Printing Service FAQs
- Why do I have to pay for printing?
- Why would I want to print an article when I can photocopy it?
- I don't want to pay to print - what are my alternatives?
- How can I save money while using the Printing Service?
- Who do I see if the printer jams, the toner seems low, or the printer is out of paper?
- The printer looks like it is out of order or broken, who do I get to fix it?
- How do I get credit for damaged, torn or crinkled pages?
- Do I have to pay for copies I don't want, don't like?
- Who do I see if the card reader won't read my VCUCARD or if the reader takes off too much money for my print job?
- This isn't my entire print job, I KNOW I sent more to the printer than this. OR. . . I KNOW I didn't ask to print all these pages.
- The line of people is long, can't I go to one of the other printers on campus and get my printout there?
- The Print Station tells me that I don't have enough money on my VCUCARD to pay for my printout. What do I do?
Why do I have to pay for printing?
- To provide reliable, consistently high quality printer services across campus.
- To recover some of the costs associated with providing printer service in libraries and labs.
- To reduce staff time involved in maintenance and administration of printers.
- To optimize placement of printer services across campus through centralized administration.
- To reduce printer waste (paper, toner) in the libraries and labs.
Why would I want to print an article when I can photocopy it?
- Fast.
- Easy to use since it prints out the entire article with one command.
- Clean copies.
- Color output available.
- Some database information is only available via computer, not in a journal. This system allows you to produce a paper copy to take with you.
- Consistent quality no matter which print station you use to pick up your printouts.
I don't want to pay to print - what are my alternatives?
- Save your work, e-mail or search results to a disk. You can take the files with you and either use them, or print them, at home or elsewhere, for free. Most of the information to be downloaded from the Libraries databases can be saved as text files and opened using any word processing (Word, WordPerfect) or text editing (Notepad, Write) software you have at your home or office.
- E-mail the files to yourself. Many of the VCU Libraries databases include an option for e-mailing search results to yourself. You can then open the files and print them on your own printer.
- Just jot down your information. Old-fashioned but effective and environmentally responsible, especially when all you need is to write down a call number for a book.
How can I save money while using the Printing Service?
Be sure you know both the size and the content of documents and other items you wish to print BEFORE issuing the print command. Edit and proofread your documents thoroughly. You will avoid surprises over how long your printout is, or what it contains, once you are in line to use one of the Print Stations. (Keep in mind that any blank or partial pages -- pages with one sentence or even one word -- are charged the same as a fully printed sheet of paper.)
Additional Tips: Use the Print Preview feature located under the File menu.
If Print Preview is not available in other applications you are using, select and highlight the text you wish to print with your mouse. The PRINT command will then usually offer the option to print only the text you selected.
Who do I see if the printer jams, the toner seems low, or the printer is out of paper?
Consult the service desk nearest your Print Station. The Print Stations and printers are maintained by a company under contract to the University.. The contractor has on-site staff to monitor and maintain the Print Stations and printers across both campuses. They will be making periodic checks of the equipment in your area to insure it is working properly.
The printer looks like it is out of order or broken, who do I get to fix it?
Please notify staff at the service desk nearest the disabled Print Station. The Print Stations and printers are maintained by a company under contract to the University. We may have to contact the contractor's on-site Print Administrator in order to have the problem corrected. It may take some time for the malfunction to be resolved. In the meantime, you will be able to pick up and pay for your printout at another Print Station.
How do I get credit for damaged, torn or crinkled pages?
Bring your damaged print job(s) to the service desk nearest the Print Station you used. We can give credit only for pages that are smudged, torn, crinkled or pages with low toner and only for those pages you turn in at a service desk. The damaged pages will be passed on to the contractor's on-site Print Administrator. Someone will assist you in making a second print out of your damaged pages for free.
Do I have to pay for copies I don't want, don't like?
We will not grant credit or refund for copies which you request but later decide you do not like or do not need. The Printing Service is both a convenience and a time saver. It places options at your disposal over what you print and where you choose to print it. Become acquainted with the available options and ask yourself BEFORE using the service how these options might fit into your budget and printing needs.
Who do I see if the card swipe won't read my VCUCard or if the swipe takes off too much money for my print job?
Go to an open public service desk nearest the Print Station you were using. Staff there will determine whether the problem lies with the Print Station itself, the Card Swipe or your VCUCard. If the problem involves your VCUCard, you may be directed to the VCUCard office (Technology Administration Building, 701 W. Broad, on the Monroe Park Campus; Tompkins-McCaw Library Room 1-025 on the Health Sciences Campus).
This isn't my entire print job, I KNOW I sent more to the printer than this. OR. . . I KNOW I didn't ask to print all these pages.
Be sure to preview documents, files and Web pages prior to requesting the print job. You can avoid surprises by following these tips:
Pay attention to scroll bars. Your document may be longer than what you see on your screen. Look for a scroll bar on the right- hand side of your document (illustrated at right). Use print preview to see how many pages there are.
Pay particular attention
to the computer's FIRST response to your print request. You
should get a box which looks somewhat like this (illustrated below).
READ THIS SCREEN, DON'T JUST SELECT THE "OK" BUTTON. It
is here that you tell the printer exactly what you want printed: all
the pages or records, just a selection of pages or records, or just
one. 
The line of people is long, can't I go to one of the other printers on campus and get my printout there?
Inside Cabell Library (floors 1 through 4), you may request printing from any public computer and pick up the printout at any of the public Print Stations (floors 1 through 3). Print jobs requested at Tompkins-McCaw Library, the Cabell Basement, or Business computer labs must be picked up at the Print Stations located in those areas.
The Print Station tells me that I don't have enough money on my VCUCard to pay for my printout. What do I do? Don't panic - your print job will remain available on the Print Station for a period of two hours. Cancel the print request at the Print Station (select EXIT), and go to the RamBucks machine located in Cabell or Tompkins-McCaw Libraries to add money to the balance on your card. Return to the Print Station within the two-hour period and request your print job again with your replenished VCUCard.