The development team had a very busy day this week building, testing and documenting 11.5  to get it out on time. We hope you appreciate the hard work put in.

So what delights can we expect? Something for everyone really. The stand out change is the new Web Cashier feature. The Web Cashier feature is a simple web interface that provides a till/cashier to facilitate simple transactions using PaperCut accounts. It’s designed for non-technical staff in educational organizations. For example the cashier user may:

• Charge end-user accounts, or shared accounts, for ad-hoc services such as laminating, binding or library fines.
• Deposit funds to a user’s personal printing account, usually after receiving a cash or electronic payment.

It’s early days for Web Cashier so expect a lot of enhancements to come.

Also of note here is the fact that SNMP Page count hardware validation may now be used in Windows clusters – Mr Microsoft finally fixed the issue. While we are talking about SNMP we noticed a lot of requests for using a different SNMP community string, you can now use a custom string if needed. In terms of embedded software the biggest changes came about on the Kyocera platform, thanks to feedback from Kyocera UK for the input. Also its worth noting that we have added SSO support to the Sharp OSA platform. Third party applications such as scanning apps can now access information about the logged in user, as authenticated by PaperCut.

Thank you PaperCut!

Full release notes below.

12 October 2011 – PaperCut MF 11.5 (Build 15204)

With around 20 changes to embedded software and loads of core software enhancements, fixes and updates 11.2 has something for everyone.  The most notable new enhancement released within 11.2 is the ability to now output details of a user’s department and office history.  E.g. If a user switches department midway through a month, print audit reports showing activity by department will now account for their activity in the old department for the first half of the month and the new department for the second half. The biggest change on the embedded side of things is a revamped interface for Sharp OSA devices and you can expect plenty of new features in the upcoming months to take advantage of OSAv4.

Release Notes

11 April 2011 – PaperCut MF 11.2 (Build 13713)

Just what all you worry warts have been waiting for an xx.1 release! We know some of you like to wait for the first minor release before making the jump to a major version and let everyone else do the release testing for you. Well you don’t have to wait any longer PaperCut 11.1 is now available for download – As with any minor update you can find a bunch of new features, enhancements, improved printer support and as always a host of embedded changes…

Some of the more interesting additions to v11.1 are:

• Xerox (Secure Access): Improved compatibility with a wider variety of Xerox devices.
• Print job watermarking now supports a wider variety of PCL6 printers and drivers.
• Various improvements to the end-user web interface to improve accessibility
• Lexmark now has added support for additional card readers including Elatec readers (contact us for prices)

As always full release notes are available below.

We can offer a 40-day trial of PaperCut just get in touch to discuss your requirements or reseller opportunities. Any existing releasers please update via the reseller pages (soon to be re-born into a full-fledged portal).

PaperCut Version 11.1 Released – 16 February 2011 – PaperCut MF 11.1 (Build 13151) Release Notes

Enhancements:

• Print job watermarking now supports a wider variety of PCL6 printers and drivers.
• Various improvements to the end-user web interface to improve accessibility (e.g. for user with screen readers).
• Added a new printer script recipe which asks the user if a job should be held in a hold/release queue or not. This allows the user to select secure release for only sensitive documents and use direct printing for other documents.
• Display information about the licensed devices and payment gateways in the About page.
• Updated the “User printing – summary” report to show a breakdown of color and grayscale pages. Added office and department fields to the Excel/CSV report.
• Added a new filter to all the print logs reports to only show Web Print jobs.
• Added a new username filter the user list and user configuration reports.
• Added a new server-command and web services API to renaming shared accounts.
• Emailed system notifications sent via SMTP can now be encrypted if the mail server supports TLS.
• Automatically enable printer error detection if printer scripting is enabled. This ensures that the scripts using error check call will work as expected without needing to enable printer error notifications.
• Novell OES Linux: The installer now checks the iPrint version and will warn if the version is known to cause problems.
• Various documentation improvements including SSL certificate installation.
• Various translation updates for Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Fixes:

