Using Multifunction print devices with iPrint
Novell Cool Solutions: Question & Answer
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Q:
I am looking at using high-end commercial multifunction (printer, copier, fax, scanner) devices with iPrint. We've been looking at Xerox, HP and Canon systems. Most of these things use PCL or PS drivers. Can we use them with iPrint?
A:
We've heard from experts who have done this for Xerox printers. One thing to look out for is the driver you deliver may not have all the functions of the device configured. You may need to use something like PrinterPropertiesPro (PPP) to get the driver right for delivery. FYI: The functionality that is offered by PPP is now in NetWare. It shipped with NW6.5 SP2. We refer to this functionality as profiles. You can set any of the driver settings before end users install the printers.
We've also heard from people who have seen the Canon systems hooked to NDPS/iPrint. There was some trouble getting the drivers to function correctly -- once they provided the appropriate information to the print server it worked just fine for printing.
That issue has been a big challenge to NDPS/iPrint in general. If the system that is uploading the drivers doesn't have the latest greatest client and NDPS libraries it can be a real problem. The drivers appear to upload ok, but you have lots of problems on the download side of things. They usually appear to install correctly but may not function properly.
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