Print Quota
Introduction
Your account includes a per semester printing allotment or "quota," artificially
expressed in dollars. These printing "dollars" are utilized to print output
from applications programs, copies of man pages, files, etc. Quotas are reset
on or near the first day of each semester (Summer I & II count as one regular
semester).
Printouts can be sent to several printers. The default print queue
on ACS is named publp. It is not necessary to define this print
queue-- it is set automatically. However, there may be times
when you will want to direct your output to a different printer; see "CHANGING
PRINTERS," below.
Other systems may not define a default print queue. In this case,
you should set your printer environment as shown below.
publp*
pubps |
$.05
per side
$.10 per page |
(double-sided,
stapled, 600 dpi)
(single-sided, stapled, 600 dpi) |
publpns
pubpsns
|
$.05
per side
$.10 per page
|
(double-sided,
non-stapled, 600 dpi)
(single-sided, non-stapled, 600 dpi) |
|
There is a two (2) copy per document limit on all IT printers.
|
*DEFAULT
Output from the above printers is sorted and distributed at the I/O
Services Window in the basement of 111 Cummington Street. Output is
stored under your account name.
Checking your print quota with the pquota program
A print quota program (called pquota) has been created which will query your
remaining print allotment. The pquota program displays your dollar balance
as well as the number of pages that can be printed with that balance. To
query your printing resources, type "pquota" (omit the quotes) at the shell
prompt. You can also check your print quota at www.bu.edu/computing/myacs.
The pquota program will report in the following format:
Every page that you print will use up your allotment in proportion
to the "cost" of printing. That is, printing a file on the least expensive
(per page) printer will affect your account the least. The rates per
page will change as costs change. The Office of Information Technology
reserves the right to modify the price per page without prior notice.
NOTE: if you have accounts on more than one system, your quota is
shared, e.g., if your quota is $50.00 for one account, it is still
$50.00, even if you have accounts on both ACS and CGL.
What to do if your print quota runs out
If by chance you do exceed your print quota, you can request that your print "dollars" be
increased. To do so, go to the I/O Services window or the Information Technology
main office. An emergency increase will be granted automatically. Subsequent
increases will require faculty approval, however, in no case will a legitimate
academic need for print resources be denied. You can make non-emergency requests
for an increase in your print quota at www.bu.edu/computing/frontoffice.
References
For more information on printing, see the man pages. For example, to see all
man pages which mention the lpr command, type man -k lpr. |
