PaperCut Print Troubleshooting

Issues

  • My print job won’t print — what do I do?
  • I sent a document to the printer but nothing came out.
  • My print job is stuck in the queue and won’t clear.
  • The printer says my job is held — how do I release it?
  • I released my print job at the printer but the pages never came out.
  • My print job disappeared before I could release it.
  • How long does PaperCut hold a print job before it expires?
  • PaperCut says I don’t have enough balance to print.
  • I’m getting a quota or balance error when I try to print.
  • The release station screen is blank or frozen.
  • I can’t find my print job at the printer.
  • My document printed blank pages.
  • How do I cancel a stuck or unwanted print job?
  • I’m printing from off campus — why isn’t my job showing up?

Environment

This article covers troubleshooting for the PaperCut print workflow — sending jobs, releasing jobs at the printer, and resolving balance or queue errors. It applies to all Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff.

  • Devices: Bowdoin-issued MacBook Pros (macOS Sequoia 15.x or Tahoe 26.x), Bowdoin-issued iPads, Bowdoin-issued Windows 11 computers
  • Software: PaperCut MF, PaperCut Client, Print Deploy

Not covered here:

  • PaperCut Client software problems (crashes, won’t open, login errors) — see PaperCut Client Troubleshooting in the Related Articles section.
  • Printing from personal (non-Bowdoin) devices — see the articles in the Printing from Mobile Devices & Personal Computers category.

Resolution

Tap or click a problem below to jump directly to it:

Sent a job but nothing printed Job stuck in the print queue Release from the web portal Balance or quota error Blank pages printed Release station is blank or frozen


Sent a job but nothing printed

  1. Confirm you selected the correct printer. On a Mac, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners and check which printer received the job. On Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
  2. Go to a release station (the touchscreen panel on or near the printer) and sign in with your Bowdoin username and password.
  3. Look for your job in the Print Release list. If it appears, tap it and select Print.
  4. If your job doesn’t appear at the printer, try releasing from the web portal instead — jump to Release from the web portal below.
48-hour hold: PaperCut holds jobs for 48 hours. If you sent the job more than 48 hours ago, it has expired and you will need to print it again.

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Job stuck in the print queue

On a Mac

  1. Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
  2. Click the printer name, then click Printer Queue.
  3. Select the stuck job and click the X (delete) button to cancel it.
  4. If the job won’t delete, click Pause, delete the job, then click Resume.

On Windows 11

  1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
  2. Select the affected printer, then click Open print queue.
  3. Right-click the stuck job and select Cancel.
  4. If the queue remains frozen, restart the Print Spooler service: press Windows + R, type services.msc, find Print Spooler, right-click and choose Restart.
Queue still frozen on a Mac? See Resetting the printing system in macOS in the Related Articles section for a deeper fix that clears all print queues and reinstalls printers.

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Release from the web portal

If the release station is unavailable or your job isn’t showing at the printer touchscreen, you can release from the web portal:

  1. Go to papercut.bowdoin.edu and sign in with your Bowdoin username and password.
  2. Click Jobs Pending Release in the left sidebar.
  3. Locate your job and click Print next to it.
  4. Select the printer you want to release to, then confirm.
  5. Walk to that printer — the job will print within a few seconds.
Off campus? You must be connected to the Bowdoin VPN to access the PaperCut portal or to send print jobs from off campus. Connect to the VPN first, then retry.

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Balance or quota error

  1. Check your current balance. See Check Your PaperCut Account Balance in the Related Articles section for how to sign in to the portal and view it.
  2. Students receive a $60 printing allocation each semester. If your balance is at or near zero, you will not be able to print until funds are added.
  3. To associate a replacement OneCard with your account, see Updating your OneCard information for PaperCut in the Related Articles section.
  4. Faculty and staff with department charging questions should contact their department administrator or the Service Desk.

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Blank pages printed

  1. Confirm the original file is not blank or corrupted — open it and check before reprinting.
  2. If printing a PDF on a Mac, try opening it in Preview instead of a browser, then print from Preview.
  3. If you see a filter failed error when printing PDFs on a Mac, see Fix the “filter failed” error when printing PDFs on macOS in the Related Articles section.

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Release station is blank or frozen

  1. Wait 30 seconds — the screen may be in sleep mode and will wake on touch.
  2. If the touchscreen is unresponsive, try an adjacent printer or release your job from the web portal (see Release from the web portal above).
  3. If the release station is consistently offline, report it to the Service Desk so facilities can investigate.

