iPrint lets mobile employees, business partners, and customers access printers from a variety of remote locations using existing Internet connections. Whether users are working in an office building, telecommuting from home, or attending a sales meeting in another country, iPrint ensures that they can print documents quickly, easily, and reliably.
Figure 1-1 Installing a Printer from a Custom Map
Using a Web browser, users point to a Web page that displays the available printers to install. By clicking a printer, the iPrint Client is installed (if not installed previously), the printer’s driver is downloaded, and a printer is created on the user’s workstation, enabling the user to send documents to the printer from any application on the desktop.
Using iPrint, mobile users no longer need to contact a busy network administrator to find out a printer’s name, context, and the required printer driver. Instead, mobile users work within a familiar Web browser to locate nearby printers using iPrint’s Printer List Web page or maps created by the administrator. Companies can also lower communication costs by reducing the need to fax documents between offices; instead, companies can use their existing Internet connections to print documents to remote printers.
iPrint uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), an industry standard, to eliminate the complexities of printing over the Internet and to make location-based printing a reality.
The benefits of IPP include the following:
Uses the IP protocol
Provides broad vendor support
Works over local networks and the Internet
Provides print data encryption (SSL, TLS)
Provides a standard print protocol for all platforms (Linux, Macintosh, Windows, etc.)
For more information about IPP, see the documents available on the Printer Working GroupWeb site.
In addition to the benefits of IPP, the Novell implementation of iPrint adds the following value:
Printer driver download and installation
Location-based printing
Browser-enabled printer installation interface
Customizable user interface
Secure information transfer
Universal Printer Driver (UPD) support
For secure printing needs, iPrint integrates with Novell eDirectory to ensure that only authorized users can access the printer. Users are required to authenticate with their eDirectory username and password. Print data is also encrypted to ensure that sensitive print data is kept secure and unaltered.