We get a few “can PaperCut….” emails each week, most are simple to answer but some are a little quirky. Below you will find the pick of the week!

I want to give unlimited Black&White print/copy job(but still deducted from the account for reporting) and limit the colour jobs with a quota.

This is fairly easy to do using the advanced charging tab on the printer configuration, and setting the grey scale discount to 100%. That makes every black and white job discount the entire cost of the job, and does not deduct from the users quota. Colour jobs will still be charged at the full price, as it is configured in the printer configuration.

Colour copies versus black and white copies should work the same way, although it may not show before the copy job is completed, depending on the copier manufacturer. Because PaperCut doesn’t have complete information until the entire copy job is completed the cost may not be appropriately updated until the job is completed and processed.

How well does PaperCut work on Novell?

Good question, I think this video says it all. I wonder if the guy who won the server was upset about having to take it on a plane home

I am running PaperCut MF on a Sharp MFD, if I do not have any pending print jobs can I skip straight to the copy function?

11.6 should allow the print release screen to be skipped if the user has no jobs pending. This will not be on by default.

I want SSO (Single Sign On) between my embedded apps – Can you help?

Yeah SSO would be nice, often used with scanning applications like Drivve, Scan2Oneself and GlobalScan. Currently SSO works fine on the Sharp OSA platform but other platforms are a little trickier. If you need SSO let us know.

Does PaperCut work with ***Insert Name of Online Payment Provider***?

The full list of supported payment gateways is available on the PaperCut website here.
If the service you use is not listed then there are options to integrate using the PaperCut web services API if the provider is interested, further details are available here. The last few weeks we have had a lot of emails about ParentPay, we suggest you discuss this with ParentPay, PaperCut have provided all the tools a payment provider needs.

Does PaperCut run on NetWare?

Nope sorry – NetWare is old! Organizations that are currently running NetWare are however able to easily deploy PaperCut. We suggest setting up a separate OES Linux server (or VM) and use this to host the print queues and PaperCut. That way the impact is minimal as your file and directory services can remain on your existing server, and it’s just the print queues that move across to the new OES Linux system.

I have Riso Machines can PaperCut track “copy jobs” ?

Riso have been working hard to get a Copicode IP working with their hardware. This solution should be ready to roll out by the end of the year.

I am having copy count issues with my Lexmark X792 and X954 running PaperCut embedded.

Duplex and large copy jobs do not seem to work as intended- Lexmark have released new firmware to fix this. Contact Lexmark for a fix.

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

Print quota, accounting, logging and management is now here for Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES) Linux!

PaperCut on Novell OES Linux (iPrint)

PaperCut has long been a cross-platform solution supporting Windows, Mac and Linux/CUPS. Novell iPrint was the one big missing hole in our cross-platform objectives. After a few late nights, a lot of coffee, and some help from Devon and Dean on the iPrint team, we now have PaperCut running on OES Linux.

Latest Update: PaperCut on OES Linux both 32-bit and 64-bit (x64) systems available! Download PaperCut version 9+ or higher for an officially supported production ready release. Work on cluster support is currently under way. Please contact PaperCut support if you with to deploy on a cluster.

IMPORTANT: PaperCut is now about of beta. Most of the information on this page relates to the beta program and is out of date. I’ve kept the information here as some sites/pages still link to this page.

Please read the manual and the FAQ below before installing. 

Is this release beta quality software?

PaperCut has been around for almost 9 years now. The Novell OES Linux release shares around 97% of the same source code as the Windows, Mac and Linux/CUPS versions so the vast majority of the application is production quality code. The iPrint specific code however is new and needs testing and feedback from users on real networks.

Where do I get the version of iPrint compatible with PaperCut (the one with the new hooks)?

The current release of iPrint supplied with OES Linux 2 does not have the APIs we require. On our request the iPrint team has added the APIs and these will be included in the SP1 release. OES 2 SP1 is currently in public beta and can be downloaded at the Novell Beta Program site.

Can I install this on a production system?

Yes and No. You should be aware that this is a beta period. A sensible approach on larger networks might be to set up a separate print server independent of the production server. This can be used for testing with the full confidence that you can flick back to the production server if required.

Smaller sites may choose to install on a production server. The backup plan should something go wrong is to either unbind PaperCut from the queues by removing the “papercut” accounting option from the Print Manager, or just to uninstall.

Tell me about the beta testing program

The Novell community is very active and enthusiastic. We have not done any explicit advertising or even announced our development efforts, but even still the word has spread through the grape vine. We’ve had over 50 organizations contact us expressing eagerness to help us test. The objective of the testing program is to tap into this enthusiasm and gather feedback. Over the next few weeks we’d love to hear your feedback, ideas and opinions about the release. We’re also going to give back in the form of discounts the final version and some free licenses will also be issued to selected sites.

