How to print at a public library: email, mobile printing and the counter
If you need one thing printed and want it cheap, go to the library. Nearly every public library in the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia prints for the public, members and visitors alike, and the per-page cost is usually the lowest in town.
Three ways libraries take your file
- Email to print. Many systems publish an address per branch, often through PrinterOn, Princh or a similar service. You email the document, then release it at a print station with your email address or a code.
- Mobile printing page. You upload from your phone's browser, pick the branch, and pay at the station.
- A library computer. Log in as a guest, open your file from email or a USB stick, and print. Ask at the desk for a guest pass if you have no card.
What it costs and how you pay
Black and white is typically a few cents a page; color a bit more. Most branches take coins or a card at the print station, and some let you add value to a print account at the desk. A library card is usually not required to print.
The fastest route
Open the branch's page before you go and look for "printing" or "mobile printing". If the branch takes email, send the file from the car and it is waiting when you walk in. On a Mac, Print@ lists library printers in the Print dialog with the right email address for each branch, so you can send from any app and get a receipt that tells you where to pick it up.
Tips
- Send a PDF. Word and Pages files can reflow on the library's machines.
- Email-to-print queues usually hold a job for a day or less; print it the same day.
- Large jobs are fine, but a hundred pages of color is cheaper at a print shop.
- Libraries also scan, fax and laminate at most branches. Ask.
Print@ does this from the Print dialog on a Mac: pick Print@ Nearby, and it finds the closest shop or public printer, sends the file, and gives you a pickup code. From a phone, send a file to a Print@ Network shop.
Install on macOSPrint from the webAll guidesQuestions people ask
- Do I need a library card to print?
- Usually not. Most branches let visitors print by paying at the station or asking for a guest pass.
- Can I print from my phone at the library?
- Yes, at most systems: email the file to the branch printer or use the library's mobile printing page, then release it at the print station.
- How much does library printing cost?
- A few cents per page for black and white in most places, more for color. It varies by system, so check the branch page.