Visitors to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum now have the option of printing tickets at home from the Internet, passing them through a museum scanner and skipping packed lines that can trail outside the building during busier times.

The museum's online service started Friday, according to Clare Thorpe, the museum's director of guest entry.

In addition to the convenience of walking into the museum without waiting, the online ticket-buying feature charges no processing fee commonly associated with online admission venues.

Up to 14 tickets can be purchased at a time online. (Visits by groups 15 or more are eligible for the group rate and must be arranged through the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.)

The secure site requires the creation of an account by entering in some personal information and a password. Tickets are transferable, but the transferee will be required to display a copy of the account holder's credit card and a signed note indicating the person holding the ticket is authorized by its original owner to use it.

Tickets must be purchased for a specific day, and sales are final. However, Thorpe said the museum will be accommodating if an emergency prevents someone from attending.

Currently, tickets can be purchased through the end of the year, but no later than three days ahead of time. If someone doesn't have access to a printer, ordered tickets can held at the museum. The site accepts only Visa and MasterCard.

By 5 p.m. Friday, 12 people in four states (Illinois, Arkansas, New Jersey and Iowa) already had bought tickets on the first day of the museum's online ticket service.

The online service includes a couple of oddities. Some might be confused by the way each date is referred to as a "performance." A "performance" is what museum officials call any open day at the museum, Thorpe said.

A little harder for some people to swallow will be the lack of discount prices online, such as for seniors, veterans and children. All online tickets cost the full adult price of $7.50.

Thorpe said the difference between the online price and the discounted prices available at the museum is "the convenience of not waiting in line."

The museum's store sells merchandise online, but that service is managed by a different vendor. Select books, videos, T-shirts, mugs and other items are available, no user account is required, and four major credit card types can be used.

The museum's online ticket address is tickets.alplm.com. The service also may be accessed at the museum's home page, alplm.org.

Pete Sherman can be contacted at 788-1539 or pete.sherman@sj-r.com.