[comp.sys.novell] Counting pages printed on a laser printer

erosser@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Evan Rosser) (02/05/91)

We have several public Novell networks around campus with laser printers
attached directly to the file server.  Students generally use the GUEST account
for word processing and course work.  We are interested in finding some
solution for counting the number of pages printed by each user for billing
purposes. With our old network software, a banner page for each print job with
the name and number of pages printed.

We are using capture with the /NAM qualifier and banners to identify output,
but haven't been able to find a way to count the pages. Accounting doesn't seem
to be the solution, primarily because all students use GUEST and we aren't
capable of maintaining hundreds of student accounts.

Has anyone else run into this difficulty in public labs?  Any suggestions?

___________________________________________________________
Evan Rosser                           Box 5166            
erosser@eagle.wesleyan.edu            Wesleyan Station    
erosser@wesleyan.bitnet               Middletown, CT 06459-5166

iyermish@sjuphil.uucp (I. Yermish) (02/05/91)

In article <1991Feb4.134324.38415@eagle.wesleyan.edu> erosser@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Evan Rosser) writes:
>
>We have several public Novell networks around campus with laser printers
>attached directly to the file server.  Students generally use the GUEST account
>for word processing and course work.  We are interested in finding some
>solution for counting the number of pages printed by each user for billing
>purposes. With our old network software, a banner page for each print job with
>the name and number of pages printed.
>
>We are using capture with the /NAM qualifier and banners to identify output,
>but haven't been able to find a way to count the pages. Accounting doesn't seem
>to be the solution, primarily because all students use GUEST and we aren't
>capable of maintaining hundreds of student accounts.
>
>Has anyone else run into this difficulty in public labs?  Any suggestions?
>
>___________________________________________________________
>Evan Rosser                           Box 5166            
>erosser@eagle.wesleyan.edu            Wesleyan Station    
>erosser@wesleyan.bitnet               Middletown, CT 06459-5166


*** WE STOPPED SUPPLYING PAPER ***

Ira Yermish
iyermish@sjuphil.UUCP

msz2@po.CWRU.Edu (Mark S. Zajaros) (02/07/91)

We got around this problem by installing card readers on our
student laser printers. The students purchase cards that can be
used in the photocopiers or the laser printers (same card). 
We have been able to charge one price for photocopying and 
another price for laser printing.

The card readers attache to the paper feed mechanism inside
the lasr printer and deduct money from the card each time a 
page is fed. It has some minor glitches (i.e. refunds when the
printer jams), but, so far, has worked extremely well and is
much more accurate than software based solutions (most software
solutions estimate the number of pages based upon the number
of bytes in the file).

We looked at two different vendors.

XCP
40 Elm Street
Dryden, New York 13053
(607) 844-9143

and

ICS
10231 Bach Blvd.
St. Louis, Missouri 63132
(314) 423-0777

We choose ICS because of compatibility with the readers on our
photocopiers.


Mark S. Zajaros
Computer Services Specialist
Case Western Reserve University
Law School Library
msz2@po.cwru.edu