Printing Credits
A $30 printing credit is allocated to each enrolled GW student at the beginning of the fall semester! While the credits aren’t intended to cover total printing costs, they ensure you can more affordably print required class materials. Please continue to consider sustainability and print judiciously and double sided whenever possible.
To use Print Credits, students must activate them by logging in at a print kiosk.
How to Activate Your $30 Print Credit:
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Go to any Colonial Printing kiosk and swipe your GWorld card.
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In the upper right-hand corner of the screen you should see “Wepa Balance $30.00.”
Please note:
- If you do not log in during the first semester of your enrollment each year, you will receive a prorated credit amount. For example, a student enrolled in the fall that does not swipe their GWorld card until the Spring semester will receive a prorated amount of $15.
- You will need to select "Wepa Account" to print using print credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does GW have a print credit?
How will the printing credits address sustainable practices?
What if I truly need more printing credit?
Where can I use my printing credits?
How did GW arrive at the above print credit amounts?
What does it cost to print at GW?
How does GW’s print credit compare to other colleges and universities?
My printing credit has run out. What are my options?
How often are print credits reset?
I did not use all of my printing credits. Can I get a cash refund?
What happens to my free print credit at the end of the year?
Which email address do law students use to access their print credit?
I registered late or my program start date is later than the normal one. Will I get my credits?
Are print credits transferable? Can I use them to print personal items?
How can I provide feedback or report a course that requires a great deal of printing?
What is GW’s print credit?
All GW students receive a $30 print credit for the academic year in their Wepa account. As most printing is on 8 ½ x 11 paper on black and white printers, this equates to 427 sides per year for a year round student (this represents the proportional black and white, color, single sided, and double sided prints based on past usage). Students enrolling in only the spring semester or those who do not activate their printing credits by swiping their GWorld card during the first semester of enrollment each year will receive a $15 credit on the first day of classes that semester.
Why does GW have a print credit?
GW has two purposes for printing credits:
- While the credits aren’t intended to cover total printing costs, they ensure students can affordably print required class materials.
- Further GW’s collective commitment to sustainable practices.
How will the printing credits address sustainable practices?
Because the print credits should cover typical student printing needs, it provides a gauge for students to determine if they are considering sustainability in their printing decisions. While there may be valid reasons for a small set of students to print more than this credit provides, students should try and “budget” their printing credits to last the year.
What if I truly need more printing credit?
Based on past usage data, the student printing credits should meet the needs of most students. If students find they need more credit, they should first ensure they are only printing essential documents. Our goal is to provide the right balance between academic printing requirements and GW's focus on sustainability. Students experiencing financial hardship can contact the GW Store for the availability of additional printing credit cards.
Where can I use my printing credits?
The printing credits can be used at any printing kiosk.
How did GW arrive at the above print credit amounts?
Based on data gathered at GW and surveying of other institutions, the $30 credit will satisfy most of the GW community’s printing.
What does it cost to print at GW?
Visit our pricing page.
How does GW’s print credit compare to other colleges and universities?
Universities have varied approaches to balancing printing credits and sustainability initiatives. Because sustainability is such a high priority to both our students and staff, the printing credits are designed to address both affordability while still incenting students to be judicious in what they print. When comparing to other institutions, the important metric to compare is sides printed as this is determined both by the credit amount and the fees charted for each side. At 427 sides per year, GW is just below the median of our “market basket”. Nearly all colleges and universities charge for printing, and many of those do not offer credits.
My printing credit has run out. What are my options?
After the print credit is exhausted, any additional print costs will be your responsibility. There are a variety of options to pay for printing. Students experiencing financial hardship can contact the GW Store for the availability of additional printing credit cards.
How often are print credits reset?
Prior to the start of the fall semester, all enrolled GW students will receive the $30 print credit for the academic year. For students enrolled in only the spring semester, a $15 print credit will load to their Wepa account prior to the start of the spring semester. Print credit balances will be reset at the end of the academic year, to coincide with the beginning of the next academic year.
I did not use all of my printing credits. Can I get a cash refund?
No. If you do not use your print credits each year, you have done your part to contribute to GW's commitment to sustainability and to help save trees and money.
What happens to my free print credit at the end of the year?
The printing credit will be reset at the beginning of each academic year. Credits do not accumulate from year to year and are not refundable.
Which email address do law students use to access their print credit?
The printing credit for GW Law students is associated with their gwu.edu email address and not their law.gwu.edu address.
I registered late or my program start date is later than the normal one. Will I get my credits?
Yes, every night, the system will check for newly registered students. Your credit account will be setup at that time. If after a few days, this is not the case, please contact support.
How can I reduce my printing?
- Use web browser bookmarks to save material you are interested in rather than printing them.
- Email yourself links you are interested in rather than print them.
- Use the print preview feature of applications to verify output layout of documents which you are frequently updating. Only print when you are satisfied with the final result.
- When making changes or corrections to a document only print the page that contains the corrections instead of reprinting the entire document.
- Consider printing PowerPoint slides 3 to 6 to a page. This will also speed up the printing process.
Are print credits transferable? Can I use them to print personal items?
Print credits are not transferable. Students may only use their credits for GW school related printing.
How can I provide feedback or report a course that requires a great deal of printing?
Please complete this form if you would like to provide feedback or alert us to classes that you believe require printing that is not warranted. We also encourage you to provide direct feedback to your professors on concerns about excessive printing.
