Paul Carr | Technical Writing & Editing Services

Client

British Columbia Institute of Technology

Type

Student project

Contribution

Substantive edits

Year

2019

Tools

Google Docs

This project is a how-to guide for printing from lab computers at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

• View the Project

Why I Edited This Guide

I needed to improve the quality and efficacy of a lengthy BCIT knowledge base article. These improvements could enable BCIT students, faculty, and staff to easily find, understand, and act upon instructions for printing from lab computers on campus.

How I Edited This Guide

I restructured and rephrased content from the original article:

• I split the original, lengthy procedure into two smaller procedures with distinct yet complementing goals:
  • queuing a print job
  • printing from the queue
• I chunked content with headings, lists, and note boxes so users can quickly locate and absorb the information they need.
• I limited each procedure to a manageable set of steps.
• I established a consistent structure for each procedure:
  • Subheadings identify each procedure.
  • Numbered lists highlight instructions.
  • Each list item contains only one step.
  • Supplementary information appears separate from the listed steps.

How to Print from a BCIT Lab Computer

To print from a computer in a BCIT lab, queue your document for printing in the lab, and print your queued document at a print station.

How to Queue Your Document for Printing

Follow these steps to add your document to the print queue:

1. Open the Print dialog in the application you’re working in. For example, in Microsoft Word, click File > Print on the menu bar, or click the Print button to open the Print dialog.
2. Select the print queue you want to send your job to:
   • If you’re at Burnaby Campus, select Burnaby_Payprint.
   • Or
   • If you’re at Downtown Campus, select DTC_Payprint.
   • Or
   • If you’re at Aerospace Campus, select ATC_Payprint.
3. To confirm your print settings, click Print.

   Note

   Black & white, double-sided printing is the default. You can enable single-sided or colour printing from the printer settings.

Your document is now part of the print queue.

How to Print Your Queued Document

After adding your document to the print queue, follow these steps to print the document:

1. Walk to the print station at which you wish to print.

   Note

   You can print your document at any print station on campus.

2. At the print station, type your BCIT ID number in the Username field and click OK to display a list of your queued documents.
3. To select the document(s) you wish to print, click on the checkbox(es) next to it (or them).
4. To confirm your selection, click Print.
5. To pay for printing, insert your BCIT ID card into the card reader beside the print station.

   Note

   Before you can pay for printing, you must ensure there is money stored on your BCIT ID card. Check your balance or add money at any BCIT ID card cash machine.

6. To confirm your purchase and send your document(s) to the printer, click Print.

   Note

   You may need to wait a moment for your printout if the printer has to warm up.

7. Retrieve your BCIT ID card from the card reader.

   Note

   The card reader ejects your card automatically when you print. You can also eject your card manually by clicking Eject.

8. Collect your printouts from the printer.

Your printing is complete:

• If you have no more jobs remaining in the queue, you will automatically log out.
• Or
• If you still have jobs waiting in the queue, choose one of these actions:
  • Repeat steps 3–8 to print additional documents.
  • Or
  • Click Logout to manually log out.
  • Or
  • Wait 15 seconds to automatically log out.