We’re looking for feedback on areas such as:

•Bugs or problems
•Are we doing things the “Novell way”?
•Ideas and potential new features
•How we can promote and make other Novell users aware of the application.
Organizations participating in the testing program who submit feedback will receive:

•A free license allowing you to run the software for two months (if required).
•A 50% discount on final purchase.
Does it support Netware?

No. We’ve decided to focus our development effort on OES Linux to ensure that it’s future proof. We also have a lot of experience with Linux development and this approach allowed us to leverage a lot of existing code.

We are a business and I’d like to run PaperCut ChargeBack (not NG)?

No problems. Please contact us. PaperCut ChargeBack will also be released soon for Novell OES Linux. We are fully committed to the iPrint platform and will offer all features as we do for all other platforms.

What is the required OS version?

Officially Novell OES 2 SP1 – yet to be released. OES2 SP1 is currently in Public Beta and is expected to be final soon.

How to I track changes/updates made during the testing program?

Chris and Tom will be maintaining a list of changes and discussion topics in the developer blog.

I am a long-time Novell user and have a suggestion?

You’re just the person we’re looking for! Please email your ideas through to the development team via the support email.

Are there any known issues with the current release?

During our internal testing we found two problem areas.

1.The API has a bug and is not returning the IP address of the machine that submitted the print job. The iPrint team are looking into this. In the meantime we’ve implemented a quick hack where we look up the MAC address in the system’s ARP table. This may however not work on all networks so some sites may have issues when users can log on multiple systems at the same time.
2.Automatic refunding of cancelled/errored jobs is currently being looked at.
How do I install?

The first place to start is the install instructions for Novell. Please have a quick read before installing.

Is the Novell version a second class citizen when measured against the Windows version?

The Novell OES Linux version is fully featured and will always be on equal footing with other operating systems. It is not a port. The Mac, Linux and Windows versions share around 97% of the same source code and all versions are developed in parallel. The code base is modern (major re-write in 2005) and from the inception of the first line of code, supporting all platforms equally has been a design objective. Novell users can expect the same level of functionality and support and releases will track all other platforms.

Is PaperCut NG open source?

PaperCut NG is a commercial application with commercial support. It’s not open source in relation to it being licensed under the GPL or equivalent. We do however provide our customers with access to the source code and our development process is very open. Check out our release history and blog to get a feel for this.

What does/will it cost?

This has been a hotly debated topic. Novell is not as popular as other platforms such as those starting with “W” and the cost to deliver a solution with the same feature set is equal, so one could argue that a Novell version should cost more. We have however stuck to our guns and lived up to our promise to support all platforms equally. Just like in terms of features, the price will be the same as that offered to Windows, Mac and Linux users. We hope the Novell community are encouraged by this policy and support it by supporting us.

Does it have an uninstaller?

Yes. The script titled “uninstall” will fully uninstall the application.

What was it like developing the iPrint version of PaperCut?

Personally (and hoping that the Mac and Windows guys never read this page) I think iPrint on OES Linux is the best platform for print queue hosting. Windows has some great stuff in Windows-only networks but on a modern cross-platform network it’s quite a fight. Mac Server is quite a long way off all the platforms. CUPS is great and very configurable but unfortunately the options exposed on Mac OS X Server are very limited and this hampers administrators. iPrint is a heavy solution but IMHO is the benchmark in the enterprise space.

How long did the iPrint integration for PaperCut take to develop?

We first started looking at integrating with Novell iPrint queues on OES Linux (the first release) back in mid-2007. At this stage we were in discussions with the iPrint team about the best methods to support 3rd party print accounting applications, and the kind of functionality that would be required to make it possible. Unfortunately the layoffs at Novell it late 2007 delayed the project, and things didn’t really get started again until mid-2008.

Once we got our hands on the required APIs the development was quite an easy task. PaperCut is developed with a modular service oriented architecture, so the portion of code that needed to be ported for adding iPrint support was a small portion of the overall code base.

How does PaperCut interface with the printers?

PaperCut hooks into the iPrint Print Manager via the new APIs provided by the iPrint Dev Team. This hook is configured at a queue level.

Does PaperCut support eDirectory?

Yes. PaperCut NG has full support for LDAP over SSL and understands standard eDirectory schema. We’ve also added OES Specific auto detection code so in most cases PaperCut will automatically determine your LDAP configurations.

What about NDPS?

PaperCut is a new application on the Novell platforms. Hence we’ve decided to only target current technology and will not be targeting NDPS. iPrint is our focus.

Select Technology is pleased to be selling PaperCut NG, PaperCut ChargeBack and the new PaperCut MF in the UK

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