9.4 Managing Printers

Although the default settings let users print without additional configuration, you might want to modify some of those settings so that you can manage your printing resources most effectively.

9.4.1 Creating Additional Printers

Before creating additional printers, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:

  • Have the Supervisor right for the destination container where its associated Printer object is to reside.

  • Be designated as a manager of the Print Manager that controls this printer.

  • Have a Driver Store running.

  • Have a Print Manager running.

To create additional printers:

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Create Printer.

  2. Fill in the fields.

    Click Help for explanations about the fields.

  3. Click OK.

  4. Click Next, then select the drivers for this printer.

    If the printer drivers for this printer are not listed, you can still create the printer. After the printer is created, you can add the printer drivers to the Driver Store and then associate the drivers to the printer by clicking Manage Printer > Drivers.

    These drivers are automatically downloaded to users’ workstations when they install the printer in the future.

    Because the list of printer drivers included with this product is limited, you can add drivers to the Driver Store. See Updating Printer Drivers for more information.

    If you do not select a driver, users are prompted to provide a disk with the appropriate driver the first time they install this printer on their workstations.

  5. Click Next to create the printer.

9.4.2 Deleting Printers

Using iManager you can delete existing Printer Agents. Before deleting a printer agent ensure that the agent is no longer being used by running an report on the printer or use Printer Agent Redirection to redirect the printer for a period of time before deleting it.

WARNING:Deleting a printer permanently removes the printer from the Print Manager. You cannot use Printer Agent Redirection. The printer is automatically removed from workstations the next time the workstation communicates with the Print manager.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Delete Print Object.

  2. Browse to and select the objects you want to delete.

  3. Click OK.

9.4.3 Managing Printer Agents

Using iManager, you can manage Printer Agents. You can start up and shut down a Printer Agent, pause and resume input and output, view printer information, set configuration settings, and change the printer drivers.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to manage.

  3. Use the tabbed property pages to complete the task you want.

9.4.4 Using Printer Driver Profiles

A printer driver profile allows you to set the driver defaults for a Windows printer driver. When you associate the printer driver profile to a printer, the printer is installed and configured with your defined settings. For example, in a law office you might want the default paper size to be legal size. This means that every time the printer and its corresponding driver is installed on a workstation, the paper size is set to legal size.

When creating a printer driver profile, you work directly with a platform-specific printer driver; therefore, you should create and modify profiles from the same operating-specific platform as the printer driver. For example, to create or modify a Windows 2000 printer driver profile, you must access iManager and complete the task from a Windows 2000 workstation.

Use the Bi-Directional driver option to enable the selected printer driver to communicate with the printer. Bi-Directional communication allows the driver to communicate with the printer and discover its capabilities. This enables you to create more detailed profiles. Bi-Directional drivers communicate with the printer during profile creation. If your printer is not reachable from the client during profile creation, only basic profiles are created. When creating a profile for Bi-Directional capable drivers, you must provide a Printer Agent.

Use Universal Printer Driver (UPD) model to simplify the task of managing the vast array of printer makes and models. This model allows the printer vendor to create a single printer driver that works with most (if not all) of the printer and multifunction devices that the vendor manufactures. With this innovation, the Administrator/User no longer needs to install a unique driver for each and every printer model, but uses one driver to communicate with their devices.

Installation of the UPD on the iPrint server (NetWare or Linux) remains the same as with discreet drivers. Use iManager to upload the driver to the Broker or Driver Store and then assign this driver to the printer(s). It is recommended that you use the latest iManager and also the latest support packs/updates for the iPrint server. The latest updates include support for Windows 7, printer driver profile updates, and enhancements for bi-directional communications which are a necessity for UPD function and printer driver profile creation. For more information, see Novell iPrint Universal Printer Driver Support.

You can create, copy, delete, and modify the printer driver profiles.

Creating a Printer Driver Profile

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Driver Profile.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager where you want the driver profile to be stored and made available to the printers on that manager.

  3. From the Select operation drop-down menu list, select Create Printer Driver Profile and click OK.

  4. In the Create driver profile window, perform the following tasks:

    1. Specify the Driver Profile name.

      You can create a new driver profile or you can use the existing driver profile.

