Print quota not enough for 1 in 5 IU students

If you found a charge on your bursar bill for over-quota student printing at the end of last semester, you're not alone. \nDuring the fall of 2006, 19 percent of undergraduates and 21 percent of graduate students exceeded their allotments, said Marc Wagner, Services Development Specialist for the Student Technology Centers, in an e-mail.\n"I don't think it's fair that our printing is limited because many classes require you to print out lecture notes or readings," said Emily Sharbaugh, a sophomore studying business. "It seems like I always have a charge at the end of the semester." \nAccording to the STC Web site, undergraduate students are given 650 pages for each semester they are registered, while graduate students are allotted 1,000. Students who live in the residence halls have an allotment of 750 pages each semester. This is funded through the Student Technology Fee. If students exceed their print allotments, a $.04 charge for each page is added to their bursar bills at the end of that semester.\nSome students say they are unaware of the amount of pages in their allotments for each semester.\n"I didn't know we could only print 650 pages per semester," sophomore Jill Threewits said. "I've never gone over it, but I think they should inform us more."\nWagner said monitors in the Information Commons at the Herman B Wells Library frequently feature reminders to check printing allotments.\n"There are technical boundaries that make it impossible for us to notify someone in real time," Wagner said. "So we urge people to check their printing allotments regularly."\nColor printing is also an available service at many locations on campus. The student does not need to have cash because it is charged directly to his or her bursar bill. Despite this, some students say they should be given a color allotment as well\n"We should get a color allotment too, even if it is just a small amount," Sharbaugh said. "I've had to use color printing for a few presentations, and it can get expensive." \nColor printing is offered at rates ranging from $1 to $10 per page. \n"We have no plans to offer a color printing allotment," Wagner said. "The black and white STC printing allotment is a baseline service to meet the needs of our students."\nStudents do have the option of rolling over up to 300 pages from their unused allotments during the first two months of each spring and summer semester. \nPrint release stations, which are computers next to printers that require students to enter their usernames and passwords to release their print jobs, allow users to avoid sending output to a printer that is malfunctioning. \nStudents can purchase supplemental printing at the University Information Technology Services Support Center walk-in location at the Information Commons. They must be purchased in increments of $4 and may be applied toward color or black and white printing. \nTo avoid printing over the allotment, STC urges students to print only the documents they absolutely need and to store items, such as e-mails and Web material, into a file instead of printing them.