PCounter at ELS
At Emory Law School we use the PCounter software to manage printing to the three printers in the second floor lab.
PCounter is a superior printing system for a number of reasons:
- You are able to check your balance at any time. On the lab desktops, you can move your mouse over the $ symbol at the bottom right of the screen.
- If your balance gets below $5.00, you will receive a notification every time you print, advising you of your balance and giving you a link to an online form where you can add additional value to your print account.
- This system incorporates a printer pool that will consist of three printers.
PCounter Frequently Asked Questions
What is this about a printing pool?
There are three identical b&w printers in the lab: lab_a, lab_b, and lab_c. By default, lab_a is installed and set as the default printer for all of the lab PC's. However, because lab_a, lab_b, and lab_c are part of a printer "pool", they operate as one printer. The server automatically determines which printer is least busy and routes the job to that printer. This should result in much more efficient printing. There is also a color printer available to students.
What is this new banner page? Am I being charged for the banner?
Because the jobs will print from any one of three printers, we needed some way to make it easier for you to identify the jobs that are yours. That's why we are using banner pages. You are not being charged for the banner pages.
How much does printing cost?
Single sheets are $0.07 per sheet. If you print on both sides (duplex) then each front and back side of the sheet will cost $0.11 per page. Color printing is $0.35 per page.
How do I check my balance?
Using one of the lab computers, just mouse over the $ symbol in the system tray and it will display your balance.
How much free printing do I get?
We will deposit $35.00 in free printing credit (500 single-sided sheets) at the beginning of each academic year to your PCounter account. Journals and research assistants may be entitled to additional "free" printing.
What about the journal cards? How do I print if I'm working for a journal or a faculty member?
Because the new system is based entirely on your Novell login, your personal account will be charged if you print while logged-in as yourself. See the circulation desk workers to get the proper account credentials for the various journals and research assistant accounts.
How do I keep others from printing from my workstation when I leave it unattended?
Well, you shouldn't do that! Always log out when you know that you are going to be away from your computer for any length of time. As part of the process of implementing PCounter, we are also instituting an automatic 30 minute auto-logoff. That means that your computer will be automatically logged-out after 30 minutes of inactivity. This protects you against other users who might "borrow" your account to do some printing. It also makes sure that our limited resources are available for the maximum number of users.
Please get in the habit of saving your documents every five minutes or so. All it takes is "Ctrl-S" in most Windows applications to save your document. Alternately, click on "File|Save" with your mouse to save your valuable documents.
I already deposited a bunch of money on my EmoryCard! How do I use that money now?
You can still use your EmoryCard for copying at the law school and/or printing at Woodruff library or for any other purchase provided for using the EmoryCard system. We are giving everyone $35.00 worth of free prints on the PCounter system, so you should actually come out ahead.
How do I purchase printing credits?
Go to this web page and fill out the form. Your University Bursar account will be charged, much like the way that you pay overdue library book fines. You will need to pay off these charges before you will be allowed to enroll or graduate. Effective Sept. 1st. 2007, a 0.07% GA state sales tax will be applied to all funds added to your print account. This sales tax will be applied by the Office of the Bursar and will appear when the charges reach your OPUS account.
How long does it take for the purchase to show up on my account?
During the week, we will add the new value to your account within 24 hours of receiving your request. On the weekends, it may take longer.
How long will my print jobs be held?
If you have adequate credit your print jobs go right through. Jobs are not held.
Who do I talk to if want a report of my printing or if there is a mistake in my balance?
You can check with the student help desk workers or with the library circulation staff. We can provide you with an inventory of all your print jobs to review with our staff.
How do I get a refund?
We are not in a position to give refunds. After working with you to solve any problems, we may, in our discretion, add additional value to your account.
Who makes the printing software?
PCounter is a product of A.N.D. Technologies. It is one of the best-known pay-for-print solutions.