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Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
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Related Articles (19)

How to charge a print job to a department or shared account instead of your personal PaperCut balance. Faculty, staff, and authorized student workers can select a shared account at the time of printing, once their access to that account has been set up by IT.
How to check your PaperCut printing balance at Bowdoin College. Students, faculty, and staff can view their current balance and recent printing activity by signing in to the PaperCut web portal from any device, on or off campus.
How to install or delete campus printers on a Bowdoin-issued Mac or Windows 11 computer using the Print Deploy application. Covers printers that are installed automatically, how to manually add additional printers, and how to remove printers that are no longer needed. Requires being on campus or connected to the Bowdoin VPN.
How to reinstall the PaperCut Client and Print Deploy applications on a Bowdoin-issued Mac or Windows 11 computer when they are missing or not working. Use the Self Service app (macOS) or Company Portal (Windows 11) to reinstall. Requires a Bowdoin username and password and a connection to the Bowdoin network or VPN.
How to fix a PDF that prints only an error page or garbled output instead of the actual document. This is usually caused by corrupt or modified PDF data, often from Adobe Acrobat, and is resolved by re-exporting the PDF through macOS Preview before printing.
How to print to a Bowdoin campus printer from off campus using the Bowdoin VPN. Covers connecting to the VPN, sending a print job, and releasing it through the PaperCut web portal when you return to campus or release remotely. Applies to all Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff on Bowdoin-issued computers.
Explains what the PaperCut Client (PCClient) application is, why it is required for printing on campus, and how to tell whether it is running on a Mac or Windows 11 computer. Applies to all Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff.
Step-by-step troubleshooting guide for the PaperCut Client application on Bowdoin-issued Macs and Windows 11 computers. Covers how to check whether the client is running, how to start it manually, and how to repair or reinstall it when print jobs don't appear at the release station.
Explains what PaperCut Print Deploy is and how it manages campus printer installations on Bowdoin-issued Macs and Windows 11 computers. Covers how to find the application, why some printers may not appear in the list, and how Print Deploy differs from the PaperCut Client.
How to set up and use PaperCut to print to Bowdoin campus printers from a personally owned Mac or Windows 11 computer. Covers installing the Mobility Print software, sending a print job, and releasing it at the printer. Requires a Bowdoin account and connection to the Bowdoin network or VPN.
How to set up and use PaperCut to print to Bowdoin campus printers from a Bowdoin-issued iPad mini or a personal iPhone or iPad. Covers installing the Mobile Print configuration profile, sending a print job using AirPrint, and releasing the job at a campus MFD or through the PaperCut web portal. Requires a connection to the Bowdoin wireless network.
Explains PaperCut's 48-hour print job hold policy at Bowdoin. Covers why jobs are held, when they expire, what happens to charges when a job expires, and what to do if a job disappears before you could release it. Applies to all Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff.
Options for printing to Bowdoin campus printers from an Android phone or tablet. AirPrint is not available on Android, but printing is possible through the PaperCut Mobility Print setup page or by emailing documents to a computer and printing from there. Requires a connection to the Bowdoin wireless network and a Bowdoin account.
The end-to-end workflow for printing to a campus PaperCut printer from a Bowdoin-issued Mac or Windows 11 computer. Covers signing in to PaperCut, sending a job, and releasing it at the printer. Links to other articles for installing printers, charging a department, and troubleshooting.
Step-by-step instructions for releasing a held print job to a campus printer. Covers three methods: releasing at the printer using your OneCard or Bowdoin ID, releasing through the PaperCut web portal, and releasing from a mobile device. Applies to all Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff
How to release a held print job using the PaperCut web portal at papercut.bowdoin.edu. Covers signing in, viewing queued jobs, selecting a physical printer, and using the mobile release site on a phone or tablet. Useful when releasing at the printer is not possible or when you want to choose which printer your job prints to. Requires a Bowdoin account and connection to the Bowdoin network or VPN.
How to clear your saved PaperCut Client credentials after changing your Bowdoin password. If PaperCut keeps using your old password and won't let you sign in, you need to delete the saved authentication file on your Mac or Windows 11 computer.
How to reset the macOS printing system on a Bowdoin-issued Mac running Sequoia or Tahoe. Resetting the printing system clears all installed printers and returns the system to factory defaults, and is used as a last-resort fix for stubborn printing problems. Administrator access is required.
How to associate a replacement OneCard with your PaperCut account so you can resume tap-to-release printing at campus multi-function printers. Use this article whenever your OneCard is replaced — for example, if the original was lost, stolen, or damaged.

Related Services / Offerings (3)

Bowdoin's PaperCut print management platform. Request software help, manage cost centers, configure printers, set up guest access, or request additional student print funds.
Get help with PaperCut software — PaperCut Client, Print Deploy, or printing from a personal or mobile device. For physical printer problems, use Report Printer Issue instead.
Report a campus network printer that is offline, producing errors, jammed, or not working as expected. Faculty and staff.