We have a neat system operating from our Macintosh computers using the
MacJanet network operating system. Students pay for printing in advance
and log on to the Network with their own user ID. The MacJanet software
keeps track of the number of pages that they print and when their
allocation is used up they cannot print any more until they have paid
another instalment.
Our Windows PCs are printing via print spooling on an Windows-NT Server to
printers which operate on Ethernet, but unfortunately we have no way of
tracking how much printing has been done and operate an honesty-box system.
Students rarely seem to pay for the actual printing which they do and we
run into hundreds of dollars of debts.
Has anybody found a solution to this problem, which is one that business
doesn't face (and hence doesn't seem to interest the large software
companies) but must be a common one in educational instutions?
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Tony Hunt
Co-ordinator, Educational Computing Centre
Auckland College of Education.
Private Bag 92601
Symonds Street PO
Auckland 1003, New Zealand
Phone: 64-9-623 8899 Ext 8656
Fax: 64-9-623 8898
t.hunt@auckland.ac.nz
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