🚀 go-pugleaf

getz@dvinci.USask.Ca (Robin Getz) writes:

}I would like to ask you some questions concerning the policies and procedures 
}that you may have regarding printing in microcomputer Labs.  

   [Description of current, pay-in advance, draw-down system omitted]

}Solution:
}Based on preliminary investigation, a coin operated laser page credit system 
   ...
}1) What type of procedure or process do users go through in order to use laser 
}     printers at your facility?

   Ours users come to the accounting office once, sign a form saying they
   will be responsible for charges upto some amount either from a Univ
   departmental fund# or from their personal accounts receivable.  The
   accounting office enters their "funding source" into the system and
   they are free to print against that as they like.  Each month we send
   the data to our AdminDP shop and it goes in with the rest of the Univ
   billing transactions (i.e., for students it shows up on their U-Bill).
   For example I can do:

	lpr -P lps20 -G subsidy_john ...
	lpr -P lps20 -G pv_systems ...
	lpr -P lps20 -G 481-12-3456 ...

   similar systems are available on the PCs and MACs.

}2) What do you think of the solution?

   We investigated similar comercial systems and found them too expensive
   (we charge $0.05/image now, we would have to charge $0.15-$0.25 with
   a commercial card-vendor system).

   A benefit of our system is not tying up your money in a vend-a-card
   in advance and/or having to remember to bring cash to the computer
   lab.

}3) What tips or hints could you think of for this system?

   Whatever system you come up with make it campus-wide.  Nothing is worse
   than having a library copier vend-a-card, an Engr lab print card, an
   English lab print card, a Math lab... etc...

}4) Would you be interested in this system for impilmentation at your facility? 
}    If so how much you you pay the a working model?  How much would you pay for
}    plans and software only?  (the reason I ask it that we are supposed include
}    a marketing description in our final report.)

   We are happy with what we have, thanks.

}This message has been cross posted in:
}	% comp.admin.policy 		% comp.sys.sun.admin
}	% comp.sys.next.sysadmin	% comp.unix.admin

Actually it appears you posted individual copies to each newsgroup :-(

John
-- 
John Hascall                   ``An ill-chosen word is the fool's messenger.''
Systems Software Engineer
Project Vincent
Iowa State University Computation Center  +  Ames, IA  50011  +  515/294-9551