    2. To create a new driver profile, select Create new driver profile and then select the driver for new profile from the list.

    3. To use the existing driver profile, select Create using existing driver profile and then select the driver profile from the list of existing driver profiles.

      The associated printer model of the selected driver profile is displayed.

    4. To enable printer communication, select the Requires printer communication check box.

      1. Specify the name of the existing printer agent in the iPrint Printer name field. The driver profile is created and associated with the printer model.

        NOTE:Ensure that your printer is reachable from the client during profile creation, else only basic profiles are created.

    5. Click Next.

      The Loading Driver Configuration window appears and shows the progress.

    6. When the driver profile is loaded, the Save Driver Profile page is displayed. Click Next.

      The complete page opens.

    7. Click OK.

      The driver profile is created.

      After creating a printer driver profile, you must associate it with a printer. For information on associating the driver profile, see Associating a Printer Driver Profile with a Printer.

Modifying a Printer Driver Profile

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Driver Profile.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager where you want the driver profile to be stored and made available to the printers on that manager.

  3. From the Select operation list, select Modify Printer Driver Profile and click OK.

  4. Select the Driver Profile that you want to modify and click Next.

    You can select only one driver profile at a time for modification.

  5. (Optional) Specify the name of the existing printer agent in the iPrint Printer name and click Next.

    Ensure that the printer model matches the profile printer model.

    NOTE:This option is displayed only if the printer model is displayed.

    The printer model is displayed if you have selected Requires printer communication when creating the printer driver profile.

    The Loading Driver Configuration window is displayed to indicates the progress.

  6. When the driver configuration is completed, the Modify Driver Profile page is displayed. Click Next.

    The complete page is displayed.

  7. Click OK.

    The driver profile is modified.

Copying a Printer Driver Profile

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Driver Profile.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager where you want the driver profile to be stored and made available to the printers on that manager.

  3. From the Select operation drop-down list, select Copy Printer Driver Profile, then use the Destination printer manager name list to select the Printer Manager where you want to copy your driver profile. Click OK.

  4. Select the Driver Profiles that you want to copy and click Next.

    The complete page is displayed.

  5. Click OK.

    The driver profile is copied.

Deleting a Printer Driver Profile

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Driver Profile.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager where the driver profile that you want to delete is stored.

  3. From the Select operation drop-down list, select Delete Printer Driver Profile and click OK.

  4. Select the driver profiles that you want to delete and click Next.

    The complete page is displayed.

  5. Click OK.

    The driver profile is deleted.

Associating a Printer Driver Profile with a Printer

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to modify.

  3. Click Drivers > printer_driver_operating_system.

  4. Select the printer driver from the list of available drivers.

  5. Select the profile that you want to associate with this printer from the list of Available Driver Profiles for Selected Driver.

    If you do not want a profile to be associated, select None.

  6. Click OK to save the changes.

9.4.5 Enabling iPrint Direct

A printer that is enabled for iPrint Direct sends print jobs directly to the printer instead of sending the job to the Print Manager first. A job is sent to the printer in LPR or raw 9100 format, depending on the setting in the gateway autoload command for the printer. Although this greatly reduces server communication, the ability to audit print jobs is lost. iPrint Direct supports direct banner printing (if the banner is already configured) and driver updates. The printer information is gathered directly from the printer by using SNMP.

NOTE:Direct Banner for iPrint Direct is supported only on Windows.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer for which you want to enable iPrint Direct printing.

  3. Click Client Support > iPrint Direct.

  4. Select the Enable iPrint Direct Printing option.

  5. Click OK.

NOTE:For detailed information on iPrint Direct, see Technical Information Document (TID #7001343) on the Novell Support Site.

9.4.6 Managing Print Jobs

The following sections provide specific information about the print job management features. Users designated as managers or operators for a printer can perform these tasks for all jobs routed to that printer; individual job owners can perform these tasks only for their own print jobs.

Viewing Print Job Information

You can view information about individual print jobs waiting to be processed by a specific printer.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer the job was sent to.

  3. Click Printer Control > Jobs.

    Information about print jobs is displayed.

Deleting Print Jobs

Administrators can delete any print job after it has been submitted if the job has not yet started printing. Users can delete only their own print jobs.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer the job was sent to.

