • Proofread what you are about to print, so you won't need to reprint because of typos.

     • Always print preview your work before submitting it to print.

     • Only print the pages needed. You can specify which pages to print in the page-range area of the

     print window.

     • Use single or 1½ spacing instead of double spacing, and reduce the page margins.

     • Avoid printing email messages & web pages directly from the internet. Copy and paste the text you

     need into a Word document.

     • Send and save documents electronically instead of printing out hard copies.

     • If you are printing a PowerPoint presentation print it in outline view.

     • Use campus copiers to make multiple copies of a document.

     • Duplexing is possible on many campus printers and photocopiers. It only takes a few extra seconds

     to get two to four pages printed on one piece of paper.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Computing Lab Scheduling Office.

Location: ASB 2.162 / Phone: (956) 318-5343

For a WORD version of these policies click HERE.