As the fall semester gets underway, returning students may notice a change in computer labs across campus: UWM has traded in its old PantherPRINT system for Wepa Print Away. The new system, which has been in use at UWM since July 31, will give students more options for both uploading their documents as well as for payment.
Where PantherPRINT required students to load a print card with cash value, this new system allows students to pay via student ID, credit or debit card, UWM gift card, PayPal, or Wepa account. However, students must pay a $2.00 service fee for PantherCard deposits made online, and a $0.40 fee for debit or credit use that is not accompanied by a WepaNow account deposit of $5.00 or more.
Technology consultant at Golda Meir Library Cindy Vang says that Wepanow is more versatile than PantherPRINT. With PantherPRINT, students would have to login and upload their documents at the print station computers or via campus Internet connection.
WepaNow allows students to upload their documents from home via Wepanow.com. All students need in order to upload is a device with Internet connection and then they are able to upload their documents.
“You can just upload from your computer at home and print directly from the kiosk,” Vang said.
According to their website, WepaNow uses cloud technology to allow users high availability and secure retrieval of documents. In addition to UWM, many other universities, such as UCLA, Penn State and George Washington University, have all made the switch to the Wepa Print Away system.
Overall, this new printing technology provides students with more options when it comes to printing. Wepa will save time for students as it eliminates time spent waiting in line at print stations to upload documents or connecting to campus Internet. It also cuts out the extra step of having to load print cards with cash value before printing.
Students with funds left over on their print cards from previous semesters have nothing to fear. Existing print cards are not compatible with WepaNow, however, students can transfer funds from their cards into their Wepa accounts. Funds can be transferred to the account at both the Help Desk at Bolton 225 or the Library Front Desk.
Students can find the link here.