FAQ
Select any of the following questions to expand and view the answer provided.
As an Iowa State student, you receive an allotment of print credits each semester funded through student technology fees. At many places on campus, printing 1 page (black and white) uses 5 credits. Therefore, if you printed 10 pages, you would use 50 print credits. If you run low on print credits and are nearing a zero balance (0), you can request more print credits in the IT Portal.
Students enrolled in summer courses for 2022 received 1000 base print credits as part of a pilot initiative.
With the pilot's success, students will receive 1000 base print credits for the fall 2022 semester.
No, students enrolled in the fall 2022 semester will also receive 1000 base print credits.
Yes. Incoming students who are new to Iowa State receive 50 print credits. They can use these print credits while on campus to print their schedule of events or other materials.
The Iowa State campus has many locations at which you can print. The cost of printing varies, depending on the printer location and your major. We advise that you check with your department on printing options as printing within your department is typically the most efficient use of your credits.
- Computer labs managed by your college or department: Varies, up to 5 credits = 1 page.
- Parks Library, 5 credits = 1 page.
- Residence halls, 5 credits = 1 page.
- Memorial Union, 5 credits = 1 page.
Please note, these costs represent black and white printing. The cost of color printing varies and can be up to 25 credits per page.
You can find more information about printing, scanning, and copying at Parks Library on this web page.
PaperCut is the name of the software Iowa State uses to manage on-campus printing. The PaperCut software helps in sending print jobs from a specific device to a specific ISU printer. The PaperCut software also keeps track of how many credits you’re using and how many you have left.
You can print to a university printer – say, a printer in Parks Library or a residence hall – using your own laptop or other device. To do this, follow the instructions in the how-to article Print: Use Your Laptop to Print to a Campus Printer.
Additional how-to articles are also available for printing from your phone/tablet and printing from a Linux device
If you happen to buy a printer for your dorm room or other on-campus housing, it cannot be added to Iowa State’s network. This means you cannot send print jobs from your personal laptop to your personal printer over Wi-Fi. You would need a cable connecting the two devices, in order to print.
For these reasons, it is recommended that students first consider how printing from university-owned printers can meet their needs.
Printing double-sided is considered 2 pages for most printers. Some computer labs may provide a partial discount to print double-sided.
Don’t worry – if you're running low, you can request more print credits, funded through your student technology fee. Use the form linked below. You can request more printing credits up to 3 times per semester.