When setting up location-based printing, each Print Manager creates an iPrint Printer List that users can access by entering http://server_DNS_or_IP_address/ipp. You can make installing printers even easier by creating customized Web pages that link the iPrint Printer lists together or use the iPrint Map designer to create a map showing the location of printers.
Using the iPrint Map Designer tool, you can quickly create a map showing printer locations. The tool lets you import floor plans as background images that can be used to drag-and-drop printers onto actual locations. These maps are then published on a Web server so users can install printers that are closest to their location.
After the map is created, you must use the iPrint Map Designer to modify or update it. Changes to a map file that are made outside of the iPrint Map Designer are not supported. If you need to add links to a map, you should create a frameset file and then display the map file in one frame and display your links in a different frame.
Before creating the map, ensure the following:
NOTE:If you run the map tool using HTTP and ippsrvr.nlm is not loaded, then you will receive a 503 Service not available error. To resolve this, you need to enable iPrint on one of the printers so that ippsrvr.nlm automatically loads.
NetWare Server: sys:\apache2\htdocs\ippdocs\images\maps
Linux Server: /var/opt/novell/iprint/htdocs/images/maps
File types that can be used for background and printer icon images are JPEG, GIF, and BMP. These files are detected by iPrint Map Designer at startup. A default set of printer icons is included.
NetWare Server: sys:\apache2\htdocs\ippdocs\images\printers.
Linux Server: /var/opt/novell/iprint/htdocs/images/printers
To start iPrint Map Designer, open http://server_address:/maptool.htm in Internet Explorer, where server_address is the server’s IP address or DNS name of the server where the iPrint Manager is running.
If you want to save the map to this server, you need to be authenticated to the server.
On NetWare you can also start the iPrint Map Designer using a mapped drive. Open sys:\apache2\htdocs\ippdocs\maptool.htm in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Select a map from the drop-down list.
(Optional) Add a printer to the map.
From the field, select the type of printer and icon size you want.
Sizes range from 1 to 6, with 1 being the largest. Icons with a C indicate color printers.
Click the Printer icon and drag the printer to the desired location on the map.
Next to the field, click the icon and enter the IP address or DNS name of the server where the Print Manager is running.
From the , select the printer agent you want associated with this printer icon.
The and is automatically filled in with the printer agent information.
Printer URL: The URL created for the printer when IPP is enabled for the printer. You should not need to change the URL.
Mouse Over Text: By default, displays the printer agent’s name. You can override this information by entering the text you want to display when a user moves the mouse over the Printer icon.
(Optional) In the field, enter the information to display, using Enter to parse the information onto multiple lines.
(Optional) From the menu bar, click to change the base font, color, and size for text on the map.
(Optional) Edit a printer’s information by clicking the desired printer’s icon and then editing the printer information fields.
To deselect a Printer icon while in the map, click anywhere in the design area.
Click and save the map.
WARNING:If you click or exit Internet Explorer without saving the map, all changes made since the last time the map was saved are lost.
To retrieve and modify an existing map file, click and browse to the directory where the map is located.
You can add printers from different Print Managers to the same map. First, add the printers from one Print Manager. Then click the Browse icon and select a different manager.
If you need to add or modify printers from a previously used Print Manager, click a Printer icon from that manager and the Printer List is populated with printers from that manager.
After creating your maps, you need to post them on a Web server. Copy the contents of the \ippdocs directory and its subdirectories to the Web server in order for your maps and iPrint to work properly. You can link to your maps from your company’s internal Web page or send the URL out to your users.
You can use the keyboard to create maps using iPrint Map Designer. The following table lists the tasks to complete and the corresponding keystrokes required.
Printer lists let users select printers using categories that are meaningful to them. For example, you could create a list of printers by building location, department names, eDirectory Context, etc. iPrint generates an iPrint Printer List for each Print Manager. To create a custom list, you must use an HTML editor and create links to the different generated lists or create a Web page using the printer’s IPP URL. This URL is displayed when you enable IPP for a printer.
To view a printer’s URL:
From Novell iManager, click > .
Browse to and select the printer you want.
Click Client > .
The printer’s URL is displayed under Accepted iPrint URL.