PaperCut KB | Why currency / unit based print accounting is better than counting pages

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Why currency / unit based print accounting is better than counting pages

In general, using a currency model for print accounting or quotas is a much better option than a page based system. There are several reasons this is the case.

If you don't like the idea of using currency (because it implies charging or real money), consider removing the currency sign in PaperCut. See the bottom of this page for details.

1. A currency model leads to less waste, and promotes responsibility

In a page based system you might say "users can print 100 grayscale pages and 10 color pages". But when a user has used up all their grayscale printing, they will probably print the last 10 in color, even though they may not require it. This leads to a waste of toner / resources.

A currency based system leaves the choice in the users' hands. For example if printing in grayscale and duplex on the laser printer is the cheapest way to print, that's what the users will do; saving color printing for only when it is needed.

2. Currency is simple

At first, a page based accounting / quota model might sound quite simple, such as "users can print 100 pages". However this can quickly get very complicated and inflexible - enough to make it unmanageable.

Take the example of factoring in color printing - the page based system might be updated to say "users can print 100 grayscale pages and 10 color pages". If you were to then factor in duplex mode and different page sizes, it might then be "users can print 40 Letter/A4 grayscale pages single sided, 1 large color page double sided, etc."

A currency based model is simple: Costs are defined like items in a shop and if a user has enough credit, they can print.

For example when a grayscale page costs $0.10, and a user has $10.00, they can print 100 pages.

This system allows for charging more for large page sizes or expensive printers, or offering discounts for using grayscale or duplex printing.

3. Currency is flexible

A currency based system can easily be extended when new printers are introduced. If a new printer costs slightly less per page than an existing printer, no problem - change slightly less for using it. If the price of color toner goes up, increase the price of color printing.

4. Currency is familiar

We are used to dealing with currency and performing transactions in our everyday lives. The concept of comparing items and their relative costs is familiar to us, so is easy to understand.

But I really, really want a page based system

There may be some situations where a page based system is still desired. For example, if a printing environment is really simple, it might be enough to track by pages alone.

No problems - it's easy to turn displayed currency into a simple counter: simply disable the currency sign, and remove any decimal places.

In PaperCut NG and PaperCut ChargeBack, this can be done as follows:

From the administration interface, navigate to Options -> General -> Display Options.
Uncheck Display currency sign
Check Change number of decimal places
Enter 0 in box boxes to display no decimal places.
Press Apply.