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Printing in the MIT Libraries

Frequently Asked Questions:

For Members of the MIT Community

I'm an MIT student, faculty, or staff member. Do I have to pay to use the printers in the MIT Libraries?

As of August, 1, 2008, printing in the MIT Libraries is now free for members of the MIT community.

When you're in Barker, Dewey, Hayden, or Rotch Libraries, you can take advantage of this free printing option by working from one of the MIT-Only (win.mit.edu) computers in the library, which require an MIT username and ID for access. Send your print job to the nearest printer.

Limited free printing will be permitted in the Lewis Music library. Contact staff at the service desk to find out how to access the local print queue.

Athena clusters and Athena printers are available in most library locations, which permit free printing for the MIT community, as well.

If you choose to print to the networked photocopiers from non-MIT computers in Barker, Dewey, Hayden, or Rotch libraries, the cost to print through the photocopier will be $.10 per page through Tech Cash.

Why does the copier say that printing costs $.15 per page, when I am a member of the MIT community?

The copiers are primarily equipped for visitor copying and printing, so the display may show a cost per page of $.15.

The MIT-only discount is applied behind the scenes in the Tech Cash database, after you've made all of your copies or prints.

While the card reader may display a cost of $.15 per copy, the system counts the number of copies made, and applies the discount after all of your copies or prints are finished.

See the Tech Cash FAQ for more details about this issue.

For MIT Visitors

I'm an MIT visitor. How can I print documents in the MIT Libraries?

Visitors are permitted to print documents from library workstations, which is a fee-based service. Print jobs are sent to the networked photocopiers in each library. The cost for each page is $.15, payable by Guest Tech Cash.

Follow these steps to print:

Begin by selecting the print command in the application that you are using.
You will then be prompted to provide a name and a password for your print job.
Your print job will be sent to the print queue which resides on the networked photocopiers in each library.
You will have to walk over to one of the photocopiers, and find your print job listed on the card reader screen next to each copier. The cost of your print job will be displayed.
Swipe your Guest Tech Cash card in the card reader. The cost of your print job will be debited from your copy card, and your document will be printed by the copier.
See FAQ: Tech Cash in the MIT Libraries for information about obtaining a Guest Tech Cash card for payment.

How much does printing cost?

Current MIT Faculty, Students, and Staff: printing is free from MIT-Only workstations
MIT Visitors: $.15 per copy through Guest Tech Cash

Instructions for Printing

Where are the printers located?

In most libraries, MIT-only printers are located adjacent to the MIT-Only workstations in each library.

In Barker, Dewey, Hayden, and Rotch libraries, visitors must use the networked photocopiers for printing. See Copier Locations for more information.

Why am I asked to give a job name and password to the documents that I am trying to print?

Using a unique job name will allow you to identify your print jobs on card reader screen at the photocopier, and help to ensure that you are paying to print your document, not someone else's. You may select a the job name of your choice, or use the default option which will automatically use the name under which your document is saved. The file names of many web documents are sometimes confusing--selecting a specific job name may be helpful.

What should I do if I forget the password to my print job?

Unfortunately, you will have to send your print job to the print release station again if you have forgotten your password. No one else can release your print jobs. In general, it is a good idea to pick a password that you will remember easily.

How do I determine the cost of printing my document?

Don't forget- printing is free for members of the MIT community.

For visitors, each page/sheet of your document costs $.15. There are two ways to determine a cost of a print job, through Print Preview or at the card reader screen when you're ready to pickup your print job.

You can utilize the print preview option to view the pages of your document. The print preview screen will provide you with a page count, and allow you to select which pages you would like to print.

After walking over to the photocopier, you will see a list of the pending print jobs on the card reader screen. After scrolling through the list of print jobs in the print queue, use the touch screen to select your document. When your document name is highlighted, you will see the page count and price next to the name of your job on the screen. You will always be provided with the page count and the amount that you will be charged prior to printing your document. You'll be prompted to swipe your Guest Tech Cash or Copy/Print Only card through the card reader, and the copier will start to print your document.

How do I print selected pages of a document, rather than printing extra pages that I might not need?

For web, MS Word or Excel documents: Select the "Print Preview" command from your web browser's file menu. Determine which pages you wish to print by viewing the entire document in the preview screen. For e-journals in which "Print Preview" is not active, view the thumbnail images to select pages.

From file menu, select "Print", and enter the number or range of pages you'd like to print in the "Page Range" section.

Verify the number of pages in the print queue at the Print Release Station prior to releasing your print job from the print queue.

Payment/ Guest Tech Cash Information

Where can I purchase a Guest Tech Cash card?

