Desktop Services
Paying for DS-Print printing and checking your balance
The various Institutions whose printers come under the DS-Print banner, either as part of a Managed Cluster or independently, can each have their own pricing structure and payment methods. Lists of printers, locations and prices can be found in this list.
A large number of Institutions share in the "common balance" mechanism described below, in which case the payment methods are the same for central UCS printers; common balance printers are marked on the printer list. For non-common balance printers, information about payment methods should be sought from local IT support staff.
The charges for printing on the printers in Computing Service public rooms are:
- Black and white A4: 5p per sheet (whether double- or single-sided)
- Colour A4: 30p per side (i.e. 60p for an A4 sheet printed on both sides)
- Black and white A3: 10p per sheet (whether double- or single-sided)
- Colour A3: 60p per side (i.e. £1.20 for an A3 sheet printed on both sides)
How to pay
This section describes payment into the common balance scheme (see the list of UCS-managed printers). For institutions whose printers are not part of the common balance, local advice should be sought.
To use any common balance printer, you need to prepay by a minimum of £5 (100 b&w A4 sheets) (unless you have been allocated a free quota by your Department). Each time that you print a page on a charged printer, your balance will be reduced by the appropriate amount. When your credit is exhausted, you will not be able to do any more printing. No refunds are given for self-service printing. Any sheets generated through the printer will be charged for, even blank ones, so it is in your interests to ensure the pagination of your document is correct before you print it.
You can pre-pay:
- online using a debit or credit card
or in cash
- at Computing Service Reception
- some departments will accept payments from their own staff and students, so ask your local computer officer
If you pay online the minimum payment is £5 and you can buy credit in units of £1, but online payment is not allowed if it will take your credit balance above £30.
If you pay in cash at the Computing Service, the minimum payment is £5.
To make an online payment, visit eCredit. Online payment is subject to the Computing Service policy regarding online payment for DS-Print print credit and to the University's general Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale. Note that AMEX cards are not accepted.
If your payment is successful you will receive a confirmatory email. If your online payment fails because of an error in filling in the form, you should get an explanatory message. In case of difficulty please contact the UCS Service Desk (Help Desk). If the payment fails because your bank has rejected it, you should get an email informing you of this. If the reason for the failure is not obvious to you, you will need to contact the bank.
Checking your balance
To check how much prepaid print credit you have left or to check a local balance please click here. Raven authentication is required. You can also view your transaction history.