Printing

For Users with Full Lab Access

content last updated 2-9-2022

PRINTERS

View a list of ALL XARTS Printers

SUPPLIES

Ink & Toner

The department supplies toner and ink cartridges for all lab printers. If a lab printer requires a new ink or toner cartridge, notify your instructor during class hours or the Lab Assistant on duty during open study hours.

Plain Paper

The department supplies plain letter size (8.5" x 11") and tabloid size (11" x 17") paper for lab printers that accept plain paper. If a printer runs out of plain paper, notify your instructor during class hours or the Lab Assistant on duty during open study hours.

Premium Paper

The department does not supply the premium, coated inkjet paper required for certain printers. Click here for an overview of the printers that are available in XARTS classrooms, including the kinds of paper they accept.

EXCESSIVE USE

The department may restrict or revoke the printing privileges of any individual who abuses department printers, uses them to print materials other than their Art + Architecture coursework, or consumes unreasonable amounts of ink, toner, or paper.

PRINTER AVAILABILITY

Most printers are self-serve and operate on a first-come / first-served basis.

Some printers may have restrictions in place, e.g. who can use them, when they can be used, and for what purposes. Any current restrictions are noted in our Printer List.

The Director of A+A Technology and the Lab Assistant Crew work hard to keep lab printers running smoothly and to continually replenish printer supplies; however, the ability to print in the XARTS Labs is not guaranteed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Unexpected technical difficulties that arise during evenings or weekends may not receive attention until the next USF business day, and even then, a solution to a problem might not be immediately available.

Students who wait until "the last minute" to print assignments to a specific printer may find themselves waiting in line if a printer is in high demand, or out of luck if the lab closes before a printer becomes available.

For all of the above reasons, students should:

• plan ahead to produce final prints or, at a minimum, print test drafts at least several business days before the due date to identify problems and refine their work;
• familiarize themselves with alternative printers in XARTS Labs. After all, a black and white printout or a reduced-size color printout may be preferable to nothing at all;
• familiarize themselves with alternative printing resources both on and off campus, such as printers in other USF computer labs and print shops like these:

HOW TO PRINT

The general steps below are essential to any successful print job, regardless of the printer you're using.

If you're not sure how to use a printer, ask; don't guess. Approach your instructor during class or the Lab Assistant on duty during open study hours. It only takes one mistake to take a printer out of service for everyone else.

Basic training in the use of any lab printer is available to faculty, entire classes, or individual students by appointment with the Director of A+A Technology.

Steps FOR A Successful Print Job

1. POWER: If necessary, plug in the printer and/or turn it on. Note that some printers are always plugged in and some printers are always powered on.
2. CONNECT: If necessary, connect the printer to your computer with an interface cable such as a USB cable. Some printers are always connected to your computer over the network.
3. LOAD PAPER: If necessary, load the printer with paper of the correct type and size. Some printers are always loaded with paper, while others require you to load paper every time you print.
4. ONLINE / READY: Verify that the printer is online or "ready" to accept print jobs. Most printers have an indicator light on their front or top panel to indicate that they are "online" or "ready." Most printers also have status displays or indicator lights to alert you to errors. Verify that no errors are indicated.
5. PAGE SETUP: On your computer, specify the paper size and orientation (portrait or landscape) that you want to use when you print your document. In some Mac applications, you select File ➔ Page Setup or click a [Page Setup] button to do this. In others, these options are right in the Print dialog box. Your instructor might advise you to use application-specific settings, e.g. for InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.
6. PRINT SETTINGS: If the computer you're using has more than one printer connected to it, first select the printer in the print dialog box. Then you can specify the printer-specific settings for your print job, such as page range, number of copies, paper (media) type, paper source, double-sided printing, scaling, resolution overrides, etc.
7. PRINT: Send the print job to the printer. For network printers, if other students' jobs are already waiting in line to be printed, your job will be added to the end of the queue.
8. JOB MANAGEMENT: Monitor and manage the print job while it's printing, e.g. watch for anomalies on the printed page and, if necessary, pause or cancel the job.
9. SHUT DOWN + PUT AWAY: For a borrowed, shared, mobile printer in a lab setting:
   1. Press the power button to turn off the printer.
   2. Wait for the printer to finish shutting down. For ink-jet printers, this can take a minute.
   3. Unplug the printer and disconnect the interface cable, if necessary.
   4. Neatly coil and stow the printer's cables for the next user.