• Removed the “mixed content” warning message that may appear when administrators connect to the admin web interface via HTTPS using Microsoft Internet Explorer.
• Fixed a problem that may cause find-me print jobs on Windows to fail if the Print Provider service was restarted while the jobs were awaiting release.
• Fixed problem with dashboard “pages printed” graph that would show data offset by one day in some time zones.
• Fixed the column headers in the printer attributes Excel/CSV report.
• Fixed issue that may have prevented detection of printer toner levels when PaperCut was installed on a non-English edition of Windows.
• Fixed issue in client popup authentication under specific configurations where the logged in username was not correctly displayed.
• Fixed an error that could occur when using a “Quick Find” search if a screen had been left idle for more than 5 minutes.
• Fixed a problem that can stop watermarks from appearing if using the %user_id%, %user_full_name% or %user_email% watermark replacements when the user’s email address was blank.
• Fixed a problem with watermarks with custom position 0mm from top. They were previously printed at the bottom of the page.
• Fixed problems displaying Chinese characters in the Dashboard “What’s Next” widget.
• Fixed an error that may occur if an invalid regular expression was entered in the print document name filter. Improved validation to disallow invalid filters.
• Fixed issues that may prevent admin interface navigation while using an older Firefox 2 browser.
• Fixed issue with web services API and server-command that would allow creation of duplicate shared accounts. Additionally, new shared account security settings are now inherited from the template account.
• Fixed a problem in reports where a date range filter may not have applied if combined with a shared account filter containing two or more accounts.
• Do not allow the batch internal user import to run if the “Internal User” feature is not enabled. This stops users from accidentally running the wrong import type.
• Fix a problem with admin rights where a user would be denied access from the “Devices” tab if they were restricted to only access a subset of printers.
• Windows: Removed rare “file locked” message that may appear when conducting install-over-the-top upgrades.
• Mac OS: Fixed a problem with the OS X widget that could make the configuration settings not display correctly.
• Linux: Improved installer to save about 80MB of server disk space.

Printer compatibility improvements:

Copier / Device Integration:

Managing information costs and reducing waste are two of the challenges facing printer users today. Most sites soon notice that print costs are escalating out of control. This is where we come in.

Since print management dramatically helps reduce the number of pages printed or copies taken or waste paper that gets thrown into the recycle bin, it can make a huge difference on the amount of paper waste. So you can feel warm inside knowing you are doing your bit to save some trees and cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. Another environment and money saving feature is ‘find-me printing’ which cuts down on the number of printers and MFD’s reducing costs for toner and paper and saving on the electricity bill. So what exactly isn’t there to like about print management?

The money saving aspect of print management should make it easy to convince the people that control the purse strings they are making the right choice. Most sites we talk to (even those running external hardware units) easily make their money back in the first year (some even make a profit!!!).

So now you know it’s good to save money and save the environment at the same time but how are you going to implement this? One of the most effective ways to reduce these print costs and improve the productivity of your network printers is to use PaperCut MF.

PaperCut MF is a solid software solution that allows you to easily manage your print assets, to collect usage data by location and device, to identify any waste and simply implement cost recovery and allocation strategies, to maximise your system productivity and that all-important return on investment.

Below are 10 great reasons to get in touch and get setup with a trial of PaperCut.

1: “FindMe” Release Anywhere Printing (Pull Printing to you and me)

Simply put, documents follow users to their printer of choice. Allow your users print to a PaperCut MF “Virtual Print Queue” and regardless of their location they’ll be able to retrieve their print jobs from a networked printer or MFD. This delivers tremendous flexibility when and where needed.

2: Go Green!

Hundreds of report combinations to view, export as file or deliver via email and real-time statistics on CO2, energy and trees consumed by the printing process. PaperCut MF reporting and print controls empower IT departments to control waste. In particular, CO2 and Carbon emission reporting is available at a glance with a handy optional widget or report. The employment of green initiatives is a growing requirement in today’s world.

3: Easy to Manage

An intuitive interfaces make PaperCut easy to administer and easy to use. Regarded as the simplest system of its type to deploy and manage, PaperCut MF delivers. For instance, System Administrators have full access to advanced administration and configuration options via a familiar, simple web interface. This can be accessed anywhere and anytime on your network. Early in 2011 expect a new layout for the UI giving you all the information you need at a glance. PaperCut MF is up to date in both its looks and its architecture.

4: Site Wide Policy Enforcement

Take control of your paper, MFD and Toner usage. With PaperCut MF you can take charge and control “who” prints, “what” gets printed and to “where”. There are even some simple scripting controls available to ensure your staff automatically adhere to the agreed company print policies. These include “duplex print”, “no colour from web” and “job routed to least cost device” as well as “Free printing during class time” – very handy for exam time at school. If none of the pre-made scripts suit you, then you can of course define your own features with a custom advanced printer script.

