Printing

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Photo of a printer printingPrinting in the Engineering Computer Labs

The engineering computer labs (1312, 1307, 1318, 1328, 2314, 2200) are equipped with one or more HP black and white laser printers. Anyone with an engineering account may access any of the printers in these labs. There is also a black and white printer in Thirteen Twenty,  which is available to engineering users. All printers operate under a 'print quota' system. Engineering users are given 600 pages of print quota at the start of each semester. Quota is reset to 600 pages at the beginning of every semester and is not carried over to the next semester.  Some tips for managing your print quota are listed here.

If the 600 pages of print quota is exceeded, quota can be purchased in 100 page increments for five dollars. Quota can be purchased in 1325EB--the DECS Support Office--with cash or check. Departments (faculty, staff, administrators) can purchase print quota online by providing an account number.

Office and Other Lab Printing

DECS can configure network print queues for offices, research labs, and department computer labs. Access to these printers can be restricted to specific users. Printing access to private printers is granted/restricted once the faculty/staff sponsor (owner) of the printer provides DECS with a list of users who should be granted access. These print queues can be configured with or without implementing print quotas.

While DECS does not support Microsoft Windows Print Sharing, we do offer solutions for making network capable printers available through a network print queue. If a printer does not have an internal network card, DECS can make suggestions for an internal or external network device.

More Printing Services Available Photo of a person printing a poster with the plotter

In addition to the black and white printers in the engineering labs, there is a color laser printer and two large format (poster) plotters available. Printing to the color printer or plotters decrements more pages from print quotas than the black and white printers in the engineering labs. Five pages of quota is decremented for printing to the color printer. Printing to the large format poster decrements 150 pages of print quota. Laminators are available for both 8.5 x11in paper and posters. There is a fee for laminating.

The Support Office keeps a select number of additional media which can be used with these printers, including transparencies and 11 x 17 in paper, on hand.

3D Printing

A ZPrint 250 3D printer is available in the DECS Support Office. The printer can be used by faculty, staff, and students. It allows for high resolution and movable parts, thus making it able to print complex parts, models, and prototypes. It has the ability to print multiple objects at once which saves time and resources. There is little waste as extra materials are recycled by the machine which keeps the price down for users. Since each print is unique, print quota cannot be used to pay for parts; however, estimates of final cost are available.

  • Build Size: 9.3 x 7.3 x 5 in (236 x 185 x 127 mm)
  • Vertical Speed: 0.8 in/hour (20 mm/hour)
  • Resolution: 300 x 450 dpi
  • Color (number of unique colors per part): 64 colors (basic spot color)
  • File Formats for Printing: STL, VRML, PLY, 3DS, ZPR

 

A MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is also available in the DECS Support Office. This 3D printer offers an alternative 3D print option to the ZPrint 250 3D printer.  Objects printed on the Replicator 2 are printed using a renewable bio-plastic PLA (Polylactic acid) filament, resulting in durable and detailed quality models. While the ZPrint 250 can use multiple colors and accommodate moving parts in a single print, the Replicator 2 requires less “hands-on” time and the materials are less costly, providing a very affordable option for the user. See a DECS Support Office member for pricing.

  • Build size: 410 in3; 11.2 L x 60.W x 6.1 H in [28.5 x 15.3 x 15.5 in]
  • Resolution: High-100 microns [0.0039 in]; Medium-270 microns [0.0106 in]; Low-340 microns [0.0133 in]
  • Color (number of unique colors per part): one--for color options, speak with DECS SUpport Office
  • File Formats: .stl, .obj, .thing