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From: shaub@vacs.uwp.wisc.edu (Jeffery Shaub)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: Charging for laser printer use.
Message-ID: <9287@uwm.edu>
Date: 2 Feb 91 19:23:53 GMT
References: <1991Feb1.105657.3329@ducvax.auburn.edu>
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Reply-To: shaub@vacs.uwp.wisc.edu (Jeffery Shaub)
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Lines: 30

In article <1991Feb1.105657.3329@ducvax.auburn.edu> spowers@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
>
>A question:
>Does anyone have any experience with charging for laser printer use in a
>university computer lab setting?  In particular: how do _you_ do it, does you
>use or know about VendaCard, is charging successful or not?
>

We use the Vendacard system very succssfully in our public lab.

The VC unit attaches to innards of the laser printer and tricks it into thinking
it's out of toner.  Before sending a print job, you insert a card with a magnetic strip into the VC unit.  On the cards strip is credit recorded by a seperate
machine.  When you send your print job, the VC unit takes 2 units of credit
per page (Ithink this is custumizable) and allows the printer to do it's thing.

We use this setup with a PC and HP LaserJet, and with a MAC SE and APPLE Laser
Writer II.  The machine which puts credit on the cards, was already available
to us because our library uses Vendacard for photocopying.  We charge 7.5 cents
per unit and 2 units per page.  The system works really well, as long as you
have big red signs telling the students how it works.

If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jeff

--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Jeff Shaub                   -     Computing Support Center
  shaub@vacs.uwp.wisc.edu      -     University of Wisconsin-Parkside
                               -     Kenosha, WI  53141