Does our Computer Access Fees pay for printing?

The Computer Access Fees (CAF) pay for much more than printing! CAF funding helps pay for equipment in the Open Access Labs. These fees also fund full and part-time workers, networking, and other infrastructure costs that are part of providing an up-to-date computing environment for Texas A&M University (TAMU) students, faculty, and staff.

Only a small portion of the total CAF is allocated for student printing. This funding provides the print allocation that each student receives.

How do I keep track of printing charges?

CIS keeps track of all your print activity for you and includes it in your fee statement. You can see CIS Student Printing charges on your fee statement, which can include your fees that go over your $30 printing allocation ($15 for summer). The allocation covers every type of printing except plotting, which is a separate charge on your fee statement. Black-and-white, color, 11x17, and transparencies are all included in the allocation.

Can outstanding print charges block my graduation?

Print charges for the current semester do not block graduation. However, they can prevent you from receiving a transcript. Print charges are assessed to your account shortly before the next semester. Since fee statements are no longer mailed, please go to AggiE-Pay to look at your fee statement online and pay for any outstanding balance.

How much does printing cost?

Does the allocation include the header page that shows my login ID?

No, header sheets are not deducted from your printing allocation. It is important to understand why the header page is necessary and its impact on our printing costs.

Header sheets protect your privacy, preventing others from seeing the content of your print jobs. They also make it easy to locate your print job among all the other printouts at the print counter. Header sheets are a vital part of your print job.

All of the Open Access Lab printers have regular service and repair under contracts with the manufacturer. The maintenance contract costs are determined by how many sheets of paper pass through the printer. Header pages also contribute to the cost of supplies and overhead.

What about X-print jobs?

X-print jobs are treated just like jobs printed from the labs. Costs appear on your fee statement, just like all black-and-white printing, color print jobs, and transparencies.

What about poor quality jobs? Do they count?

Jobs that are unsatisfactory due to poor print quality can be credited to your account. Review each document after retrieving it from the print area. Simply present the document to OAL lab staff to request a credit for the faulty job.

If I print a job by mistake, do I get charged for it?

All jobs exceeding 100 pages are automatically paused before being sent to the print queue, so you will have an opportunity to change your mind before the document is printed. However, if a job is printed in error and less than 100 pages, it will not be credited unless it is of poor print quality.

What about the printing I do between semesters?

If you are registered for the next semester, your printing will be counted as part of your next semester’s allocation. If you are not registered for the next semester, your student account will be deactivated shortly after the end of your last registered semester.

What about duplexing?

The charge for duplex black-and-white pages is slightly lower than for single-sided pages. Duplexing conserves paper, but uses as much toner as single-sided printing. Additionally, their impact on printer maintenance fees is about the same as single-sided pages because duplex sheets must pass through the same printer path as single-sided pages.

What impact does this have on my departmental accounts?

None at all! Your allocation applies only to your Open Access Labs accounts.

What is the allocation for the summer? Is it split out per summer session?

The summer allocation is currently $15, one-half of the normal semester allocation. Everyone taking a class during at least one summer semester will get the $15 allocation. Those taking a class in both summer sessions do not get double the allocation - only $15.

What happens if I do not pick up what I printed?

All black-and-white printouts are retained in the lab in which they were printed for three days. You will be charged for printouts whether you pick them up or not.

Will my end-of-semester bill show each and every print job for the semester?

No, it shows only a single line item.

How do I know how much of my allocation I have left? How can I tell what my printer charges will be?

All registered students can easily see their print account status with the My Print Charges utility in the Start menu (In Classic Start Menu, it is located at the top of the Start Menu. In XP and Vista Start Menu, it is located under All Programs). Click the Report tab. You will see the number of pages that you have printed this semester. You can compare the number of pages you printed this semester with the number you printed last semester by choosing a different semester from the drop-down menu at the top. The dollar amount of your current bill is available as well.

You can easily see exactly what your printing charges are at any time.You can also see your printing history by clicking on the Data Sheet tab. You may also print a summary of your charges, under the Data tab, by clicking the Print button or save a text file of your charges by clicking Export to File.

What about printing from a TAMU staff account?

Charges accrued from TAMU staff using printers in the OALs are billed to their respective department(s) through the CIS Business Office. Faculty charges are billed to and paid for through the Office of the Vice President and Associate Provost for Information Technology. Like students, faculty and staff are able to view their print activity and history using the same My Print Charges application.

Where can I comment on this?

You may send email to Suggest@tamu.edu. If you would like to speak with someone in person, see the lab supervisor in any Open Access Lab.