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Print Quotas

  • All faculty, staff and students with a Purdue career account have access to use the Purdue IT Learning Spaces printers.
  • Each is provided with an allotment of prints using the print quota system.
  • The print quota system was implemented to reduce the costs related to careless and wasteful printing. 
  • Print quotas are assigned for the academic year (Fall and Spring Semester) and, separately, for the Summer Semester.
  • The assigned print quotas are non-refundable.
  • Credit for damaged output is available upon request; see Can I receive a refund if there is a problem with my printout? below.
Academic Year Quotas
Academic Year Quotas
Faculty $80
Staff $80
Undergraduate Students $40
Graduate Students $80
Student Organizations $20
Page Costs
Page Costs
Black & White 8.5 X 11 $0.04
Color 8.5 X 11 $0.12
Color 11 X 17 $0.12

Questions about Quotas

When are quotas reset for the academic year?
  • Quotas are reset on the Wednesday after finals week of the last Summer semester.

How many free prints do I get? How much do prints cost? 

  • Print quotas are determined by your status as a student or employee.
  • These amounts have been calculated using the costs for paper, toner, printers, and maintenance specific to each type of printer.
    • These costs are subject to change.
Can TAs who teach lab classes have a larger quota? 
  • Purdue IT cannot subsidize work that TAs are doing.
  • Our recommendation would be that a department provides a work printer for their TAs to use, or that the department subsidize TA quotas.
If I am taking more credit hours, shouldn't I have a larger quota? 
  • Quotas are based upon the average printing needs of a typical student or faculty member.
  • Departments may choose to pay an incremental fee to have students quotas increased based on the classes they are taking.
    • However, Purdue IT cannot determine what acceptable print quotas would be based on course schedules.

How can I tell what my quota is?

  • You can view your current print quota by logging in to PaperCut.

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How can I see how many pages I have printed so far? 

  • You can view your printing history by logging in to PaperCut.

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Will I be warned when I am about to run out of pages? 

  • You will receive an email notification if you do not have sufficient print quota to print a job.

What happens when I exceed my allotted print quota?

  • You will not be able to print once you hit a $0 balance for print quota in PaperCut.

  • Funds can be added to a staff account by charging their department by completing the form Purdue Department Funded Printing.
    • After completing all the fields in Section 1, the document should be emailed to itlabs@purdue.edu for final processing.
    • Once Business Office approval/authorization is received via DocuSign, the print quota will be adjusted in PaperCut.
  • Students can transfer funds to their print quota from their BoilerExpress account by using the Add Credit link on the PaperCut Account Summary page.
Do I get a quota for the summer semester?
  • Yes, quotas are reset on the Wednesday after finals week of the Spring semester.
  • Undergraduate students receive $20 for the summer, and everyone else receives $40. 

Can I cancel a print job once it has been sent to the printer? 

  • Once a job is sent to the printer it cannot be canceled.
  • Your print quota will be deducted for the print.
  • If a large print job was released by mistake, you can visit the Service Desk in HIKS or WALC for assistance.
  • If you are printing in another location, call the phone number listed on the printer to request a refund
    or submit the https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5gXXQ50nRZy1fjEPrint Refund Reuest Form.
Can I receive a refund if there is a problem with my printout?
  • Credit for damaged or unprinted output is available upon request at the Service Desks in HIKS and WALC. 
  • Please submit the Print Refund Request Form when printing at other locations or call 765-494-4000.
  • Refunds may be available for pages that are unacceptable due to printer or system error, system failure, or poor print quality, for example:
    • Unacceptable output due to low toner
    • Smudges on your printouts
    • Wrinkles in your pages
    • Incomplete print jobs due to system-generated errors or jobs canceled at the printer

  • Purdue IT cannot offer refunds for mistakes or output you did not expect, for example:
    • Color mismatching
    • Improper formatting
    • Print jobs taken by other people before you retrieve them from the printer
    • Jobs printed accidentally or with too many pages
    • Multiple copies printed by mistake

Note:   If a refund is issued, the consultant must retain the unacceptable pages whenever possible.

Can the general public or guests use Purdue IT Printers? 

  • Only users with a Purdue career account may access instructional computers and printers.
    • Purdue Libraries have options available for guests and visitors.
    • Special event (guest) accounts are given a small stipend for printing.

Why isn't it cheaper to print duplex? 

  • The cost of the paper is very small relative to the cost of a print job.
  • Much of the cost is tied up in the cost of the printing hardware purchase and support and the toner used for printing.
  • Very little of the cost of a print job relates to the paper.
    • In the past, duplex used to be the default in the labs and it actually created more waste.
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