Implementing PaperCut in a school environment

PaperCut NG is our version of PaperCut specifically designed for schools. The Implementation guide for IT and network managers gives a good overview of many of the considerations involved. Common implementation approaches in order of popularity are:

Student Management:

1. Restricting students to a sensible weekly or monthly quota.

2. Restricting students to a sensible weekly or monthly quota. Additional quota/credit can be purchased via Top-Up Cards if required.

3. Charge students up front. All students start off at zero and need to add money to their account before printing and/or internet access is granted. It is best to manage student payments using Top-Up Cards.

4. Silently monitor student activity reporting excessive use to teaching staff (common in primary schools).

Staff Management:

1. Providing staff with unrestricted but monitored access.

2. Providing staff with access to shared accounts which provide a way of tracking and allocating printing to department/faculty.

3. Providing a term/semester based allocate to staff based on their role. Additional quota, if required, is allocated to staff after management approval.

4. Starting staff off at zero, so their printing cost counts down. Staff printing is billed back to faculty departments on a term or semester basis. This charge back is often calculated based on a percentage arrangement based on role. For example 50% to the Maths faculty and 50% to Science for a duel science/maths teacher.

5. Staff use unmonitored and unrestricted printers provided and managed by their faculty for staff use.