Frequently Asked Question

PaperCut: Find-Me Printing at WNCC
Last Updated 6 years ago

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What is Find-Me Printing?

Find-Me Printing is best described not by what it does but by the problem it solves. Consider a large organization with hundreds of printers. The task of selecting the "best" printer from the list at the time of print can be daunting. Organizations tend to mitigate this concern using a number of methods, through Naming conventions, location adaptive login scripts, global profiles, etc.

All these methods have their drawbacks and require careful planning on the part of administrators, and the need for end users to understand conventions/processes. Find-Me Printing solves the problem by asking the print job to find the user, rather than having the user find the printer. It works as follows:

  1. The user prints to a single site-wide global queue.
  2. The user then walks up to a Release Station, logs in, locates their job, then releases it.
  3. The job automatically prints to the printer closest to the Release Station.
Find-Me Printing is also known as Follow-me printing (because print jobs follow you to a printer), or Pull Printing (because the job is pulled from the global queue).

Source: https://www.papercut.com/products/ng/manual/applicationserver/topics/find-me-printing.html

WNCC Find-Me Print Queues

WNCC employs THREE different Find-Me Print Queues, depending on your desired print options:

  1. PaperCut Universal (B&W)
    1. This is a general-purpose, no-frills print queue. Jobs sent to this queue can be picked up from ANY PaperCut Print Station on campus. This is suitable for most print jobs.
    2. Printer Availability: ANY PaperCut Print Release Station
    3. This is black & white only, and has duplexing available.
    4. Cost: $0.05/page
  2. PaperCut Advanced (B&W)
    1. This print queue offers more features, such as the ability to staple, collate, or 3-hole punch your documents, but can only be picked up from one of our Canon Copiers on campus.
    2. Printer Availability: Canon Copiers ONLY.
    3. This is also black & white only, and can duplex, staple, collate, and 3-hole punch documents.
    4. Cost: $0.05/page
  3. PaperCut Advanced (Color)
    1. This print queue is identical to the ADVANCED queue, except it is now color-capable. As a result, jobs printed to this queue can only be picked up from a COLOR Canon Copier on Campus.
    2. Printer Availability: COLOR Canon Copiers ONLY.
    3. This is color only, and can duplex, staple, collate, and 3-hole punch documents.
    4. Cost: $0.10/page
  4. PaperCut LAB (coming soon!)
    1. This print queue will serve computer labs that currently employ a dedicated printer used for class work. Will be black and white ONLY, no duplexing is available.
    2. This queue will only be available during class hours.
    3. Cost: $0.00/Page (for coursework ONLY)

How to Use Find-Me Printing at WNCC

  1. You must be logged into the computer under your Portal Credentials, as your print job is sent to the print queues under your username. Lab machines that automatically log into Windows are the only exception, as they will prompt for each print job the credentials to use.
  2. When Printing your document, select one of the three print queues listed above to send your print job to. When you've selected a queue, click Print.
  3. Depending on your queue selection, visit a supported print station or copier near your location.
  4. Log into the Release Station or Copier using one of the following methods:
    1. Your WNCC Portal Credentials
    2. Your Student/Employee ID (see Question #4 in FAQ below)
  5. You will then be presented with a list of jobs that are awaiting release. You may opt to release individual jobs by selecting each job and pressing Print, or you may release them all simultaneously by pressing Print All.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Do I need to install any printers or print drivers on my workstation to start using Find-Me Printing?
    1. No. Beginning in June 2018, these print queues will be automatically rolled out to all WNCC campus computers. All you will need to do is select the appropriate queue when it comes time to print!
  2. How and When am I charged for print jobs when using Find-Me Printing?
    1. Users aren't charged for a print job until it is released from a Print Release Station or Canon Copier.
    2. If you have any questions on how much your job will cost after you have submitted your print job to the queue, you can visit a Print Release Station or Canon Copier, log in, and see the cost of your print job before you print it.
  3. What about Staff and Faculty members? Are they charged for print jobs?
    1. While they are technically charged for print jobs, Staff and Faculty accounts in PaperCut are Unrestricted, which allows them to print as much as they need, without having to worry about their balance.
  4. How can I log into a Release Station or Canon Copier with my Student/Employee ID?
    1. If you were issued a Student or Employee ID Badge from June 2018 onward, you've likely got a badge that contains an RFID tag inside of it. This RFID tag allows users to log into a Release Station or Canon Copier by placing their badge close to the RFID reader on the unit.
      1. If you attempt to log into a Release Station or Canon Copier with your badge, but receive an error from the unit, your badge has not been associated with your PaperCut account.
      2. If this is the case, contact a member of Student Services at 308-635-6104, and they will assist you in getting your RFID Badge enabled for PaperCut.
    2. Badges issued prior to June 2018 will not work with the RFID readers, as they do not contain the necessary chip inside to communicate with the reader.
    3. If you wish to obtain one of these RFID-enabled badges, contact a member of Student Services, and they can re-issue your Student or Employee ID Badge.
  5. What happens if I don't go to pick up my print job?
    1. After a period of two hours, your print job will be purged from the queue. Your account will not be charged if a print job expires before it is picked up.
  6. Can I print from my Laptop, or other Non-WNCC computer?
    1. At this time, printing to the Find-Me Queues is only supported on Physically Networked WNCC-Owned PCs. Those on the wireless network cannot take advantage of the Fine-Me Queues at this time. We're working on it, though!

Your Feedback Matters!

We want to make Find-Me Printing as successful as possible for WNCC. If you have any suggestions or concerns regarding Find-Me Printing, or any other part of printing at WNCC, you may contact us at papercut.support@wncc.edu.

We appreciate your support, and hope that PaperCut's Find-Me Printing will help you in your success at Western Nebraska Community College!



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- The WNCC IT Team


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