A through Z Services

Free Computer Lab Print Quota FAQs

Starting September 1, 2007, all students, faculty and staff will be able to print up to 400 pages free of charge per print period in NU Information Services managed computer labs on campus as part of the new Free Print Quota program.

What is the Free Print Quota program and how does it work?

This program requires no change in the way that you print in IS managed labs on campus now. Once you are logged in, (faculty and staff must login with their NUnet credentials at the labs) you can print like you normally do (just click the print icon to print). The print accounting program will run in the background and all pages that you print will be charged against your free print quota.

How much will this cost me?

If you stay within your free print quota it will cost you nothing. You will only be charged if you exceed the number of prints in your free print quota.

How many free prints do I get?

You get 400 free prints per print period. The print periods begin and end on the following dates:

September 1 to December 31
January 1 to April 30
May 1 to August 31

There is no rollover of prints; you cannot accumulate pages across print periods.

Who is eligible for a free print account?

All Northeastern University faculty, staff with NUnet credentials and students with myNEU credentials have free print accounts. This includes recent graduates who still have myNEU credentials (up to one year post-graduation).

Where can I use my free print account?

You can use your free print account in the following locations:

  • InfoCommons 1 & 2 (including Quick Print stations)
  • Dodge Hall labs (basement and second floor)
  • Snell Library labs (first floor and second floor)

I am taking a class that spans two print periods. How many pages will I get?

Students enrolled in a course that spans across two of the print periods will receive their free print allotment in each of the print periods as long as they maintain their myNEU credentials.

Will I be warned that I am running out of pages?

If you do not have enough pages to print a job, the request will be cancelled and you will see a notification on your computer screen. You will also have access via myNEU to check your free print account at any time.

How can I check my free print quota?

You can check your free print quota here if you are a currently enrolled student or faculty/staff member. Use your myNEU credentials to login.

What happens when I exceed my free print quota?

You will be required to purchase additional pages. You can purchase additional pages via myNEU using your credit card.

How much do additional prints cost?

Additional pages can be purchased at a cost of $.10 per page. Please note that the minimum purchase is $1.00 (10 pages). Pages can be purchased in $.10 increments thereafter ($1.10, $1.20, etc).

Will my unused prints (free or paid) from one print period roll over into the next print period?

No. Free print quotas will be reset at the start of each print period and previous balances will not be carried over. This applies to both free prints and prints purchased during a print period. Therefore, please only purchase the amount of prints you actually need.

Can I borrow prints from a future print period?

No.

What happens when there is a printer jam, error, poor quality output or my print is missing?

You should visit the front desk at Infocommons or a lab monitor (in other locations) where IS will complete a refund request form. You will be asked to submit the sample of the bad output as proof of the problem. The monitor will then review your claim and your account will be credited within the business day at the discretion of the monitor. All claims must be made within 24 hours. Refunds will be in the form of a print credit only.

Under what circumstances will a claim for print credit not be honored?

The following errors will not entitle you to a print credit:

  • Printing to the wrong printer
  • Not picking up a job from the printer
  • Printing the wrong document
  • Accidentally hitting the print button
  • Printing with the wrong page orientation (landscape vs. portrait)
  • Too many copies of the same document
  • You forget to log off the computer and someone else prints as you
  • The print job is taking too long due to a heavy load (please allow up to 30 minutes for your job to print)

Will I be charged for lab cover pages?

No.

How long will my print out be retained?

Information Services will keep a copy of your output until 11:59 PM on the day that you print. All print sorting bins will be emptied at midnight each night.

How were print quotas determined? How did you come up with the cost for additional pages?

The goal of the free print quota program was to minimize service disruptions within the Infocommons labs due to excess wasteful printing. The print quota and page cost were established after careful consideration and review of multiple years worth of printing data. The final allocation (400 pages per print period) was chosen to ensure a basic level of support could be provided to all who required it, to provide an incentive for responsible use of a limited resource and to provide a reasonable cost for those who needed to purchase additional pages.

We consulted other schools with similar programs to ensure its quota and additional page charges were in line with other universities. Information Services also worked closely with the Student Government Association to choose a recommended amount that would ensure students have an adequate number of pages to meet academic needs and a quota that would also discourage wasteful printing.

Can I print double sided?

No. Generally, duplex printers tend to break more often. Also, duplex printing requires just as much toner as single sided printing. Also, duplex printing output takes much longer to create, resulting in longer lines for you.

How can I make the best use of my free print quota?

Information Services provides several strategies for minimizing the number of pages you print. Visit our printing tips page to find out more about saving paper.

I am a faculty member. How can I help students conserve paper?

When you assign students to download materials from online resources, please remember that students do not have unlimited free printing. You can prepare your materials to have minimal impact on student print quotas. Please review our Free Print Quota FAQs and print management tips on http://www.infoservices.neu.edu/a-z_services/printtips.html to find out how you can help reduce wasted paper on campus.

I just got notified that my myNEU account is about to expire. Will I still have access to my print quota after my myNEU account is gone?

No. After you lose access to myNEU, you will not have access to any free or paid prints in IS managed labs. Do not add prints to your quota if your account is going to expire.