Printing, Scanning, and Copying

You can find printers and scanners in the Collaboration Studio on the first floor, the Quiet Study area on the ground floor, and the Digital Media Studio & MakerSpace on the second floor. Copiers are on the first floor and ground floor.

Make sure you have money on your OneCard and you can print from your own laptop or a desktop computer in the Library. 

At this time, Friends of the Library members, alumni, and other visitors cannot print in the Library. Visitors can use the campus print shop, Ctrl+P. 

Add money to your OneCard

There are Add Value Stations in the Collaboration Studio and Quiet Study and across from the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk on the first floor of the Library. These machines take cash only and don’t give change. Students who forget their OneCard can buy a guest printing card for $2 at any Add Value Station. 

You can also add value to your OneCard online: Add/Check Value. 

Pricing

Note: The printing system does not support double-sided printing.

Other places to print, scan, and copy

Ctrl+P Digital Print Shop

Where: Cesar Chavez Student Center, Room M110, Mezzanine Level

Contact: copyctr@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-2434

3D printing

Available in the Digital Media Studio & MakerSpace

Print from your own laptop

Note: Black-and-white printing only. To print in color, use a desktop computer.

Step 1: Install printing software

You must install Pharos software to print from your own laptop. You cannot print from phones or tablets. All software is installed at your own risk. Read the instructions before installing. 

• How to Print in the Library (video)
• Cómo imprimir en la biblioteca (video en español)

How to install and uninstall Pharos printing software

• Windows instructions
• Mac instructions

Download Installer

Installers have been tested for OS X Mavericks (10.9) – OS X Ventura (13.5) and Windows XP – Windows 11 laptops. 

• Download Windows 32-bit installer
• Download Windows 64-bit installer
• Download Mac installer

Step 2: Send your document to a Wi-Fi printer

1. You must be connected to SFState Wi-Fi in order to print.
2. Open your document.
3. Print the document, and make sure you choose the appropriate Wi-Fi printer:
   • Windows: OneCard PostScript Library WiFi
   • Mac: SFSU_Library_Printer
4. Make up a password of your choice for the print job. This is a temporary password used only to release your print job.
5. Swipe or tap your OneCard at a Wi-Fi Print Release Station. Quiet Study and the Collaboration Studio each have one Wi-Fi Print Release Station.
6. Find your file in the list.
7. Select Print.
8. Enter your print job password from step 4.
9. Retrieve your print from the printer.

Print from a desktop computer in the Library

1. Log in to a desktop computer with your SFSU ID and password.
2. Open your document.
3. Print the document and select a black-and-white or color printer.
4. Make up a password of your choice for the print job. This is a temporary password used only to release your print job.
5. Swipe or tap your OneCard at a black and white or color Print Release Station (not a Wi-Fi printer) in the same room you are printing in.
   • Example: If you are printing in black and white from a desktop Mac in the Collaboration Studio, send your print to 1-Black&White-OneCard-RC and use a black and white Print Release Station in the Collaboration Studio.
6. Find your file in the list.
7. Select Print.
8. Enter your print job password from step 4.
9. Retrieve your print from the printer.

Printing PDFs

Very large PDF files sometimes print very slowly or not at all. Do not print directly from your browser. Instead:

1. Save your document to a personal or temp drive.
   • Name the file and remember where you save it.
   • Do not save it to the desktop.
2. Open the PDF.
   • If opening in Adobe Acrobat, you may be able to log in with your SFSU ID and password.
   • On Mac, open the PDF in Preview. On a PC, open with system viewer.
3. Print.

We have many standard-size flatbed scanners and a few larger and higher-quality scanners connected to desktop computers in the Collaboration Studio, Quiet Study, and Digital Media Studio & MakerSpace. 

• All computers require SFSU login. 
• Scanning is free. There is a charge for printing. 
• We recommend using Epson Scan. You can save your files to a drive or email them to yourself.

There are two photocopiers in the Library:

• First floor: in the hallway between LIB 121 and the Collaboration Studio
• Ground floor: in Quiet Study next to the entrance to the elevator area

Both of these copy machines require payment with an SFSU OneCard or mobile ID (loaded with Gator Dollars value) or a guest card (pay with cash at the Add Value Stations).

If you have any questions or any trouble printing, please ask the staff at one of our Help Desks!