Frequently Asked Questions
Q & A
Q: How much can I print on a day?
You are allowed to print 30 pages a day. This may consist of a total of 10 colored prints and 20 black and white prints, or of a total of 30 black and white prints.
Q: What is Virtual Disk?
The purpose of virtual disk is to alleviate students from the need of having to use disks or USB drives to store their files. It has a 5 day storage limit with unlimited memory.
Q: How do I save files to Virtual Disk and how can I print my files that are on Virtual Disk?
First you need to click the tab menu called ‘Virtual Disk’. Once you are there enter your NetId and the last seven digits of your '640013000' number of your ID. Click ‘Submit’. Browse for your file at the ‘Upload File’ option. Select the desired file and click ‘Upload Now’. Your file should be saved in your virtual disk. If you need to print these files, go to the staff area to have them printed.
Q: How does Self-Print work?
To self-print, do the following:
- Save your file to the Desktop of the computer.
- Open the file, choose ‘File’ and select ‘Print’. Under ‘Printer’, choose printer named ‘BWPrints’. Select all of your desired printing options and Click ‘OK’.
- A popup will ask for your username and password: The username is your Blackboard ID. Do NOT enter any password in the second box.
- Go to the Self-Printing stations. The station will once again ask for your username. Enter your Blackboard ID again and type the last seven digits of your "640013000...." number located on the bottom of your ID as the password. The station will display a list of pending print jobs. Select yours and choose ‘Print’. Your prints will now be sent to the printer next to your station.
Note: If you try to print more than 30 pages, the print station will not print. If your file is more than 30 pages long, you must select pages (1-30) under print options on your computer to print those specific pages.
Q: How can I print more than one slide per page?
When you are going to print, choose ‘File’ and then select ‘Print’. Under the subtitle ‘Print What?’, select ‘Handouts’. To the right of that where it says ‘Handouts’, select how many slides per page you want and then click ‘OK’.
Q: What do I do to print in color paper or card stock?
In order to print on color paper or card stock, you need to go to the staff area. All you need is to hand them a disk/USB drive/CD with the file or tell them that the file you want to print is in your Virtual Disk. You can have all your prints in color paper or card stock or both.
Q: How can I print something on both sides?
If you want to print something on both sides you need to go to the staff area. You can hand them your file on a CD/USB/disk or hand them your ID if your file is on Virtual Disk. Let them know that you want that file printed on both sides.
Q: Can I use some my friend's ID to user his/her prints?
You are allowed to use your friend's ID if and only if your friend is present with you at the moment of printing.
Q: Can I print posters?
Yes, poster printing is available for Academic Use Only and requests must be submitted electronically. Click HERE to submit a request now.
When requesting a poster printing, please write notes or instructions on how it should be printed and give us your phone number. Upon confirmation of your poster request we will print your poster and call you when it is ready for pickup.
Please allow 24 hours for your poster to be printed. Posters submitted on weekends will be considered as Monday submissions. Posters will be printed by one of the Lab Directors and not by any of our printing staff.
Please be sure the documents you submit whether Power Point, JPG, Illustrator, or other are formatted to one of the sizes below as we will not print items that are not properly formatted:
11x17 (Counts as 5 color prints), 17x22 (Counts as 8 color prints), 18x24 (Counts as 10 color prints), 36x24 (Counts as 10 color prints & 10 bw prints)
Notice: WE ONLY PRINT ACADEMIC POSTERS. Also, We do not print 40x30 posters as required for Engineering Senior Design Projects. They can be printed at the USF Computer Store on the 2nd Floor of the bookstore for a small fee.
Q: Can I bring my own paper and have your printers print on it?
Yes, if and only if you bring the box or the package where the paper came. In order to print in our color printers, the paper needs to be LaserJet compatible. If you do not provide us with the box so that we can make sure the paper is compatible, we will not be able to print in your paper. Non-compatible paper can burn up our printers.
Question not answered?
If we didn't answer your question here, do not hesistate to ask a lab assistant or submit a question online through our contact form.
