Posted by Andrew Miller

Print server downtime is a fact of life for organizations that continue to rely on traditional print management solutions. If you absolutely want or need to keep your print servers in place, there are a few things you can do to decrease downtime. There’s also another option—eliminating your print servers altogether—that PrinterLogic’s print management solution makes possible.

But first things first: decreasing your downtime with conventional print server solutions.

Before doing anything else, you need to create redundancy. This means having a backup print server at the ready if and when the primary server crashes or drops offline. Best print server management practices actually call for two standby servers in high-volume environments or in organizations where printing is mission critical. The catch is that each of these backup servers has to be maintained—even when not in everyday use. If they haven’t been patched with the latest software upgrades or are working with outdated drivers, they could end up causing a whole different set of printing problems if they’re suddenly called into service. The cost of procuring and maintaining the hardware and extra licensing for redundant print server solutions can also get pricey.

Driver conflicts and incompatibilities are the cause of many print server crashes, which is why it’s also important to make sure your drivers are up to date and thoroughly tested. This can be hard to do in organizations that use a variety of device models and manufacturers, but the many hours of extra effort that it takes to test and update drivers using standard print server management options could potentially save your workplace from hours of print server downtime.

Finally, you’ll want to consolidate. Distributed organizations often like to scatter print servers across their remote locations. That has some obvious benefits, but it also makes it harder for a centrally located IT team to troubleshoot a print server and bring it back online after it’s crashed. By consolidating (and, of course, adding multiple print server backups for redundancy), you make print server management easier in routine situations as well as emergencies. Unfortunately, consolidation does trade print server solutions’ single points of failure for another vulnerability: the WAN link. When the WAN goes down, it cuts the connection to the central print server and risks taking printing down with it.

The easiest way to reduce your print server downtime is to eliminate them completely. That’s what PrinterLogic is for. Our next-gen print management software can completely replace the functionality of print server solutions while introducing more features, more stability and more efficiency into your print environment.

With PrinterLogic, not only do you get centralized print management that puts print server management to shame, you also get rock-solid stability that allows your end users to keep printing as normal, even in the event of a server failure or a WAN outage. That’s because PrinterLogic is built on proven direct IP printing technology that establishes direct links between clients and printers.

Furthermore, unlike cumbersome print server management, PrinterLogic lets you deploy printers accurately and reliably — without having to use group policy objects (GPOs) and complex scripts. That means your end users don’t experience printing downtime when a printer fails to deploy properly. They get the right printers at the right time. Every time.

And PrinterLogic can seamlessly integrate into environments that have traditionally been associated with print server solutions, such as EMR (Epic, MEDITECH) or virtual (Citrix, VMware) environments. So whether you keep your existing print servers or use PrinterLogic to eliminate them for good, you’ll get the unprecedented availability you’re looking for and many other features to boot.

There’s a common assumption that printing in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments is destined to be difficult. It’s not just that VDI printing is inherently slow, it’s that the same fundamental VDI printing problems never really seem to go away. I’m talking about persistent VDI printing issues such as:

• Reliably deploying and installing printers
• Driver incompatibilities
• Limited access to full printer features
• “Forgetting” default printing settings

Regardless of whether your organization uses Citrix, VMware or another VDI solution, you’ve probably encountered one or more of these VDI printing issues. It just goes with the territory, right?

It doesn’t have to. PrinterLogic’s enterprise print management solution seamlessly integrates with any VDI solution, including Citrix and VMware, to provide the rock-solid printing, effortless management and reliable installation that are so often missing from VDI print environments.

In VMware environments, for example, PrinterLogic solves the usual VDI printing problems by introducing its renowned automated deployment, centralized management and self-service portal features. Automated deployment enables admins to deliver printers to VMware users based on their location using specific criteria like Active Directory (AD) user, group, organizational unit, IP address range and more – all without resorting to complex hierarchical group policy objects (GPOs). Centralized management overcomes many VDI printing issues by allowing admins to create, edit and remove printers anywhere in the organization from a single pane of glass. And PrinterLogic’s self-service portal empowers end users with the ability to identify and install nearby printers themselves without having to call the service desk.

The same is true for Citrix environments. In fact, PrinterLogic lets you choose between using the Citrix Universal Printer, Citrix auto-created printers and Citrix session printers. Each addresses VDI printing issues in different ways, so you can use the method that best suits your organization. Available features include driverless printing to ensure greater compatibility, utilizing native print job compression, or implementing PrinterLogic’s easy proximity printing functionality.

And if you’re frustrated by customarily sluggish VDI printing, PrinterLogic can speed that up, too, without having to resort to expensive technologies like WAN accelerators. Because PrinterLogic leverages direct IP printing technology, it avoids the back-and-forth WAN traffic that makes VDI printing slow. By freeing up print-related WAN bandwidth, it also has the potential to make the remote sessions more responsive ­– especially on throughput-constrained networks.

PrinterLogic also helps VDI organizations further pare down their infrastructure. Despite its ability to address so many recurring VDI printing problems, our next-gen print management solution has a remarkably small consolidated footprint. With a single instance of PrinterLogic, you can start eliminating print servers and all the headache and expense that goes along with them without sacrificing any of the functionality they provide.

So throw conventional wisdom aside and say goodbye to your ongoing VDI printing issues. PrinterLogic is the proof that VDI printing doesn’t have to be so hard.

Posted by Devin Anderson

Now that we’re well into the mobile computing era, our standards have changed. Just a few years ago, we might have accepted compromises when it came to network access, app functionality, or print availability on mobile devices. Not anymore. From C-suite executives all the way down to fresh-faced interns, mobile end users expect all the features and availability that traditional hardwired environments have offered. That includes enterprise-grade printing from mobile devices.

