ITS Printing Services
Revisions 2.1 11/12/07; 2.1.1 3/12/08; 2.2 5/16/08; 2.3 7/22/08; 2.3.1 2/5/09; 2.4 3/10/09.
This page is the home for all documentation for a service that campuses and departments can participate in to enable control and charging for 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 subsidized indirectly by their IT fee). Students were billed via the Bursar for additional pages until 2008 when the system was redesigned to allow purchasing of pages vie LionCash+ and allowing other units to pariticpate. The system consists of several components, including a server called PALS written by ITS staff, a product called Pharos Uniprint, user web applications for purchasing pages and requesting credits, and ITS accounting software.
Information about printing for students is here and gives an idea of how it works. Details on how the LionCash+ based system works from a management perspective are here; another description directed at end users is here.
Purpose
Various departments, colleges, and campuses have asked how they too can limit and/or charge students for printing, in order to reduce costs. This system is more about reducing printing than recovering costs, although the income can offset costs to some extent. Another benefit of using this system at a campus or in a departmental is that students will be familiar with if they use printers in ITS labs at University Park.
Business Model
From a unit (campus, department, or college) perspective, how it works is:
Pages
"Pages" refers to a "virtual" number stored in a database for each person. A page is equal to one sheet of 8.5x11 inches with mono-color ink or toner, printed on one or both sides. Color or larger format pages count as multiples of a single 8.5x11 inch page, see rates here.) Each user has 3 sources of pages, the semester allocation, a possible unit allocation, and pages purchased with LionCash+. Pages may be used on any printer in the system. There are no access controls or separate policies for particular printers or locations.
- The 110 subsidized pages (now called the semester allocation) applies to all students and all printers.
- 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+.
- Users may return unused pages that were purchased with LionCash (crediting their LionCash+ accounts) once a semester.
- Units may add "unit allocations" to any number of users at any time
via an administrative web page;
- 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.
- Faculty and staff have a limited number of pages from a semester allocation but can use their LionCash+ to buy more, and/or a unit may grant an employee extra pages at any time.
- Every print job "uses" pages from the person's semester allocation, then unit allocation, then LionCash+ purchases in that order. This is explained in more detail at http://clc.its.psu.edu/Printing/LionCashPrinting.aspx and http://clc.its.psu.edu/Printing/Status/.
- Credits granted for missing or spoiled print jobs replenish the semester allocation, unit allocation, and/or LionCash+ count according to the pages used for those jobs.
Printers and Print Servers
- Units purchase and maintain their own printers and supply paper and toner.
- CLC Print Servers at University Park are used; for some locations this adds a small latency but since most jobs are small it is usually not noticeable.
- Units must supply CLC with printer models, locations, and IP addresses; CLC will define print queues.
- Units must be willing to set firewall rules to allow printers and workstations to contact appropriate CLC servers.
- 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 is maintained and distributed by CLC.
- Release stations are supported for printing from unmanaged computers.
- Supported printer models include:
Client Machines
- Units must install the CLC provided software on all clients to be included in the service.
- Client machines must utilize statically assigned IP addresses.
- Supported Client Operating Systems include:
- Microsoft Windows XP SP2-3 (32-bit only)
- Microsoft Windows Vista SP1-2 (32-bit only)
- Macintosh OS X 10.5.x
Release Stations
- Units must use CLC's Cooperative Lab Management (CLM) deployment process to build all Release Stations.
- Release Stations must be placed in front of any hardware firewall devices. This is due to a software limitation in the Pharos Release Station software.
- Supported hardware models for Release Stations include:
- Dell OptiPlex GX260, GX270, GX280, 620, 745, 755, 760, 960
- Dell Latitude 820. Always plugged in and hard wired network connection.
Accounting
- Rates other than those defined here have to be approved by the controller's office.
- Units are reimbursed, after the end of each semester, for pages purchased via LionCash+ and printed on their printers.
- The two summer sessions are considered one semester.
- LionCash+ takes 2% of gross sales.
- Units absorb the costs of the semester allocation pages printed on their printers, and unit allocations they have made that are used for printing.
- Accounting adjustments are made 2 weeks after the end of each semester.
- ITS covers the cost of a state-wide Pharos Uniprint license, renewed annually.
- Other than LionCash overhead, there is no charge to units for this service.
Unit Responsibilities
- An appropriate administrator will sign a Memo Of Understanding (MOU) outlining the program and the unit's and ITS's responsibilities.
- Units must designate one or more staff who will process credit requests users make for missing or spoiled jobs sent to their printers. In most cases this will take just a few minutes each day.
- Units must install the appropriate software on workstations that use the printing service.
- Units will buy, install and maintain printers.
ITS Responsibilities
ITS/CLC will:
- Install and maintain all servers and services in support of this printing system.
- Define print queues.
- Provide printing reports and accounting reports to each unit 2 weeks after the end of the semester.
- Reimburse units for pages purchased via LionCash+ and printed on their printers, 2 weeks after the end of the semester.
- Pay for annual Pharos Uniprint license maintenance.
Contacts
For more information on this service, or to begin a prototype or using the service, contact your ITS consultant or email admin<put an at sign here>win.psu.edu.
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This page was last modified: 6/19/2009 4:13:59 PM.