5: Centralised Administration

Administer the system straight from your web browser anywhere on the network. PaperCut MF provides administration access from any location on your network via a standard web browser. End-Users also have access to a set of web tools that empower students and staff to track and monitor their own activities in real time as well as various tools and log information.

6: Driverless Printing

A driver-less printing solution for laptops and wireless devices. A simple yet very affective feature called “Web Print” allows printing from net-books and other mobile devices. Perfect for “mobile workers” and students with their own laptops with documents they need to be printed. Simply upload the document, select the device on the floor plan and print. Also (but nothing official just yet) iPhone/iPad printing could be on its way soon. We will update the website as soon as we get confirmation. We know a lot of sites handing out iPads these days will be interested in this feature.

7: Scalability

The modern software design and architecture provides scalability for networks of all sizes. Whether your network consists of a single server with a handful of users to a clustered multi server network with 60,000 plus users, PaperCut MF will scale to meet your needs without any troubles. PaperCut is happy to run on Windows, Mac, Linux, Novell (iPrint) and mixed environments and is just as happy to live in a virtual machine.

8: Easy Deployment

It’s extremely easy to install and configure. Simply click next and follow the prompts. The PaperCut MF install process allows you to setup preferences for Users, User Groups, Devices, Cost and Quota’s. It could not be simpler.

9: Monitoring and Usage Reports

Hundreds of report combinations to view, export as file or deliver via email.  With a vast choice of standard reports finding out who, where and how much is printed has now become whole lot easier and the best bit is, it will let you see who is causing all the trouble by printing 300 pages to a USB desk jet printer instead of a large MFD. PaperCut MF provides the tools to monitor the output of your printer and MFD fleet with real time activity reports that can be deployed silently so that staff gets used to the changes in workflow.

10: Secure Access and Release

Running around to retrieve confidential print jobs will be a thing of the past. No matter where you are, print jobs can be collected conveniently from any supported device with either secure user or card authentication.

We had to stop at 10…….but we could go on all day about:

• Dedicated Print release stations.
• Professional client billing – charge back those printing costs to clients.
• Sync across multiple user directories (e.g. a Microsoft Active Directory and a separate LDAP server).
• Shared accounts – charge printing to accounts/departments that can be shared by multiple users.
• Watermarking – apply text to the bottom of each page.
• A bunch of Public APIs to link into.
• Supports Microsoft SQL Server (32 and 64-bit, and Server Express), Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL out-of-the-box on all platforms.
• Credit card payments and top up cards to add value to accounts.

And best of all – Capture “off the glass” walk-up copying using embedded software for the following platforms:

• Ricoh, via Ricoh Embedded Software Architecture (ESA)
• Sharp, via Sharp Open Systems Architecture (OSA)
• Xerox, via Xerox Network Accounting
• Lexmark, via Lexmark Embedded Solutions Framework (LeSF)
• Konica Minolta, via OpenAPI
• Kyocera Mita, via Kyocera Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions (HyPAS)
• HP, via Chai SOE DSE
• Toshiba
• Gestetner
• Lanier
• Nashuatec
• Triumph Adler
• Olivetti
• With more coming soon!

Interested? Then get in touch.

An early Christmas present from the PaperCut Team. Version 10.7 gives us a shiny new embedded solution for Kyocera HyPAS devices (and in our opinion it is one of the most feature rich embedded options).

You also get an easier method to restricting access to colour printing, a host of new reports and watermarking/job attribution for PCL5 printer drivers, in addition to the existing PostScript support.

Full release notes below.

If you are an existing customer looking to upgrade your current install of PaperCut MF, then please contact us.

Resellers please use the dedicated reseller portal provided.

Full Release Notes: PaperCut MF 10.7 (Build 12373)

New features:

Enhancements:

• Novell OES: Print jobs manually canceled from iPrint queues are now automatically refunded.
• Novell OES: Improvements to cluster install notes.
• Scheduled reports can now be copied. This simplifies setting up multiple similar reports.
• Printer toner information may now be manually updated (in addition to the automatic perdiodic updates)
• Test notifications can now be sent to specific email addresses as well as by entering a username.
• The Windows release station zero-install method (“pc-release-local-cache.exe“) now automatically updates more config files each time it is launched (config.properties and client-machine-aliases.properties), simplifying deployment of multiple release stations from a central location.
• Improved retrieval of device serial numbers via SNMP by looking in some non-standard SNMP locations.
• Improved support for IPv6 when using the Windows Print Services for Unix (LPR and IPP).
• All printing based reports now have an ad hoc filter for printer groups.
• Improved logging to diagnose secondary server connection issues caused by security settings.
• Added a new API for developers and system integrators to allow querying information about the logged in user at devices. This can be used by 3rd parties to implement single sign-on using PaperCut’s authentication.
• Added a full Hebrew translation, thanks to our team in Israel.

