Student Computing

Information for students

Printing

Laser Printing in Public Computing Areas
Students can print directly to laser printers from BINGSUNS, PCs and Macintoshes in public computing areas (Pods) using the Pharos laser printing system.

 

Laser Printer Locations and Queues

Laser Printer Locations and Queues
The table below shows the locations and queue names of the printers. (Most locations have more than 1 printer.)

Location Queue Name
Information Commons ICPod_Print
Science II rooms 134 & 135 SCI2_Print
West Pod WPOD_Print1
Academic A Pod ACAD_Print
LNG Pod LNGPod_Print
CAE Pod CaePrint1
Brandywine room 102 Lexmark
Hinman Discovery Center Lexmark
Mountainview Lexmark
Hillside Lexmark

Printing to a Pharos Printer

Printing to a Pharos Printer You can print to Pharos printers from within any application installed on Pod machines. Printing from a PC or Macintosh in Pod Areas:
  1. Open the document you want to print.
  2. Under the File menu, select Print. The print window will open.
  3. Position the cursor over the printer name list and then left-click and hold your mouse button. A list of printers will appear. Select the desired printer.
  4. Click on the Print (or OK) button. Your printout will be sent to the queue of the printer you specified. It will not be printed until you go to the printer and release the job to the printer itself. If you do not release a print job within two (2) hours of sending it to the print queue, the print job will be purged from the queue. Your quota is not changed until you actually print the job.
  5. Go to the printer you sent your job to and follow the directions in the last section: Releasing a Print Job.

Printing Multiple Pages on a Single Page

Printing Multiple Pages on a Single Page
  1. From the File menu, choose Print.
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select Multiple Printing (4 Up or 6 Up).
  4. Click OK.
  5. At the Print dialog box, click the Advanced button.
  6. In the Advanced Print Setup box check the Print as image check box. If the Print as image option is grayed out: Close the print window. Move to page that has a graphic and click on the page. The Print as image option will now be available.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Back at the Print dialog box, click OK to print the document.
NOTE: Failure to check Print as image will cause your other changes to be ignored.

Releasing a Print Job

Releasing a Print Job

  1. At the Welcome screen, press . A logon screen will appear.


  2. At the logon screen, enter your userID and POD password and click the Log on button.


     
  3. The Releasing Print Jobs page will appear showing any print jobs that you’ve sent to that print station. Select a job by clicking on it.


  4. Click the Print button to print the job. Your page balance (in dollars) is displayed at the bottom of the page.
  5. If there is inactivity for more than 20 seconds, Pharos will automatically log you off. If this happens, you will need to log on again to finish printing your jobs.

Adding Additional Printing Allocations

Adding Additional Printing Allocations Students can pay for additional printing (once their quota is depleted) using their BUC$ account. The payment option will charge the cost of the print job, less any remaining quota (i.e. if the print job costs $2.00 and you have a remaining quota of $0.50, $1.50 will be deducted from your BUC$ account.) The balance window at the bottom of the Releasing Print Jobs window will display four (4) balances:
Weekly Quota remaining weekly balance
Semester Overflow remaining semester overflow balance
BUC$ Balance amount of BUC$ printing
Balance Total total of the three 'Funds' listed above
Money may be added to your BUC$ card in one of three ways:
  • At the Meal Plan Office in the University Union
  • Through the Blackboard CMC machine (in the Bartle Library lobby)
  • Using the Online Card Office www.budining.com/OnlineCard.html

Student Computing FAQ

Student Computing FAQ

 

New to Computing at Binghamton University?

Here is a list of common questions and answers. If you don’t see your question answered here, contact the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk (607-777-6420) or your residence hall’s ResCon (Residential Consultant) for assistance. ResCons are students employed by ITS to help students with problems setting up and using computers to connect to the university network from residence hall rooms. ITS has information about computing services at its.binghamton.edu. Students can read BU computing usage policies at its.binghamton.edu/policies.

What kind of computer should I get?

Any new Windows or Macintosh system should work properly on the BU campus network. However, several vendors have special computer purchase programs available to BU students. Though BU does not endorse any of these vendors or their offers other than to provide options to our students, these offers can be useful to those who are unsure of what to purchase. You can learn more about vendor programs at its.binghamton.edu/hardware.

Can I purchase a computer at BU?

Binghamton University does not sell or lease equipment to students. However, several vendors have special computer purchase programs available to Binghamton University students. Binghamton University does not endorse any of these vendors or their offers other than to provide the options to our students. For more information, go to its.binghamton.edu/hardware.

