Penn State announced Thursday it’s launching a new pay-as-you-go, cloud-based printing service, “Paw Prints,” on campus this fall.

Fifty-one new printing kiosks were brought online on August 15, replacing the printers that were previously located in computer labs.

Additionally, printers that were previously located in classrooms are now going to be placed in hallway locations. Paw Print kiosks do not impact the printers that are provided by individual colleges.

“We understand that Penn State students are preparing for a much different experience at University Park this fall than anyone has experienced before,” Jennifer Sparrow, associate vice president for Teaching and Learning with Technology, said. “Our goal with Paw Prints is to help provide an enriching learning experience through modern printing technology.”

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors can print to the cloud from their laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets. Penn State has partnered with wepa, a cloud-based printing firm, to bring mobile and desktop apps to make Paw Prints a reality. Wepa apps support iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows devices.

Students can also access their files stored on Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, and Canvas, or insert a flash drive to the kiosk.

“Also, with our heightened focus on social distancing and other health protocols, it’s a major benefit to avoid the need to print from shared lab computers,” Sparrow added. “All of the students’ printing needs can be handled from their personal devices.”

Additionally, students no longer have access to 75 pages of free prints each semester. Printing rates begin at seven cents per page. Students can pay using their wepa accounts, LionCash, or credit and debit cards.

“We are working with faculty to share best practices to help students manage the cost of printing course materials,” Sparrow said. “For example, instead of requiring students to print syllabi, faculty can give access to digital versions through University-supported services like Canvas or Google Drive.”

You can find more information about the printing process, payment options, kiosk locations, and more through Paw Prints’ website.