A new approach to on-campus printing will support sustainability and lower print prices for students.

Information Technology Services and University of Iowa Student Government teamed up to develop the new funding model, which discontinues the free print credit in favor of price reductions of 2 cents per page for black-and-white and 35 cents for color. The change will take effect in fall 2017 for all Information Technology Center printers and ITC partner printing facilities.

With the new model, students will be charged only the cost of the actual print in question (paper, toner, and service operating costs), without the additional subsidy that funded free printing in the past.

Current prices are 5 cents per impression for black-and-white and 50 cents for color, which subsidized the $10 per semester ($5 for summer session) in free print credit. The new model eliminates the credit and simply charges 3 cents per black-and-white impression and 15 cents for color from the start.

"The new printing payment structure is more sustainable and equitable for all students,” says UISG Senator Noel Mills, who authored Student Senate Resolution #28 in support of this change. “The price per page will be cut significantly, and students will only have to pay for the materials they use themselves. UI Student Government is proud to support this new printing model.”

Mills noted that UISG will gladly accept feedback from students, and encourages constituents to contact her at noel-mills@uiowa.edu with questions, comments, or concerns.

Two-sided printing will continue to be the default selection for black-and-white printing. Color printing will default to one-sided, to avoid bleed-through. The changes do not apply to Engineering students, who will continue to use the existing funding model for their college.

“We were very glad to work with UISG on this initiative to encourage sustainability in printing,” says Chris Clark, Director of Learning Spaces in the ITS Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology. “This approach is fair in that everyone pays as they go, and will help people to think twice before printing. We see this as a win for students, the university, and the environment.”