  3. Click Printer Control > Jobs.

  4. Select the check box next to the job you want to delete.

  5. Click Delete.

Changing the Order of Print Jobs

Occasionally, you might need to print a job ahead of other jobs that have already been submitted to a printer but have not yet started printing. Administrators, managers, and operators can move any job up or down the list. Users can move only their own jobs, and can move them only down the list.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer the job was sent to.

  3. Click Printer Control > Jobs.

  4. Select the check box next to the job you want to modify.

  5. Click Promote to move a print job up the list.

9.4.7 Using Printer Banner Pages

Banner pages create a cover sheet for each print job that a printer produces. Using the Printer Banner Configuration task, you can customize the information printed on a banner to your needs. If you select eDirectory information such as the eDir e-mail address, the Print Manager needs rights to read these attributes. Follow the steps in Using eDirectory Attributes with Custom Banners.

Configure a Custom Banner

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Banner Configuration.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager you want.

  3. Select an operation and click OK.

    • Create Custom Banner: Lets you create a new custom banner.

    • Delete Custom Banner: Lets you delete an existing banner.

    • Modify Custom Banner: Lets you edit the settings of an existing custom banner profile.

  4. Complete the fields with the information you want. If you create multiple banners, you should use banner names that are descriptive enough to identify them when you associate the banner to a printer.

  5. Select the Banner Text Location.

    This is where the banner option information appears on the banner page. The banner information is grouped together and then placed as a chunk either starting at the top of the page, centered on the page, or starting at the bottom of the page.

  6. Select the banner options you want and the font size you want to use to display the information.

  7. Click OK to save the changes.

Associate a Custom Banner to a Printer

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Printer Banner Configuration.

  2. Browse to and select the Print Manager where the printer agents are hosted.

  3. Select Assign Custom Banner, then click OK.

  4. From the Custom Banner drop-down list, select the banner you want.

  5. Select the check box next to each printer you want this banner associated with.

    When you select the check box, the banner name appears in the Assign Banner field. To associate a different banner, select the desired banner from the Custom Banner drop-down list, and select the check box for the printer you want to change. If you do not want a banner to be used, select None.

You can also assign banners when using the Manage Printer task.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to modify.

  3. Click Configuration > Custom Banners.

  4. In Available Banners, select the banner that you want this printer to use.

  5. Click OK to save the changes.

    If you select eDirectory information such as the eDir e-mail address, the Print Manager needs rights to read these attributes. Follow the steps in Using eDirectory Attributes with Custom Banners.

Using eDirectory Attributes with Custom Banners

Custom banners lets you select the information you want displayed on the banner page. Some of the banner options are information contained in eDirectory. In order for the Print Manager to obtain this information, you must modify the trustee rights and give the Print Manager read rights to these properties. Because rights flow down the eDirectory tree, you can assign the trustee right at a container level above the users, or to the tree.

  1. In iManager, click Rights > Modify Trustee Rights.

  2. Select the container or tree where you want to modify the rights.

  3. Click Add Trustee, then select the Print Manager object.

  4. Click Add Property, then select the Show All Properties in Schema check box.

  5. Select the following attributes:

    Banner Option

    eDirectory Property

    eDir mail stop

    mailstop

    eDir e-mail address

    EMail Address

    eDir location

    L

    eDir telephone number

    Telephone Number

    eDir user first name

    Given Name

    eDir user full name

    Full Name

    eDir user last name

    Surname

  6. Click OK.

  7. Ensure that at least the Read right is selected.

  8. Click Done.

9.4.8 Modifying the Printer’s Gateway Load Commands

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to modify.

  3. Click Configuration > Gateway.

  4. Edit the gateway autoload command.

    The following table describe the gateway load commands and parameters that can be used.

    Gateway Load Parameters

    Description

    IPRINTGW

    The gateway executable that is loaded for the Printer Agent.

    PA=

    The name of the Printer Agent to be supported by this gateway instance.

    PORT=

    The port on the physical printer to be used for print job submission. Valid values are:

    LPR: Specifies the LPR print protocol and resolves to the standard LPR port - 515.

    RAW: Specifies the RAW print protocol and resolves to the default RAW port - 9100 unless the port number is specified separately in the load string. Port 91 can also be used instead of 9100.

