How and where do I print in the library?

Where are the printers?

W.A.C. Bennett Library at SFU Burnaby

Printers use the new printing account system Papercut. 

You will find printers on the 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th floors, and in the Research Commons.

Send your print job and choose colour or black and white by selecting the correct printing queue [new-lab-mono (default printer) or new-lab-colour].

The Library Colour printers are located on the 3rd floor of Bennett Library.

Belzberg Library at SFU Vancouver

There are 2 print/copy/scan machines  in the Library, and both can print colour and black & white.

Choose colour or black and white by selecting the correct printing queue (NewVanMono or NewVanColour).

Other printers on campus:

  • Room 1300 (IT Services lab): colour and black & white
  • Room 2960 (Publishing lab): black & white only   

Fraser Library at SFU Surrey

There are 2 print/copy/scan machines in the Media/Reserves area, 3620, and both can print colour and black & white.

Choose colour or black and white by selecting the correct printing queue (NewSurreyMono or NewSurreyColour).

Other printers on campus:

  • Room 2300 (Firefighter’s Lab): black & white -- near the Security desk in the mezzanine.
  • Room 3064: colour and black & white
  • Room 3355: colour and black & white

      How do I print?

      At the computer:

      1. Check your Papercut account: Before printing your document(s), check to see if you have enough printing credit for the pages you want to print:
        1. To add money to your Papercut account (see How to pay for printing and copying)
      2. Choose the right printer: Print document and select printing queue: Mono (for B&W) or Colour.

      At the printer:

      1. Retrieve your print job:
        1. At the printer log in to Papercut using SFU Computing ID and password
        2. Select jobs to print (PRINT ALL to release all print jobs or PRINT RELEASE to release individual print jobs)
      2. Log out of printer.

      General questions

      Can I use the same printing account at all SFU libraries?

      Yes. You can also use the same printing account in all SFU libraries and IT Services labs.

      How long will my print job stay in the printer?

      After you send something to the printer from a library workstation, your print job stays in the printer queue for one hour.

      If you do not complete or print off your print job within this one hour limit, you will have to re-send your document to the printer.

      How much does printing cost, how do I pay, and how do I get a refund?

      For payment options, and how to get a refund, see How to pay for printing and copying.

      For prices, see How much does it cost to print or make copies at the SFU Library? 

      How can I print in colour, or different document sizes? 

      See Can I print or copy special document sizes and types at the Library?

      Troubleshooting

      I'm having trouble printing the results of my searches.

      Once you've selected the citations or articles you wish to print, use the database's Print command.

      At the Bennett Library (Burnaby): Use your Login ID to retrieve from the printers on the 3rd floor or any printer on the 4th, 5th or 6th floor. (The Library's Colour Printer is located on the 3rd floor of Bennett Library.)

      If you are still having problems, please ask for help at the 3rd floor Service Desk.

      Sometimes when I try to print something too many pages get charged to my printing card, some pages are printed blank, some are just not printed at all.

      Sometimes there are errors when trying to print a PDF or PPT (PowerPoint) file from WITHIN the web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox). This is a common problem when you are printing out material such as lecture notes and slides from within Canvas or printing full-text articles within research databases such as PsycInfo or ERIC (EBSCO interfaces).

      IT Services suggest the following solution:

      • Go "Back" to the original page with the LINK to the file that you want to open and print.
      • Right-click on the link, and then choose "Save Target As..."
      • A new window will open giving the choice of where to save the file. (Technicians recommend choosing the "Desktop" as the article will be easier to find).
      • Once the file is saved on the desktop, double-click on the file, and it SHOULD open in its NATIVE program (PDF will open in Adobe Reader, PPT will open in PowerPoint).
      • Choose the print option within this program, and the print job should come out without errors.

      Sometimes in article indexes and databases, the link still forces you to open the file within a browser. Try choosing to save the article using the Adobe Reader menu buttons, and continue the above process.

      Contact an IT staff at the 3rd floor Service Desk if you need more help with printing.

      When I try to print PDF document, the printer outputs blank pages.

      When looking at the .pdf document in Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on the print option or the printer icon.

      From within the printing options box, try changing the "Page Scaling" box so that it reads "None".

      Ensure that the "Auto-Rotate and Center" option is NOT checked.

      Try printing again.

      What happened to the old printer cards?
      They have been replaced by the new Papercut printing accounts. You can no longer use printer cards.