Guest Tech Cash cards for MIT visitors can be purchased with cash from vending machines across the MIT Libraries.
- Vending locations:
- About Guest Tech Cash:
  - Each Guest Tech Cash card costs $5.
  - Each Guest Tech Cash card includes $4 worth of Tech Cash, which can be used at participating merchants across the MIT campus
  - There is a non-refundable fee for each card of $1.
  - Guest Tech Cash can be used again and again. You can add value with a credit card at any time by visiting the Tech Cash web site.
    - Value must be added in amounts of $5 or more through the Tech Cash web site.
    - A 2% transaction fee will be added each time you add value to your card.
  - See also: FAQ: Tech Cash in the MIT Libraries
If you need a Guest Tech Cash card and cannot pay with cash through the vending machines, cards may also be obtained from the nearest service desk or in person at Document Services, Room 14-0551, during regular business hours .

I still have an old Copy/Print card. Can I use it for printing?

After August 1, 2008, Tech Cash is the preferred method of payment for copying and printing in the MIT Libraries. Old Copy/Print cards will no longer be accepted for printing. Printing is now free for members of the MIT community from the login-required (win.mit.edu) computers in each library.

If you have an old Copy/Print card, please see FAQ: Tech Cash in the MIT Libraries for more information about using remaining copy value, or trading in your old card for a new Tech Cash Copy/Print Only card.

What should I do if I have sent a document to the print queue, and then realized that I don't have a Guest Tech Cash card with enough value to pay for the printing?

Print jobs on the print queue will be stored for 24 hours. You can go to the nearest card vending machine to purchase a new Guest Tech Cash card.

If you already have a Guest Tech Cash card, you can add value to your card at any time through the Tech Cash web site. Your print job will remain in the print queue until your job expires after 24 hours, or you have printed or deleted the document. For more information on purchasing or re-valuing Guest Tech Cash, please see FAQ: Tech Cash in the MIT Libraries.

What should I do if there is a problem with my printed pages, or if my prints don't come out of the printer at all?

Please see a library staff member if there is any question as to the quality of a printed document that you have been charged for. Library staff are equipped with staff Tech Cash cards that can be used to re-print problem print jobs.

In some instances, a document may fail to appear due to a lack of paper or toner in the printer, or a paper jam. In such cases, the paper/toner may be replaced, or a jam cleared. Once normal printing has resumed, you may re-send your document to the print queue. In such cases, please report the problem to the nearest service desk. Library staff will allow you make make use of a staff Guest Tech Cash card provided by the MIT Libraries to pay for this document.

If it is not possible to re-print or copy the document you require as described above, refunds my be requested from the MIT Card Office by sending an email to techcash@mit.edu. All purchases, including prints and copies, made by Tech Cash or Guest Tech Cash are subject to the Tech Cash refund policy.

Printing Tips

Will my print jobs expire after a certain period of time?

After 24 hours, your print jobs will be purged from the print queue. If you have not released your jobs from the card reader by swiping your Guest Tech Cash card and accepting the charges to pay for your document, you will have to print your document again.

Can I print onto transparencies using this system? How do I do so?

Transparencies differ from regular paper, and we are not able to offer options for printing transparencies at this time. The Copy Technology Center offers many specialized printing options.

How do I e-mail an e-journal article or database citation to myself?

Bibliographic citations, e-journal articles, and electronic database records may be sent to yourself or others via e-mail, and retrieved elsewhere. In most electronic resources, there are icons to mark or select records, and icons to e-mail or export records. Please see the Help index of the resource that you are using for more information. More detailed help is available on printing from e-journals or databases.

Can I save items instead of printing them?

Yes, you may save files to disks or other storage media.

USB drives are sold at some circulation desks in the Libraries; however, we recommend that you bring your own disks. Although many workstations in the Libraries have disk drives, you may want to verify if the disk drive option exists prior to beginning your search.

Are disks or USB drives available so I can avoid printing?

USB drives are sold at some circulation desks in the Libraries at the cost of $5 each. Availability may vary.

Are there alternatives to printing or copying that are free?

Printing is free for members of the MIT community from win.mit.edu and Athena computers.
See Printing from MIT Libraries E-Journals for more information on printing alternatives, like e-mailing journal articles or citations to yourself.
Self-service scanners are available in most library locations, which will allow you to scan library materials for free.
- New book scanners were installed in Barker, Dewey, Hayden, and Science libraries in September of 2008.
- Most of the scanners in the MIT Libraries will allow you to save scanned files, email files to yourself, or save files to a USB drive.
- See the MIT Libraries Equipment page for more information about locations and capabilities.
Self-service photocopiers in Barker, Dewey, Hayden, and Rotch libraries can scan files to e-mail.
- Place your item on the glass, press the "Scan/Fax" button, select "Direct Input" and enter your e-mail address on the keypad.
- Scanning to e-mail from the copiers is free, but there is a limit of 20 pages per transmission.
A limited number of USB flash drives will be sold at library service desks for $5 each to allow you to save scanned files for later use instead of copying or printing.
- However, we recommend that you bring your own storage media with you to the library.
- Although many workstations in the Libraries have disk drives, you may want to verify if the disk drive option exists prior to beginning your search.

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This page was last updated on Friday, 31-Jul-2009 10:48:21 EDT