Fixes:

• Fixed a problem editing scheduled reports with multiple email recipients which caused the recipients to be saved incorrectly.
• Fixed problem when editing scheduled reports in Excel/CSV format where date range parameters were incorrectly displayed.
• Fixed small memory leak in the Windows print provider service.
• Sensitive fields are no longer logged to the App Log when they are changed in the Config Editor (e.g. SMTP passwords).
• Windows: fixed printing order when a large number of print jobs are released at once (more than about 40 jobs).
• Improved reliability of watermarking on the HP 4100 with PostScript drivers.
• Release Station: Fixed anonymous print release for release stations running in “release any” mode.
• Release Station: Improved support for card authentication when using card header and trailer that are the same character.
• Fixed a problem setting admin rights for user group restrictions that could occur when running on a PostgreSQL database configured with certain locale/language settings.
• Fixed the Shared account print/copy/scan/fax – breakdown report to include jobs allocated to sub-accounts.
• Linux/Mac: Improved reliability of print job redirection (e.g. find-me printing) on very busy print queues.

Printer compatibility improvements:

Copier / Device Integration:

Good news everyone PaperCut 10.6 is now available for download.

This new version has nearly 30 enhancements/fixes to keep PaperCut running smoothly as well as two completely new features a lot of sites will find useful.

The first of the new features is a default shared account may now be configured per-user. This represents the user’s most commonly used account, and can be useful for users who mostly charge to the same account, but occasionally need access to others. The default shared account is automatically selected for the user when they print. This will also save time on the various embedded solutions.

The second feature added to 10.6 is for organizations with more than one user directory (e.g. a new Microsoft Active Directory and a legacy LDAP server with users that have not been migrated) can now synchronize, import and authenticate against both at the same time.

What are you waiting for? Grab the download and update.

Please note:
PaperCut MF users – If you are an existing customer looking to upgrade your current install of PaperCut MF, then please contact us.
Resellers please use the dedicated reseller portal provided.

One of the most popular questions via our website or over the phone seems to be: What is the difference between PaperCut NG and MF?

 As you probably know PaperCut NG gives you these key features:

• Control student print quota, or charge for printing.
• Track and budget staff printing by faculty or department.
• Simple installation – starts working immediately.
• Directory integration with automatic user account creation.
• Simple web-based administration for office staff.
• Automatic scheduling of credit/quotas.
• Solutions for managing wireless laptop printing.
• Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Novell, making PaperCut the most flexible and integrated management solution available.

Of course PaperCut MF has all of the above features as well, so what exactly is the difference? In truth, the answer is ‘very little’. Apart from a change of logo and a few extra tabs, regular PaperCut users wouldn’t notice much difference – that is until you throw a photocopier into the mix. PaperCut MF is designed to capture “off the glass” walk-up copying. It can achieve this using two methods:

       1. Modern embedded applications that run directly on a multifunctional device, enabling single sign-on using existing domain infrastructure.

       2. Direct TCP/IP network connection with selected 3rd party hardware terminals.

Both options allow user authentication and access via various login methods including user name and password, PIN codes,  as well as common card formats including: magnetic stripe (“swipe”); barcode; proximity.

Basically, if a customer is only ever going to want/need to monitor and/or control printing, then NG is the ideal solution. However, if now or in the future a customer is looking to monitor and/or control printing and copying (and, increasingly, scanning and faxing), then MF is the right option. Currently, we have a lot of sites planning for the future, so MF has been installed and is being used solely for monitoring printers, until the time comes to implement copier control and monitoring.

PaperCut MF is a complete integrated copy and print solution that you can manage from within a single mature application. We can offer a 40-day trial of PaperCut MF to any interested parties, but we suggest you contact us with your requirements first.

