ITS and ComDoc has installed the majority of new printers and copiers all across campus. We have received lots of feedback from faculty and staff and acknowledge that as the scale of the project grew there are several issues that affect the way we work. While we performed extensive testing prior to this scheduled rollout, many issues did not manifest until more users and devices were added to the new system.
We have listened to all of your concerns and we are going to change the printing system over the next few weeks to try to make it work more efficiently for our users. Below are some of the direct issues and what we can do to resolve them. All of these changes will take some time to implement. Please be patient while we transition thru this process. Please click thru the list if known concerns to see what we are doing to improve the user experience.
Why do I have to swipe my card every time I print?
All computers can print to the FollowMe print queues (MyGrayscalePrintJob & MyColorPrintJob). The MyGrayscalePrintJob queue will force any color information to be discarded and always print in black and white. These two queues will help protect you if there are any printer problems and you can swipe anywhere to print. It also ensures that your materials are only printed securely while you are there to receive them. They will not be laying around in case you do not get them right away. We cannot change the way the FollowMe printing works. This is a very beneficial model for the campus but there are definite drawbacks to a user that works from the same office every day.
Each printer also has a device specific print queue. Printing to this queue does not “follow” the user like the MyColor and MyGrayscale print queues do. These device specific queues allow for use of the printers advanced features that don’t always work with FollowMe printing such as finishing options, etc… We will change these device specific queues to automatically release print jobs. This means that that faculty and staff will no longer be required to swipe on their departmental offices to print to their device specific print queue. Your print job will print directly once you click print on your computer. This option does NOT apply to any public area printer or copier. Click the link below for a list of these public devices.
https://wiki.canisius.edu/x/DgDjAQ
Please note, if your Xerox device is color capable and you do not set your job to print in black and white properly, you will print in color and be charged accordingly. Users will need to know how to set this as they print. The MyGrayscale print queue is the only one that will force all your printing to be black and white.
Please be mindful when printing sensitive data. Do not leave it sitting out on printers, even if they are behind closed doors. The college recommends that you use the FollowMe queues whenever you need to print sensitive or secure content and swipe to release it.
These changes to the device specific print queues will be made by February 22nd.
We need student workers and grad assistants to print, copy and scan, how can they do that and not be charged to their personal print fund?
A few weeks ago ITS announced a procedure to do enable students to print using department budgets. We quickly found out that it was very complicated and had a greater impact on student printing than we had and foreseen. Instead of forcing each student account into a departmental budget, we will use CopyCards and their associated accounts to print.
Notices were sent out last week for the first batch of CopyCards. If you did not receive an email about it, please contact Scott Clark, clarks@canisius.edu. More CopyCards are in process but in case we missed a department please let us know. These CopyCards will correspond to a new user account for your department and the user names will end in PRT. If you already have a generic student or work study login, those will be discontinued for these new CopyCard accounts. ITS can assist to mapping shared drives if necessary for the CopyCard accounts to be able to access. Students will use this CopyCard username to log into college owned computers while they are working and can then print using the departments print budget. Then they can use the CopyCard to swipe at the printers and copiers. The same rules will apply as above when using the FollowMe queues or the device specific queues while printing.
The ITS Help Desk will set up the initial password for these PRT accounts when you pick up your CopyCard. If you have already picked it up, please call x8340 or email helpdesk@canisius.edu.
In the future, your department can change the as needed using the Password Reset tools on MyCanisius. We recommend changing it regularly as student workers come and go. Please note, the CopyCards accounts will NOT have an email address associated with them. They are for login and print functions only. We cannot make duplicate CopyCards. Lost cards must be reported to the Help Desk. Replacement cards would be reissued by ITS, not through Public Safety.
The CopyCards will function for scanning and copying as soon as you pick them up from the Help Desk. Students will be able to log in with the CopyCards accounts to be able to print starting on February 16th. Any student who has been set up earlier this semester using their own username and password to the department budget should use the new CopyCard accounts starting on February 16th. The student accounts will be changed back and they will no longer see the Papercut agent when they log in. Students that have used their own print allowance to print for your department this semester can be issued a refund to their personal account if the department requests. Please send these requests to helpdesk@canisius.edu by February 29th.
