Configuring Direct Print

This document details how to configure locations, assign printers to locations, and print queues for use with Direct Print.

Step 1: Create Locations

You can create locations in the Direct > Direct Printers tab on the Pharos Cloud web console. You can also import locations using the Devices Import action.

To create a location:

1. Navigate to the Direct > Direct Printers tab in the Pharos Cloud web console.

2. In the Locations pane on the left, click the button to create a new location.

3. This opens the Add New Location dialog box. Enter the location details as you see fit.

4. Click Save. You will see the location tree on the left hand side of the Direct Printers tab.

Add one or more child locations if required. To do this, you can select the location you want to make child locations under and then click the + button.

The following example adds Sales Dept under Level 1. Select Level 1 from the location tree, click the + button (next to Locations), and then in the dialog box that appears, add the Sales Dept and click Save.

The following shows that the Sales Dept has been added under parent location Level1 .

4. (Optional) Configure the Workstation Location. In this step, you will associate network information with a given location.

Note: Configure the workstation location only if you want to have auto-install printers in your organization.

To configure the workstation location:

  1. Select the location where you want to define the network information.
  2. Enter any of the following network information.
  • IP Range
  • Gateway
  • Wi-Fi SSID

Step 2: Assign Printers to Locations

The Global location includes a list of all the printers discovered by Device Scout or manually imported via the Devices Import operation. In this step, you will be assigning printers to the locations you’ve created.

To assign printers to a location

1. In the Locations tree, select Global.

2. Select one or more printers to assign to the relevant location.

3. Click the Move button.

4. In the dialog that appears, select the location where you want to assign the selected printers and then click Yes.

5. In the confirmation dialog, select Move.

Step 3: Create Print Queues

1. Navigate to the Direct > Direct Printers tab.

2. Select the location where you want to create a print queue.

3. Select the printer in which you want to create an associated print queue.

4. Click the Create Queue button or you can click the + button on the right-hand side (next to the Queues property) as shown in the image below.

5. Select the Print Queues tab and then configure the print queue properties.

Notes:

  • The print queue Type is set to Pharos IPP Class Driver by default if the printer is IPP capable (Ipp Support is set to true). If a printer is not IPP capable, the type will be set to Manufacturer’s Driver for Windows by default.
  • The configuration settings vary depending on the print queue Type. For example, if the Print Queue Type is set to Pharos IPP Class Driver, you’ll see Pharos IPP configuration settings.
  • The print queue Status is set to Disabled by default. For queues to work, you’ll need to set it to either Manual-install or Auto-install.

The following properties can be viewed and/or configured for Queues. Properties are organized into categories:

General

Property Description
Name

The name used to identify the print queue (i.e., the direct printer). This is the name that users see when they print their document from their user workstations and in the Pharos Secure Release desktop app. By default, the queue name is created based on the following, but you can modify it if you want to.

  • Printer Label if it is available
  • If Printer Label is not available, it uses the Manufacturer and Model of the printer.

Tip: Use a naming convention that will help users identify the finishing options that a printer supports (For example, HP LaserJet M5035 MFP-TwoSidedColor, HP LaserJet M5035 MFP-OneSidedMono).

Type

Select the type of print driver for the queue. The options are:

  • Manufacturer’s Driver for Windows – Choose this option if using print manufacturer’s drivers for Windows.
  • Pharos IPP Class Driver – Choose if using the Pharos IPP Class Driver.

Note: The print queue Type is set to Pharos IPP Class Driver by default if the printer is IPP capable (IPP Support field is set to true).

Status

Set the Status of the print queue:

  • Disabled – When creating a print queue, it is initially set to Disabled. When a print queue is set to Disabled, it will not appear in the list of available printers in the Pharos Secure Release desktop app. If a print queue is set to Disabled after it has been installed on a user workstation:
    • Auto-install print queues are uninstalled on service restart or overnight reset.
    • Manual-install print queues are not updated.
  • Manual-install – Select this option if you want users to manually install print queues.
  • Auto-install – Select this option if you want the print queue to be automatically installed on users’ workstations. Note: This requires workstation network information to be configured.

Configuration

Property Description
Driver

Select the printer driver to use. When creating a Windows-based direct printer in the Pharos Cloud web console, you will need to configure the appropriate print driver from the list of drivers. This must match the PDL of the printer device associated with the queue (e.g., For HP printers, use HP Universal print drivers).

Note: The Driver field is available for Windows print queues only.
Finishing Options
  • Windows Queue: Select finishing options from the list of finishing options for Windows.

  • IPP Queue: Set the finishing options for an IPP queue by clicking the Set button.

 

Note: If no finishing options are selected for an IPP queue, the defaults finishing options are Letter, Mono, and Simplex.

Applied

This setting controls how and when updates to the finishing options and print drivers are applied to the print queues installed on user workstations.

  • New install only – The finishing options and print driver settings are applied to print queues at install time only. If a user changes printing preferences at the workstation, it will not reset back to what was originally set at the install time. For example, if the finishing option set for a queue is Duplex and the user changes the printing preferences to Simplex (after Print Scout install), the finishing options will not reset back to Duplex the next day or on restart of the Pharos Print Scout Service.

Note: If the queue is set to Auto-install and the Applied option is set to New install only, when the customer changes any settings on the queue (for example, different finishing options choice, or queue name change, etc) then the queue will still be updated on the Print Scout, but it will be a one-off, it won't get the settings re-applied every night.

  • Daily – The finishing options and print driver settings are reset back to the finishing options defined for the queue each day.

Advanced

Property Description
Ipp Url

A read-only value of the associated printer’s IPP URL.

This value uses the Ipp Url if available. If Ipp Url is not available, it uses the Discovered Ipp Url.

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