Printing in the Library

Questions and Answers About the Pharos Uniprint System in the University Libraries

1. What is Pharos Uniprint?

Pharos Uniprint is a network printing system that charges users when printing is done from a workstation in the University Libraries. When printing is done, the Pharos Uniprint system debits the user's Action Card or Community User Card for the cost of a print job.
 

2. How does Pharos Uniprint work?

At a computer workstation, the user clicks on the print button and gives the job a unique job name. The print job is sent to a print station. At the print station, the user swipes an Action Card or Community User Card through a card reader, then clicks on the print job, and releases the file to the printer for printing.
 

3. How much does printing cost?

$.05 per page for black and white pages; $.25 per page for color pages, where offered. [Note: Color printing is not offered in the Bruno Library. The nearest color printer is in the McLure Education Library. You must create your print job in the Education Library in order to print it there.]
 

4. What happens when the Action Card server is not working?

A user can still print from workstations when the Action Card server is down. The user's Action Card will be debited when the Action Card server is operational again.
 

5. Can students pay for printing without an Action Card?

Yes, users can buy Community User Cards from printing card dispensers located in Gorgas, Bruno, McLure, and Rodgers Libraries. At the Hoole Special Collections Library, a card can be purchased from library staff.
 

6. How do users pay for printing?

Everyone will pay for printing with Bama Cash. University students, faculty and staff use the Bama Cash account on their Action Card accounts to pay for printing. The general public can buy a "Community User Card" that will also use Bama Cash to pay for printing.
 

7. Are there ways other than printing to capture information from computer workstations?

Yes. In many cases, computer output can be sent to an e-mail account. The majority of files can be downloaded to a diskette. Or, the information can be read from the monitor.
 

8. What if a user, by mistake, selects and prints the wrong job?

Selecting the correct print job is the user's responsibility. Only selected jobs are debited on the user's Action Card account.
 

9. What if the print quality is poor or the printer doesn't work?

Check with library staff for assistance.
 

10. Do print jobs sent to the print server have to be paid for, if it's decided that printing is not desired?

No. A print job is not paid for until the job is released to the printer for printing. A job sent to the print station, but not released to the printer, drops automatically from system after two hours.
 

11. Can a job released to the printer be cancelled or stopped from printing?

No. Once a job is selected and released for printing, it cannot be cancelled. The user must pay for the print job.
 

12. How can a user add money for printing to an Action Card or a Community User Card?

Users with cash can add money to cards at printing card dispenser machines in Gorgas, Bruno, Rodgers, and McLure Libraries. Users with a check can add money to cards at the Ferguson Copy Center. Users with a credit card can add money online at the Action Card website http://actcard.ua.edu.
 

13. What if the card reader doesn't read the Action Card?

The user should go to another print station and do the process over again. This confirms if there's a problem with the Action Card or the card reader on the first machine. If the problem is the Action Card, the user should go to the Action Card Office to correct the problem. After hours the University Police can issue a temporary card.
 

14. Can I use my library Copicard for printing with the Pharos Uniprint System?

No. Copicards are only used to make photocopies. Copicards do not work with the Pharos Uniprint System.
 

15. Can the money on one's Community User Card be used for other than printing?

Yes. The money added to a Community User Card is "Bama Cash" and can be used anywhere Bama Cash is accepted. Unused money on a Community User Card cannot be refunded.
 

16. What if the Pharos Uniprint server doesn't work?

Printing is not possible until the problem is fixed. There is a back-up server for the Pharos Uniprint server to minimize disruptions.