FAQ: Printing

I.T. Services FAQ + I.T. Services + Bryan College Community

How can I increase my print (paper) quota?

Go to the Operations Office on the 2nd floor of Mercer Hall, fill out the paper quota form, and pay $0.05 per sheet. The person you pay in Operations will contact I.T. Services to inform us of the credit to your account. As written on the form, please allow for up to one business day for the credit to appear on your account (i.e., please don't wait until five minutes before your paper is due before trying to add money to your account).

My printer isn't functioning properly

Some printer issues will require service or intervention by I.T. Services, but many issues cay be resolved with only a little guidance over the phone. Contact the I.T. Helpdesk at extension 333.

One of the most commonly reported problems is a continuous stream of non-standard characters or blank pages from an Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 932C inkjet printer. More advanced computer users should be able to clear the problem on their own by following these steps:

  1. Remove the blank paper from the input tray so the printer will not waste your remaining paper in the meantime.
  2. Double-click on the printer icon in the System Tray and cancel the current print job (right-click on the job and choose "Cancel" or click on "Printer" from the menu and choose "Cancel All Documents").
  3. Turn off the printer by pressing its power button.
  4. Unplug the gray power cord from the back of the printer.
  5. Save your work, then shut down and reboot the computer.
  6. Log on to Windows and wait for your desktop to load completely.
  7. Plug the power cord back into the printer, turn the power on, and put the paper back in the printer.

The printer's power light should be steady green and the printer should not be printing anything. Try printing your document again.

How can I automatically print on both sides of a piece of paper? (Faculty/Staff only)

If your office pod is equipped with a LaserJet 1320 printer, you have the capability to automatically print on both sides of a sheet of paper

To enable printing on both sides or "duplex printing":

  1. Go to "File > Print" (or press Ctrl+P)
  2. Make sure the correct printer is selected from the "drop down" menu
  3. Click the "Properties" button next to the selected printer
  4. Click on the "Finishing" tab
  5. Check the box called "Print on both sides"
    Note: If this box is already checked, the printer is already set up to print on both sides of your paper.
  6. Click on "OK"
  7. Click on "OK" again in the print dialog box to start printing

Note: When duplex printing, do not attempt to remove (or pull on) the sheet of paper until it is completely released by the printer. During the duplex printing process the printer will print on one side of the sheet then pull the paper back in and print on the next side.

If you have any trouble please call the Helpdesk at x333

How do I set which printer Windows uses as default?

When you use your account to log into a computer that isn't connected to your default printer, windows may set the default printer for your account to "Microsoft Office Document Image Writer" If this happens, when you return to a computer connected to the printer you normally use, you may find that you are prompted to "save as" when you attempt to print. This is a normal function of the Microsoft Office Document Image Writer, as it is a virtual printer attempting to save an image of the print job. To avoid this, and avoid having to manually choose the correct printer each time you want to print you can set your default printer back to the printer you normally use.

To set your default printer:
  1. Click on "Start" then choose "printers and faxes" (in some Windows XP desktop configurations you will need to click "Start" then choose "control panels" and then select "printers and faxes.")
  2. Right click on the printer that you would like to set as default
  3. From the menu that appears select "set as default"
A small check mark will appear over your default printer. The next time you open a program to print from, it will use use your default printer unless you select a different printer.

How do I set the print quality for my printer?
    By default, the printers on campus are set to "draft" (or equivalent) print quality. If this setting needs to be adjusted temporarily to print a higher quality document, or needs to be set back to draft to save toner or ink, use the instructions below to assist you.

The first step for getting to the "Properties" of each printer is:
  • From within an application such as Word, click on "File>Print," this will bring up a print dialog box. In that box there is a drop down menu that will list printers available to you. Choose the printer that you would like to use and then click on the "Properties" button next to the drop down menu.

    How to set the print quality for an HP LaserJet 1320n

      1. Open the printer's "Properties" (as explained above)
      2. If not already selected, choose the tab "Paper/Quality"
      3. You can now mark or unmark the check box labeled "Econo Mode," depending on the results you desire. "Econo Mode" saves toner, but the print won't be as dark.
      4. Click "Ok" to save changes and close the dialog box
      5. Click "Ok" to print your document
   
    How to set the print quality for an HP LaserJet 2100 or HP LaserJet 8100
  1. Open the printer's "Properties" (as explained above)
  2. Choose the tab "Paper/Quality"
  3. Click on the "Advanced" button
  4. Under the "Printer Features" section, click on the drop down menu for "Econo Mode"
  5. Choose "Econo Mode - on" or "Econo Mode - off" depending on the results you desire. "Econo Mode" saves toner, but the print won't be as dark.
  6. Click on "Ok" to keep your changes in the "Advanced Options" dialog box
  7. Click on "Ok" to keep your changes in the "Document Properties" dialog box
  8. Click on "Ok" to print your document
    How to set the print quality for an HP DeskJet 932c
  1. Open the printer's "Properties" (as explained above)
  2. Choose the tab "Paper/Quality" if not already selected
  3. In the section labeled "Quality Settings" click on "Draft," "Normal," or "Best." choose this setting based on the results that you desire. Draft quality uses the least ink while "Normal" and "Best" print at higher quality ("Best" is the highest) and use more ink respectively.
  4. Click on "Ok" to save your changes in the "Document Properties" dialog box
  5. Click on "Ok" to print your document
How to set the print quality for an HP LaserJet 1200
  1. Open the printer's "Properties" (as explained above)
  2. Choose the tab "Paper/Quality"
  3. Click on the "Advanced" button
  4. Under the "Printer Features" section, locate the drop down menu for "Econo Mode"
  5. Choose "On" or "Off" depending on the results you desire. "Econo Mode" saves toner, but the print won't be as dark.
  6. Click on "Ok" to keep your changes in the "Advanced Options" dialog box
  7. Click on "Ok" to keep your changes in the "Document Properties" dialog box
  8. Click on "Ok" to print your document
How to set the print quality for an HP LaserJet 3380

      1. Open the printer's "Properties" (as explained above)
      2. If not already selected, choose the tab "Paper/Quality"
      3. You can now mark or unmark the check box labeled "Econo Mode," depending on the results you desire. "Econo Mode" saves toner, but the print won't be as dark.
      4. Click "Ok" to save changes and close the dialog box
      5. Click "Ok" to print your document