PaperCut Features	PaperCut NG	PaperCut MF
Set print quotas on individuals, groups or across departments
Automated Quota Allocation System
Track and charge walk-up / off-the-glass copier usage, just like for printers
Simple installation – starts working immediately
Directory integration with automatic user account creation
Clustered  Server Support to Increase efficiency and distribute wear and tear
Scalability up to 100,000+ Users
External Database Support
Reasonable licensing that doesn’t dictate your IT infrastructure
Multiple print server support as standard
Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Novell and mixed environments
Print Job Filtering and Restrictions
Support for Hardware-Based Copier Terminals
Support for Copy Control via Embedded MFD Software
Hundreds of report combinations to view, export as file or deliver via email
Monitor locally attached printers
Error notifications when printers are in error
Charge copying to accounts that can be shared by multiple users
Secure print release via PC-based print release stations
Secure print release via card reader using fast release terminal
Secure print release via staff and end-user web interfaces
Secure print release via hardware terminals
Secure print release via embedded MFD software
Monitor faxing and scanning on supported hardware
Web-based staff print release
Find Me Printing (pull printing)
Advanced business reporting
Add credit to user’s accounts via admin web interface
Support for cash value loaders
Support for web based credit card payments
Real-time environmental Impact statistics
Manage wireless and unauthenticated printing from user-owned devices
Administer the system straight from your web browser anywhere on the network
Bill back printing costs to clients
TopUp/PrePaid Cards – ideal for student payment management
Open architecture – full documentation and APIs provided to all customers

The clever PaperCut developers have been busy putting their Kyocera Mita embedded application through the last stages of testing – At this rate they will run out of embedded environments to work with! We have had a lot of interest in the Kyocera solution so follow the jump at the bottom of the page for more information. This solution is based on the HyPAS platform.

Kyocera’s HyPAS (Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions), a powerful and scalable software solution platform, optimizes the performance of Kyocera’s award-winning MFPs through custom, integrated software applications that are designed to meet and exceed users specific document imaging needs. HyPAS will transform your Kyocera MFP into a resource designed to evolve as your business evolves – resulting in enhanced information sharing, resource optimization and an improved pre-existing, as well as future document workflows.

PaperCut MF provides integration with Kyocera Mita MFDs, enabling the tracking, charging or billing of “off the glass” copying, faxing and scanning. The goal of PaperCut Software’s embedded MFD solution is to leverage the capabilities of Kyocera Mita devices to provide walk-up copier users with the same set of rich application features provided in the print control area. These include:

• End user authentication including integration with single sign-on environments such as Active Directory, Open Directory, eDirectory, LDAP and others
• Optional proximity/swipe card authentication (via USB readers)
• Group-based access control to the device and colour copying
• Monitoring and control of photocopying, scanning and faxing (quotas, charging, allocation and logging)
• Allocation of copying, scanning and faxing to accounts/departments/cost-centres/projects
• Releasing jobs from a hold/release queue (secure printing)

Kyocera Mita MFD Integration details.

The Kyocera Mita solution joins the long list of copier brands PaperCut will work with. The PaperCut Software development team have developed solutions for several major copier brands, including:

• Ricoh, via Ricoh Embedded Software Architecture (ESA)
• Sharp, via Sharp Open Systems Architecture (OSA)
• Xerox, via Xerox Network Accounting
• Lexmark, via Lexmark Embedded Solutions Framework (LeSF)
• HP, via Chai SOE DSE
• Toshiba
• Konica Minolta, via OpenAPI
• Kyocera Mita, via Kyocera Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions (HyPAS)
• Gestetner
• Lanier
• Nashuatec
• Other devices are currently under development.

For updates and pricing information just get in touch.

A few weeks ago one of our PaperCut reseller buddies came to us with a problem and (insert sound of own trumpet being blown) we delivered a solution.

Problem?

A few of the schools this reseller provides services to wished to monitor prints and copies on Ricoh machines. They wanted staff and students to be issued with wireless contact cards and for users to walk up to the copiers “swipe” the card and be presented with two options: 1) release any prints sent to the device by the user; 2) start photocopying and have everything be charged to a central store.

PaperCut MF and Ricoh Embedded were chosen and everything should have worked fine apart from one small issue. The cards they had issued staff/students with were “Paxton cards” from the Net2 Access system.

Answer?

The first task was to find a reader that could read something unique off each card.
Second task was to get this mystery reader working with a photocopier (something of a black art)

I will skip all the boring bits but after a few weeks of hard work, tweaking, cursing and generally finding the rest of the world useless we now have a system in place for this to work perfectly. At the same time we learned a lot about card readers on the Ricoh platform and we are fairly confident we can now get any card reader working.

So if you are using Paxton HiTag2 class cards and want to start using PaperCut MF give us a call and we will make your day.

Clever stuff, huh?

We are pleased to announce m3i, a new embedded software platform for Ricoh MFDs.