How to Release Held Print Jobs

Overview

The printers in all the ITS public labs, and a few printers in departmental labs, are configured in PaperCut as "hold/release" print queues. That means that print jobs do not come out of the printer after being submitted, where anyone could pick up the printouts and walk away with them. Instead, the jobs are held by the PaperCut system to be released by the person who printed the job. This also allows the person printing to select which jobs to print, and to discard earlier drafts to avoid unnecessary printing. After 24 hours (1440 minutes), any print jobs that were not released or cancelled by the person who printed are discarded by the system without any printing charges.

Where are these "hold/release" printers? The ITS printers, most commonly used, can be found on this list of all campus Printers: look for a Location of "ITS Public Labs". (Note that the list extends for 2 pages, with forward and backward links at the bottom left.) Other hold/release printers can be found in labs in Geology (AND), Math/CS (CMC), and Physics (AND).

Another article briefly describes how to print in public spaces. But there are actually three different ways the person who printed can release print jobs at any of these hold/release printers, and this article will describe all three techniques in more depth.

All three of these release techniques work no matter how you submitted the print job: from a client computer, from WebPrint, or any other supported printing method. The printing method and release technique are completely independent.

Technique #1: At the MFD, Printer, or Print Release Station, Using Your OneCard

This is the technique briefly described in the article referenced above. It requires that the person who printed have in hand a Carleton oneCard that matches the person who printed. In other words, from the computer where you want to submit a print job, the PaperCut client pops up and asks you to login; if you login as mousem, you will need the oneCard assigned to mousem to release the job at the printer; duckd's oneCard cannot release mousem's print jobs. (Friend of the College/Affiliate printing is the single exception to this, being able to release jobs printed by "friend".)

a) First, look at the device's LCD console to see if it shows a green & white PaperCut MF login screen. If so, the device will have a designated place for you to tap your oneCard. Look for a card-tapping icon on a panel to the left of the console. The oneCard does not have to be removed from its plastic holder or wallet. If your oneCard is not read by tapping, see if anyone else can tap their oneCard (for their own print jobs. of course). If no one can tap, contact the ITS HelpDesk x5999.

If your oneCard was read correctly (one beep) and your PaperCut account was found, the screen will change to display a list of all your held print jobs available to this printer. As you select each print job, you can see the document title, the number of pages, the cost, your username, the time submitted, and the client computer from which the job was sent. For each job, touch the console to choose one of the Action links at the right, either Print or Delete.

When you're finished with your print jobs, either tap your oneCard again, choose the physical ID button on the console at the lower left, or do nothing for about 120 seconds, and the print release station will log you out, returning to the PaperCut MF login screen.

b) If the device has no console or does not display a PaperCut screen, find a print release station for the printer to which the job was sent. As of September 2018, a print release station is a 7" touchscreen in black case, with a USB magstripe reader attached to the right side (or front), on top of or near the printer. (In CMC 104 and the Library 4th floor, an alternative print release station is a black 15" IBM ThinkPad T60 laptop, with an attached USB magstripe reader and mouse, at a nearby desk where Affiliates and Friends of the College can ask for help. On the Library 4th floor, the T60 print release station can release jobs sent to any of the fourth floor printers.)

The print release station should be showing a white or green screen with the title "Print Release Station" in large letters at the top, and this prompt:

To review your print jobs, swipe your OneCard...
Contact the ITS HelpDesk if assistance is required.

(If a blank screen or screen saver is displayed instead, touch the screen or press one of the arrow keys on the keyboard to see the screen.)

The USB magstripe reader is usually attached to the print release station. It has either a label or a small etched icon showing which side of your oneCard to use, and you can swipe left or right. If the USB magstripe reader beeps 3 times, or the screen displays the error message "Invalid login", the card was not read correctly, so try swiping the whole card length again more slowly. If repeated tries don't work, see if anyone else can swipe their oneCard (for their own print jobs. of course). If no one can swipe successfully, you can restart the print release station by power cycling it off then on again. If your card still does not work, contact the ITS HelpDesk x5999.

If your oneCard was read correctly (two beeps), and your PaperCut account was found, the screen will change to display a list of all your held print jobs available to this printer. For each print job, you can see the time submitted, the printer on which the job will come out, the document title, the number of pages, and the cost. For each job, use the touchscreen, touchpad, mouse, or TrackPoint (red "eraser head" in the middle of the keyboard) to choose one of the Action buttons or links at the right, either Print or Cancel.

When you're finished with your print jobs, either choose the Exit button at the lower left, or do nothing for about 30 seconds, and the print release station will log you out, returning to the initial white screen.

For ITS support technicians, here is more information on how the print release stations work, and how to troubleshoot and fix problems.

Technique #2: At the MFD or Printer, Using Your Smartphone

If you have an iPhone or Android device, or almost any modern smartphone or tablet, with network access, you may be able to release your print jobs with the device, not needing your oneCard at all. PaperCut calls this technique Mobile Print Release, and here is a tour and 3 minute video that shows what it looks like.

On your phone or tablet launch the Web browser and open this location (URL):

https://print.ads.carleton.edu:9192/mr

After PaperCut Mobile Print Release loads, the first time you will be required to login using your Carleton NetID and password. After the first time, if you choose "Remember Me", your smartphone can probably store those credentials, and you won't have to enter them again until they change. Then search for the correct printer, and after selecting it, you'll see a list of your held jobs, which you can examine, print (Release), or cancel. The printer identifying code or "alternate ID" mentioned in the tour is the 5-digit CCID# on a red or gray Carleton College tag on the printer.

But wait... there's a shortcut! Each "hold/release" printer on campus should have attached to the printer a black and white QR code, about 2" x 2" square. If your smartphone or tablet has a camera, it probably has an app that can read QR codes and launch the associated Web page. So, after the first time, don't launch PaperCut Mobile Print Release or the Web browser on your phone; instead, point your camera at the QR code and scan it. This will launch PaperCut Mobile Print Release using the correct URL and  select the correct printer, so you immediately see the list of your print jobs ready to be released to this printer.

If this QR code trick doesn't work for anyone on a particular printer, please let the ITS HelpDesk x5999 know about the problem. We can attach a new QR code, or further troubleshoot the process.

Technique #3: From the Web User Interface, Using Your Login

If neither of the other techniques will work, you can still release your print jobs by logging into the PaperCut Web User Interface from any computer. This technique is riskier, because you may not be able to see that the printer is ready from where you are sitting. If you release blindly like this, you are not eligible for a refund if you don't find your print job at the device later. From a computer on the campus network, open a Web browser and open the location (URL):

go.carleton.edu/webprint

From any computer anywhere, use this full URL instead:

https://print.ads.carleton.edu:9192/user

Once you login with your Carleton NetID and password, from the list of options on the left, choose "Jobs Pending Release".

As with the print release station, you see a list of your held jobs. For each print job, you can see the time submitted, the printer on which the job will come out, the document title, the number of pages, and the cost. For each job, choose one of the Action links at the right, either Print or Cancel. When you're done, use the Log Out option at the bottom left to exit your account, then close the Web browser.

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