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Pcounter Station |  |
Pcounter Station is printer accounting release station software which runs on a dedicated Windows PC, to be used in controlled or pay-to-print environments. After users send print jobs from other workstations, they can approach the station, select the jobs they wish to send to the printer, and submit some form of payment through devices such as card readers or cash machines. Pcounter Station locks down the PC so that users cannot exit, and the Pcounter Station software is the only application which is shown on the computer’s display.
General Features
- Pcounter Station works with print queues hosted on Windows and NetWare. NetWare support
includes NDPS and iPrint printers, and NDS queues.
- Pcounter Station can also be used optionally in combination with Pcounter and the Pcounter Popup to provide
a secure, password-protected release station.
- Pcounter Station with vending support can be used in the following ways:
- A dedicated deposit station where users can add credit to Pcounter network accounts.
- A combination deposit and secure release station.
- Users can pay for individual print jobs using one of the supported devices.
- Includes built-in secure LPD server and NetWare queue server for transfer of print jobs from remote print servers
to local printers (such as parallel and USB) on the Pcounter Station machine.
- Pcounter Station displays the following languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Swedish,
Danish, Finnish, Czech, and Dutch. All text that is displayed is totally customizable.
- Pcounter Station can be configured to route jobs to one or more destination printers. The following configuration
scenarios are possible:
- Multiple Pcounter Stations can be configured to monitor the same source queue, each with its own unique
destination. Each destination is connected to a printer which is physically located near each station.
- A single Pcounter Station can be configured with multiple destinations for a single source queue. Destinations
are connected to similar printers, and users may choose an idle printer, achieving a type of load balancing.
- Print jobs can be forwarded to remote destinations which may not have payment options that are available at the Pcounter Station site.
- Multiple Pcounter Stations can be configured to monitor the same source queue, each with its own unique
destination. Each destination is connected to a printer which is physically located near each station.
Supported Payment Devices
The following devices (connected to the computer's serial port) are supported for payment:
- Cartadis TC4N and TCRS card readers
- Danyl/Schlumberger D/AUX card reader
- Debitek Magnetic and Chip card readers
- ITC Systems 1015/2015 and ACT 350 card readers
- Jamex 6557 coin/bill pay station
- Jamex 7114 card reader
- TBS 9500 coin/bill pay station
- Diskette (For testing purposes, uses a diskette to simulate a card reader)
- Other third-party devices are available via selected vendors.
Cash Vending
- A.N.D. Technologies presents the TBS 9500, a new coin/bill unit, which when used with Pcounter Station, allows users to pay for print jobs and make deposits to printing accounts.
Campus Payments
- Blackboard Transaction System, CBORD Odyssey, and CardSmith integration is now available!
- Contact us for a trial version and pricing information.
Requirements
- Windows 9x, NT 4.0, 2000, or XP with Internet Explorer 4 or later.
- NetWare support requires Novell Client 32.
- Pcounter running on the print server in order for page counts and cost of print jobs to be calculated, and/or to automatically pause jobs in print queues.
- A CPU fast enough and sufficient RAM to run the OS efficiently.
Cost
- Pcounter Station price: $395 per station.
- With vending support: $695 per station.
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