VolPrint, a unified printing system for computer laboratories and copiers, was installed at UT in May 2004 and began charging on August 12, 2004. The system charged 2 cents an image and could be paid for by the university debit card (All Star Plus Account) or, in the library, by purchase of special cards. In the period from September to March 2003, almost 12 million pages were printed in computer labs and at the libraries, representing 58.9 tons of paper. If the sheets were printed stacked, the pile would be almost 420 stories high. The new system was introduced to decrease waste, to provide funds for keeping printing facilities state of the art, and to shift payment to the direct user of the service.