Networked Laser Printers

The St. Olaf Public Laser Printer Policy

St. Olaf provides network laser printers for academic uses in most public labs. However, students are expected to outsource or use their own printers for non-academic printing jobs or multiple copies. A 550-page quota will be enforced for public printing. Please note that this is "imaged pages" not sheets of paper used; a two page document that is duplex printed to one page counts for two pages. The first 550 pages of printing is available free of charge; once the 550-page limit is reached, a student is charged for printing above the limit. Reminders and updates will be sent periodically to students who approach the printing limit and students may view their printing usage through the Account Services web page. Questions about this policy should be directed to Steve Abbott at 3231 or via e-mail at abbotts@stolaf.edu.

What if the laser printer is out of paper?

If the laser printer is out of paper, first check around the printer; most likely there is a box of paper nearby. Otherwise e-mail the HelpDesk at helpdesk@stolaf.edu or call x3830 and inform them where the paper is out and it will soon be delivered.

How can I use these network lasers?

PC and Macintosh computers in public and departmental labs should already have the nearest printer set up as the default. Simply choose 'Print' from the File menu of the application you are using. On other computers, you can setup the printer using the directions at http://www.stolaf.edu/printing/

How can I conserve paper when using the network laser printers?

Duplexing and multiple pages per sheet are all good ways to conserve paper.

  • Duplexing is printing on both sides of the paper; it's highly useful for getting a quality printout using half the paper. Most professors will accept this type of printing. Check below for instructions on setting up double-sided printing.

  • Printing multiple pages per paper ("2 up" or "4 up") is very useful for large web printouts. It scales pages down so numerous seperate pages will fit on one sheet of paper. Selecting this option together with duplexing can dramatically reduce paper consumption. Multiple pages per sheet can usually be set up by going through the 'Page Setup...' selection of the File menu.

These settings and many more are found in your printer's settings; after you select Print from the File menu, choose Properties and browse the options available.

How do I get double-sided (duplexed) printing?

If you are getting single-sided printing output, but want double-sided, check the following options:

Mac

  1. Open your word processor.
  2. Go to the "File" menu and select "Print."
  3. In the print dialog box, click on the pull-down menu that says "General" and select "Layout".
  4. In the Layout dialog box, check the box that says "Print on Both Sides".
  5. Once this box is checked, click the "Save Settings" button.
  6. At this time, you can either print or click cancel to return to the word processor.

If duplexing does not show as an option, contact the HelpDesk at x3830 for assistance.

PC

  1. Open your word processor.
  2. Go to the "File" menu and select "Print."
  3. In the print dialog box, click on "Properties".
  4. Under the "Finishing" tab, check the "Print on Both Sides" box.
    If there is no Print on Both Sides checkbox:
    1. Click on the Start Menu and go to Settings and select Printers
    2. Right-click on the desired printer and select Properties
    3. Click on the Configuration tab and check the "Duplexing Unit" checkbox, then repeat steps 1 through 4.

Last Revised: November 2009