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CU Print: RFID Card Reader Troubleshooting

All CU Print printers are equipped with RFID card readers. Users authenticate at the device by hovering their Cornell ID card (which contains an HID-compatible RFID chip) over the reader. This article covers technician-level diagnosis and resolution of card reader failures.

This article applies to: CU Print

Diagnosing Card Reader Problems

Symptom

First Steps

Card hover produces no response (no light, no sound, no screen activity)

Check physical USB connection between reader and printer. Reseat the cable. If no change, reboot the printer.

Reader light activates but job does not release

Confirm the user has a pending job in PaperCut. Confirm the card is a Cornell-issued ID (not a personal RFID card or phone). Try the web portal release as a workaround.

Reader was working, stopped after a firmware or PaperCut update

Ensure device is connected to PaperCut, and check admin portal for device communication errors. Update RFID Firmware and App via device EWC or LFA. Escalate to Toshiba if driver conflict is suspected.

Reader is physically damaged (cracked housing, broken cable)

Tag the device out of service. Replace with new RFID reader. Update and Program new RFID reader with CU Print firmware.

Rebooting the Printer

  1. On the device panel, navigate to the power/settings menu.

  2. Select Restart or Reboot (label varies by model).

  3. Wait for the device to fully boot and return to the home screen (approximately 2-4 minutes depending on model).

  4. Test the card reader again.

A full power cycle (holding the power button until the device shuts off, then powering on) is more thorough than a soft restart and should be tried if a soft restart does not resolve the issue.

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