    Number: The actual port number for the physical printer.

    NODATA: Specifies the LPR print protocol, but document data is not submitted to the physical printer.

    NULL: SNMP and ping are disabled for this gateway instance. Document data is not submitted to the physical printer.

    STRICTLPR

    Limits the port number on the gateway side of LPR communication to the standard LPR range of sockets (721 - 1020).This parameter is needed only for some older printers that enforce the range of ports specified by the original LPR specification for LPR clients.

    HOSTADDRESS=

    HOSTNAME=

    HOST=

    IPADDRESS=

    Any of these specifies the hostname / IP address for the physical printer to be supported by this gateway instance.

    NOTE:If the hostname / address value has :nn at the end of the value, the port number for the printer is derived from this value.

    However, the most common approach is to specify the port with the PORT= parameter.

    PRINTERNAME=

    PRINTER=

    The printer / queue name for LPR protocol print sessions to the physical printer. The default value is PASSTHROUGH.

    GETCOMMUNITYSTRING=

    GET=

    Specifies the community string for SNMP requests. This is only needed when a printer has been configured with a community string that is different from the default string "public".

    SQUERYACTIVE=

    Specifies the interval between SNMP requests to the physical printer while the printer is idle. The default value is 300 seconds (5 minutes).

    SPOLL=

    Specifies the interval between SNMP requests to the physical printer while the printer is active or idle.

    NOSNMP

    Disables SNMP requests for this gateway instance to its respective physical printer.

    WAITONPRINTER=

    Specifies the number of minutes to timeout for communication to the physical printer.

    NOTE:For write attempts, this parameter is only effective if the value is greater than the minimum default timeout value. If SNMP is disabled by the NOSNMP or the NULL parameter, the minimum default is 15 minutes. If SNMP is active, the minimum default is 5 minutes.

    THROTTLE=

    Specifies a delay of nn seconds while establishing communication with the physical printer and between print jobs. This is primarily used for solving a problem where the end of a job is lost when submitting an LPR job to a windows system.

    KYOCERA=

    Sets the Printer Manufacturer (Make) attribute for this Printer Agent to "Kyocera".

    RICOH=

    Sets the Printer Manufacturer (Make) attribute for this Printer Agent to "Ricoh".

    TROY=

    It has no effect.

  5. Click OK to save the changes.

9.4.9 Configuring LPR Printers

UNIX, Macintosh, and other LPR clients can print to iPrint printers using LPR.

IMPORTANT:In order for LPR to work, the printer agent name cannot contain spaces. If it does, you need to recreate the printer agent or select a different printer.

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to enable LPR printing for.

  3. Click Client Support > LPR Support.

  4. Select the Enable LPR/LPD Client Support check box.

    The LPR Host and LPR Printer/Queue fields display information required when setting up printing for Macintosh, UNIX, or other LPR clients.

    LPR Host: The server name where the Print Manager is running.

    LPR Printer/Queue: The same as the printer agent’s name. The printer agent name cannot contain any spaces; otherwise, LPR does not work properly.

  5. (Optional) Enable the following options:

    Filter All LF to CRLF and Append FF to Jobs: Selecting this check box changes bytes in the LPR data stream of all incoming LPR print jobs from Line Feeds to Carriage Returns with Line Feeds and appends a Form Feed to the end of the print job. Typically, these changes are made at the LPR client; however, if you are sure of your users’ configurations, you can implement this option.

    Address Ranges: Add an address range only if you want to restrict access to this printer to LPR clients within the address range. When the list is empty, all addresses are allowed to print (default).

  6. Click Apply or OK to update the printer settings.

  7. From the UNIX, Macintosh or other LPR client, set up a printer using the LPR Host and LPR Printer/Queue information displayed in Step 4.

9.4.10 Configuring Job Holds

  1. In Novell iManager, click iPrint > Manage Printer.

  2. Browse to and select the printer you want to modify.

  3. Click Configuration > Job Holds.

  4. Modify the settings.

    • Operator Hold: Jobs do not print until the operator releases it.

    • User Hold: Jobs do not print until the user who has submitted the job releases it.

  5. Click OK to save the changes.