Group-based Printing

Group-based Printing lets administrators assign groups to install specific print queues, regardless of where printers are physically located. Users in these groups can access a particular queue without their location needing to match the printer. This ensures that the queue is available to users in the assigned group, no matter where they are.

WithPharos Cloud, organizations have the option to either have location-based printing or group-based printing.

To create a group-based queue:

1. Create a queue as specified in the Print Queues topic.

2. Configure the Installation Rules (Direct > Direct Printers > Print Queues) using the information below as a guide.

   Installation Rules dictate which print queues get installed on a workstation client based on conditions related to location, group membership, and platform.

   • Install for: This setting determines whether to create print queue based on both location and group or solely on group. There are two options:

     • Users in this location - Choose this option for location-based printing where access to a printer is based on the physical location of the printer.

       • If a queue has an assigned group, users can access the print queue if their location matches the configured workstation location AND they are a member of the specified group.

       • If a queue is not assigned a group, the print queue will be available to any user in the configured location.

     • Users in all locations – Choose this option if you prefer the print queue to be based on user groups, not on the printer’s physical location. For this setting, the location of the printer doesn't matter; the print queue will be installed if the user is a member of the specified group. Whether or not the user’s location matches the configured location, if they belong to the group, the print queue will be installed.

       • If a queue has an assigned group, only users within that group will get the queue, regardless of their assigned location.

       • Users not belonging to the assigned groups won't have access to the print queue.

       • If no groups are specified, the queue will be available to all users in all locations.

Groups are assigned via the User Permissions setting under Installation Rules.

• User Permissions: This is where you can specify the group you want to assign to the queue. Initially, no groups are assigned by default.

• Platform: Specifies the operating system for the installation of the print queue.

Installation Rules apply to both manual and auto-install queues.

Group-based Queue Implementation Example

Consider this scenario: You want to set up an IPP queue enabling "Marketing Group" to print in color, while restricting other employees to monochrome(black and white) printing. The printer’s location is not a factor in this configuration. The queue is linked to a printer in the New Zealand location. Print Queue settings include IPP Queue, set to Auto-Install

To achieve this, you need to configure the following installation rules on the web console (Direct Printers > Print Queues > Queue Properties > Installation Rules):

• Install for: Users in all locations

• User Permissions: Marketing

• Platform: Windows, macOS, ChromeOS

Here's how this configuration works:

When a user from the "Marketing Group" logs in, the queue will be installed automatically on their workstation. If a user who is not in the “Marketing Group” logs in, the queue won't be installed as they're not part of the Marketing Group. It's important to note that if the "Install for" setting is set to "Users in all locations," the focus is on user groups, and the user's location is not taken into consideration.

Printer Permission vs Print Queue Permission

• Pharos Cloud allows assigning groups either at printer or print queue level. Permission at the queue level overrides permission set at the printer level.

• If a print queue doesn't have specific permissions, it will inherit the permissions from the associated printer if they are configured on the printer.