Does anyone know how I can restrict rinting from windows XP, i.e make people have like print credits, my kids are wasting my paper / toner.

I mean a software to process printing credit and not hardware !!

You seem a bit of a miser, as a ream of paper costs less than Aus$4.50 and the black laser toner cartridge (3000 sheets) cost me Aus$35.00 to refill. Inkjets are even cheaper to run.

If you give your kids pocket money or an allowance each week. Deduct a certain amount to help cover the cost of paper / toner if your really

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That should read...

Deduct a certain amount to help cover the cost of paper / toner if your concerned about waste.

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Not sure I'd agree that inkjets are cheaper to run than lasers... All the cost reviews I've ever come across indicate (strongly) that lasers are noticeably cheaper than inkjet - in terms of running cost; and my own experience confirms it.. Inkjets may be cheaper to buy but not to run, and there are very inexpensive laser printers around now.

So, are you using a laser or inkjet? If the latter (and costs per page can be high compared to that for lasers) then use an inexpensive laser. As I say above running cost is significantly cheaper (per page) with a laser than for inkjets.

I paid almost $1000 for my current Epson EPL5600/ActionLaser1600 in '95/'96. Inkjets were not exactly cheap then - but were cheaper to buy than a laser; and running costs per page were cheaper for the laser than the inkjet. Today, for a fraction of that, one can gat a wide range of laser printers that outperform my Epson, and other similar printers of that era...

You can also buy inexpensive paper for general use; have better quality to hand for serious work (yours or the children)?

Well I feel his pain myself. While not being a miser, I dont care about my kids printing things but my problem is they are printing nothing but junk and dont print what they really wanted printed in the first place. Say they wanted to print something they will print maybe four or five times before they get the copy they want. Or they dont take the time to proof read word documents before they print them. Just being kid like they in other words make kid mistakes and that in turn is using lots more paper and ink than what really should be used. Thats my problem and maybe his.

Girls just wanna have fun! Im out to help them all I can!

My kids are 8 and 12!

Girls just wanna have fun! Im out to help them all I can!

On my Lexmark Z31 inkjet it used to cost me Aus$2.50 to refill the black cartridge, and about Aus$4.00 for the colour cartridge. Now that's not going to break the bank is it.

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I can understand the irritations... Are you able to educate them a little and encourage/show them how to do things without wasting toner/paper?

Also are you able to use the paper (t'other side) a second time - and thus reduce wastage a little?

Most children are "pretty savvy" when given the basics these days as regards computers etc.?

Again a laser will reduce cost significantly; and both sides of the paper can be used - after allowing the paper to cool (and perhaps lay it flat for a while under a few books). Some lasers run hotter than others (when fixing the toner), some run cooler. I bought my Epson because (amongst other things) it runs noticeably cooler than HP and other lasers of that vintage.

I beleive the question asked was how to restrict printing, so lets try and help.

Printers are installed per user, not per computer. Therefore one user can have X amounts of printers installed, whilst another user on the same computer can have Y amounts of printers installed. So the simple solution is to setup another user account for the other users, and simply not install the printer.

Don't worry about them reinstalling the printer, you can restrict permissions to install printer drivers through the "Administrative Tools" section in the Control Panel... this is done through the "Local Security Settings" tools, and then going to "Local Policies" -> "Security Settings", and then option is called "Devices: Prevent users from installing printer drivers"...

Hope that helps! If it doesn't then just mail me

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I read it as more a plea to help restrict useage (and thus reduce wasteage/costs) - NOT to prevent printing entirely?

Agree that a user profile with "no printer access etc." would reduce costs drastically - but is it really a healthy/ideal solution in a family environment?

Yeah thats what I read also so that post didnt do anymore helping with the original question than did my statement. I am not aware of software to restrict printingg myself. I wouldnt believe there would be such software because printers were meant to be used and used and used and not restricted. There just never was a real need enough to justify having a restriction to create such.

Girls just wanna have fun! Im out to help them all I can!

I did come up with one piece of software to restrict printing.

Tell them if more than three sheets come out of this printer and I find out about it then I am going to put some hardware on your butt!

You see, telling them is the software and that stick you are going to use afterward becaue the software didnt work will be the hardware!

Girls just wanna have fun! Im out to help them all I can!

I am so sorry. My daughter is 10 and she prints everything. I have also looked for software and there is nothing I can find.
WHat I do is give her 3 pieces of paper that I put in the printer myself. If she needs more than that she has to ask and if I find it valid I give her what she needs.
When you have kids this age there isn't much more you can do!
I feel for you!

I have numerous problems with this machine. To name a few... None of my scans will complete. I have Symantec corporate 8.0, AVG free edition, Spybot and Ad-aware. Spybot will sometimes complete. Adawa

One routine that may help a litle; it does presume they a have pocket-money/allowance... Presuming so,

Give the munchkins a paper allowance (per day/week); make it a resonable one... Then if they go over it charge them "a few" cents/pennies or whatever for an additional allowance (or charge them per sheet after they use their alloted weekly/daily pages). Each time they run out of the latest "free" or paid for paper allowance they have to buy another... When they start to notice their pocket-money is dwindling (albiet only a little?) it may help them to adjust their approach and learn to discriminate more on how/what they print? It is horribly commercial - and not really an avenue I'd be keen to go myself... But it may help encourage some of the more mature munckins get to grip the cost of life's "essentials"...? The pennies/cents you gather from their pocket-money you keep separate/safe. When they start to reduce wasteage, treat them to something nice - using that cash (and perhaps a little of your own...). i.e. rewards may encourage...

If the munckins are really quite young, it may be that one has to "byte the bullit" and just be patient; do what one can to encourage their understanding etc. by gentler means and example... If that fails then as they age... move to the routine above???

Also encourage all munckins (regardless of age...) to re-use paper; i.e. store used paper a short while (flat) and then use the "other side"...

trvlr, I said that in Responce 1 about deducting money out of their allowance...

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True... I guess I was really detailing my preference to retaining said cash (somewhere safe/secure), and later using it to reward the munchkins (with suitable treats) when they learn not to waste resources...

Overall I feel one has to be patient and indulge "young" munchkins, for a while at least, pending their learning to be resposnsible for their own actions etc.?