We keep getting an error screen when trying to copy? Nothing prints but the copier says “Adjustments in Process.” I have to turn the copier off and on again to be able to print.
This has been a very frustrating and enigmatic problem. ITS and ComDoc have been working with Xerox and our software vendors trying to determine why this is happening. We will be testing some some potential solutions over the next week to see if this problem can be rectified. If our solution works it will be deployed to the entire campus by the end of February. Like the adjustments to the log out time, this would require each device to be manually changed. These updates will be done as quickly as possible when we determine if they will solve these issues.
Why is there is a long delay when I print the first document after I swipe into a Xerox device?
We have been working with the ComDoc and the software vendor for several weeks to determine the cause of this issue. While it does not prevent things from printing, the long delay is very unproductive. A new system should be faster, not slower. Once the final devices are installed this week we will be looking to implement some system level changes based on possible solutions from the software developers. If this solution works, users should see the results immediately. If they do not work, the problem will be escalated with the developer.
Why does my copier log me out so quickly?
The log out on the console of the copiers was set to a factory default of one minute. Many users have informed us that this is not long enough. For security reasons we cannot leave a user logged in until they click logout. In public spaces, we will leave this set to one minute but in offices we are going to extend it to three minutes. Hopefully this will alleviate having to swipe and log in several times while working. To make these changes we have to adjust these settings for each device. We hope to have that done by the end of February.
Can I scan to USB? Can I print from USB?
The short answer is yes. Unfortunately USB access was not fully configured on all of the devices. This will be fixed at the same time that we change settings for log out lengths.
My old copier had a stapler, the new one doesn’t?
There were some errors in the configuration of the added features of the new devices. Some existing features of the old devices were not replaced. If you think there is something missing on your Xerox copier, please contact ITS. We have already started to compile a list and ComDoc is providing a complete audit of the Xerox devices so we can determine what is missing and will work closely with each department to see that all needs are met.
Build job features are not available. They are grayed out. How can I create a multiple page PDF scanning on the glass top?
We are currently testing to determine what has caused this and a solution should be found. We have a team working on this and several other functionality issues.
A temporary solution is to use the top document feeder to create multiple page PDF’s. If your original material requires scanning on the glass top, make a copy first, assemble the copies in the proper order then scan the copies to your email as one document using the document feeder. We recognize that this is not the final solution but provides a “band-aid fix” for now.
Who provides paper and other printer supplies?
In the past, each department was required to budget for their paper use and some other printer supplies. Now, all paper is purchased thru one central campus budget. Gary Lew sent instructions last week providing details on how this will work. All other supplies such as toner staple cartridges, etc is provided by ComDoc. More information is available here:
https://wiki.canisius.edu/x/HALjAQ
I get an error “Unknown User” when I swipe my ID card. My card is worn and may not be working properly, how do I get a new one? I lost my ID card.
If you suspect your ID card is bad, try it at several different locations. If it fails everywhere there is a good chance you will need a new card. Many of the old yellow ID cards have failed. Whether you have lost your card or it is worn out you can easily get a replacement. If needed, you can go to the Public Safety office in the lower level of Bosch Hall and they will issue you a new card. Once you get a new card, your old one is automatically deactivated. Public Safety can not create duplicates so you can have more than one.
Who is responsible for paper and toner for the public printers?
All of the public space printers will be maintained by the ITS Help Desk. Systems will soon be put into place to notify the Help Desk when supplies are low. If you see that supplies are needed and have not been delivered, please call or email the Help Desk.
What else can we help you with?
We will keep the campus community updated with the progress on all open problems. ComDoc is available for training anytime. Email CCTraining@comdoc.com to arrange for a ComDoc trainer to visit your department and help out. The Help Desk is always available if you have questions or problems. If you observe something that isn’t working properly or missing features please call x8340, email helpdesk@canisius.edu or stop by HO-016.
We are constantly evaluating the printer fleet and its usage. Please let us know if you feel like there are features you would like added, features such as color printing that you no longer want, training needs that are not being met, etc… Please communicate these concerns.
If you have further comments or concerns about the changes made on campus to printing or the measures discussed above please feel free to contact Scott Clark, Larry Deni or Marco Bennedetti. We are all open to constructive discussions to make the services on campus better.