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Printing Questions

This page answers some questions about printing. If your question has not been answered here, please check the Support FAQ.

Questions

Answers


How can I delete my document from the printing system without printing it?
Wait 24 hours - by that time unprinted jobs will have been deleted from the queue.
Alternatively go to a printer, login in the usual way, select your print job and touch Delete.

How can I print A3 size?
Make sure that your document is sized as A3 before you print it. Then just print to a printer which has A3 paper.

If printing from the command line on a DICE machine, you may need to specify the A3 tray (usually tray 4):

lpr -o InputSlot=Tray4 myfile.pdf

How can I print A0 posters?
Poster printing and colour printing facilities are available at uCreate. They can print A0, A1 and A2. There is a LaTeX infposter class for producing A0 posters in the University of Edinburgh corporate style.

How do I scan a document?
For basic instructions see the Scan to Email page. For specialist facilities contact uCreate.

What do I do when the printer is jammed or out of toner?
If the printer is out of toner, or if it's out of paper and you can't find more paper nearby, contact your nearest admin office (Informatics Forum Level 1 admin office, Bayes Centre) or student support office (Appleton Tower Level 6).

If there is a jam, or something more serious seems to be wrong, then contact Computing Support. Before you do this please check that the printer is turned on, plugged in, and so on.


Where are the printers?

How do I print simplex (single-sided)?

On a DICE command line type: 

   lpr -o sides=one-sided myfile.pdf

How do I print duplex (double-sided)?

The Informatics printers should default to printing duplex, but occasionally you may need to force this. Depending on how you want to flip your pages, choose one of these DICE commands: 

lpr -o sides=two-sided-short-edge myfile.pdf
lpr -o sides=two-sided-long-edge myfile.pdf

Or use your application's Print options as necessary.


How do I ask for my document to be stapled?

Release your job at a printer which has a finisher.

Stapling can be selected from within evince:

Find options → Print → Advanced → Stapling

And select "Top Left" or "Top Right" as appropriate.

From a DICE machine

     lpr -o StapleLocation=SinglePortrait mydoc.pdf

(Thanks to David Sterratt for this answer.)

Alternatively, print as normal then use the printer's manual built-in stapler.


How do I print my file in booklet format?


The way to get a file printed in booklet form (to be folded in the middle, making an A5-sized booklet) depends on the file's format.

For PostScript:

psbook filename.ps | lpr -o sides=two-sided-short-edge -o number-up=2

For PDF:

pdftops filename.pdf - | psbook | lpr -o sides=two-sided-short-edge -o number-up=2

From LibreOffice Writer:

 File → Print → Page Layout → Brochure: Left To Right Script

then

 General → Properties → Paper → Duplex: 2 Sided Flip on Short Edge

I just released a job at a printer but nothing was printed, why not?
Your job may have been rejected by the print system. To find out more, visit your myprint page (IS).
Last reviewed: 
03/10/2023

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