What are the recommended requirements for my computer?

Any new computer should work well, but an older machine with at least a Pentium III or equivalent processor, 1GB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive and Windows XP or newer, or Mac OS 10.4 or newer will be adequate for basic computing tasks.

Can someone setup my computer?

Most students are able to set up their computers themselves, or with minimal help from friends. If you need additional assistance, help is available from your residence hall ResCon (Residential Consultant) or the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk (777-6420). ResCons are available to help fellow students with initial set up, configuration and connection of their computers from their rooms. Contact the Help Desk at 607-777-6420 or helpdesk@binghamton.edu.  ITS does not offer hardware installation or support services.

What do I need to connect to the campus network? 

To get connected you need an up-to-date operating system and up-to-date antivirus software. Also you need a computer with an Ethernet card and an RJ-45 to RJ-45 (straight, not “cross-over”) Ethernet cable. (ITS recommends you bring a 25’ cable.) RJ-45 to RJ-45 Ethernet cables are available from the campus bookstore and from most retailers that carry computers and computer accessories. Binghamton University also offers a growing network of wireless access points that allow you to connect to the Internet wirelessly with the appropriate hardware. For more information, see wireless.binghamton.edu.

How can I check to see if my computer will be allowed on the campus network?    

Open a web browser such as FireFox or Internet Explorer and go to verify.binghamton.edu.

How do I protect against computer viruses?

Go to its.binghamton.edu/software/anti-virus and download, install and run the free anti-virus software offered by ITS.

How much does it cost to get connected?

There is no additional charge for campus Internet connections or support services.

Is wireless computing available on campus?

Yes, wireless is available in most areas across campus. You need an 802.11b-compliant wireless networking adapter either built into your computer or other device, or as an add-in adapter. Authentication is required to use the wireless network. For more information on wireless computing, go to wireless.binghamton.edu.  Personal wireless access points are not allowed and not necessary on campus. 

What if I don’t have my own computer?

BU has a number of public computing areas available to students. In these areas you will find a variety of computing software and hardware. The main public computing areas are the Information Commons (Bartle Library and Science Library), Academic A Pod areas, Library North Ground Pod, West Pod, and Science II Pod. There are also a number of smaller public computing areas on campus. The main public computing sites and additional satellite areas offer a wide selection of locations in which to work.

What if I don’t have a printer?

Students can print directly to laser printers from BingSuns, Windows PCs and Macintoshes. BU provides each student with a weekly laser printing quota of $3.75 (75 pages) per week. (Quotas are reset weekly and cannot be carried over.) When you print a job, the number of pages printed will decrease your quota. In addition, each student is given an overflow allotment of $5.00 (100 pages) per semester. (The overflow allotment is reset at the beginning of each semester.) If a student exceeds his/her 75 page-per-week allocation, the additional pages will automatically be debited from the overflow allotment. Students may also pay for additional printing using their BUC$ account. For more information on printing, see its.binghamton.edu/printing.

Do students get free e-mail?

Each student at Binghamton University is assigned an e-mail account for the duration of the academic career at BU. Students may continue to use the electronic mailbox for up to 6 months after graduation. Your e-mail username and password are the same as your PODS username and password, which you can set yourself at BUBrain.binghamton.edu. Since e-mail is the preferred method of communication between the University and students, you should check your BU e-mail account regularly. BU also offers e-mail forwarding and aliases. For more information about e-mail, go to its.binghamton.edu/email.

Can I have my own web page at BU?

Yes, students may use their BingSun account to create personal web sites. Each student is assigned a BingSun account when s/he comes to campus. BingSun userIDs and passwords are the same as the Pods userIDs and passwords. You can set your own Pods password through BUBrain.binghamton.edu  – Banner. More information on creating a web page can be found at its.binghamton.edu/web.

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is a course management system used by instructors to generate information, communicate with students, record grades, and implement many other tools that can be beneficial to a successful on-line learning environment. To find out more about Blackboard, go to blackboard.binghamton.edu.

What software is available in public computing areas?

ITS keeps an updated searchable list of software installed in public computing areas at its.binghamton.edu/files/software/public/query.pl. Check the list to see what software is installed in which public areas.

Where can I find information about how to use software?

The University Center for Training & Development maintains a large searchable online documentation library complete with how-to videos. The library can be found at training.binghamton.edu.