This naturally poses a challenge for organizations. Until now, there hasn’t been a cost-effective, user-friendly way to implement enterprise mobile printing. Solutions like Google Cloud Print and AirPrint have attempted to bridge the gap, but they require devices that support their proprietary functionality. That means either replacing your existing printer fleet or limiting mobile device printing to select printers. Obviously, neither of those is ideal. The first case requires considerable expense to guarantee high availability when printing from mobile devices, whereas the second actually restricts availability.

Typically, one of the further drawbacks of alternative enterprise mobile printing solutions has been special software clients or apps that need to be installed on the mobile devices. The problem with this, of course, is that it is hard to ensure broad compatibility across multiple operating systems (and different versions thereof). For printing from mobile devices to work properly in this case, it’s also necessary to have smooth and reliable communication between the client and the printer—which is hard to guarantee in real-world scenarios that have so many variables.

PrinterLogic has an enterprise mobile printing solution that ensures high print availability while meeting considerations like practicality and cost. It’s called, simply enough, Mobile Printing, and it’s so versatile that organizations of any size, structure or sector can implement it in order to achieve intuitive, ubiquitous mobile device printing. It sidesteps many of the potential complications when printing from mobile devices and seamlessly integrates into any environment through three unique strengths:

• There’s no software to install. Unlike lesser enterprise mobile printing solutions, PrinterLogic’s Mobile Printing requires no client-side apps or similar software. Everything is handled directly by PrinterLogic’s print management solution.
• It works with any device. It doesn’t matter whether your organization issues its own prescribed mobile devices or has a relaxed BYOD policy. Mobile Printing from PrinterLogic lets your users print from any mobile device.
• It works with any printer. No need to abandon your legacy printers or restrict users to a small pool of expensive mobile-printing-capable printers. PrinterLogic enables mobile device printing to any network printer.

To print from their mobile devices, all users have to do is tap the “Share” button, then “Print,” and finally select a PrinterLogic printer as their print option. It’s that easy. They don’t have to struggle at all with downloading apps or installing new printers, which means that enterprise mobile printing functionality is available whenever they need it.

For BYOD users and guests, availability is just as high. Instead of tapping the “Share” button, mobile device printing takes place using proven email-to-print functionality. All these users have to do is acquire the dedicated email address for their desired printer and send their files to it. It then enters the queue just like any other print job.

It’s through this incredible simplicity that PrinterLogic’s Mobile Printing delivers unprecedented print availability to all of your mobile and BYOD users. It’s the easiest and most robust way to implement enterprise mobile printing.

Posted by Devin Anderson

When we launched our PrinterLogic Web Stack (formerly Printer Installer) product more than three years ago, we had what turned out to be a revolutionary idea—that in order to minimize the print-related issues IT staff faced every day, enterprises would need to eliminate their print servers. We built an enterprise print management solution that did just that, and since then we’ve helped thousands of enterprises eliminate their print servers, reduce the complexity of print management and significantly cut their printing costs.

But over the years, one thing became abundantly clear. Larger enterprises aren’t the only ones who have to deal with the pains of business printing. Small and medium businesses—though they may not have the same number of printers, locations or servers to manage—still have incredibly complex print environments that require constant firefighting, which they don’t have time for.

SMB IT pros, just like their large enterprise counterparts, receive far too many print-related help desk calls, and they need a self-service printer installation tool that simplifies their users’ experiences, while still giving them full control. They need simple solutions to deploy printer drivers and manage printers. And as their companies grow, they find themselves in need of full-featured, enterprise-grade print management solutions. But these solutions are typically too complex, time consuming, and expensive for SMBs.

We didn’t think that was right.

So today we’ve introduced PrinterLogic SaaS (formerly PrinterCloud), a Cloud-based print management solution purpose-built for SMBs who need quick, powerful control of their print environment without additional infrastructure. PrinterLogic SaaS brings the power of enterprise-grade print management—including printer driver deployment, centrally managed direct IP printing, print job auditing and reporting, and self-service printer installation—to SMBs, without the complexity and hassle. Click here to learn more about PrinterLogic SaaS.

So what can PrinterLogic SaaS enable for your organization? PrinterLogic SaaS simplifies print management and makes truly enterprise-grade capabilities accessible to everyone. This provides SMBs with:

Centralized Management

• Print Queue Migration Tool
• IP and Name Change Control
• Driver change management
• Printer Profile Enforcement

Printer Driver Deployment

• Eliminate Scripting & GPO’s
• Self-Service Installation Portal
• Proximity Based Deployment
• Active Directory & Hostname

Administration Controls

• Print Queue Management
• SNMP Monitoring and Alerts
• Workstation Usage Records
• Role Based Access Control

Advanced Management

• Browser Based Secure Printing
• Print Job Auditing and Costing
• Data Manager & Mass Updates
• Print & Server High Availability

Virtual Environment Support

• Virtual Driver Management
• Citrix Session Fat Clients
• Citrix Session Zero Clients
• Golden Image Deployment

As you can see, PrinterLogic SaaS offers enterprise-class print management to SMB IT professionals while still enabling you to eliminate print servers. It provides easy management with a simple interface, eliminates the need for scripting and GPOs, provides a self-service installation portal with floor plan maps and provides easy implementation that takes minutes, not weeks.

We’ve helped thousands of large enterprises eliminate their print servers, enhance their print management capabilities, and reduce costs. And we’re excited to be able to bring these benefits to SMBs in an efficient and cost-effective manner, too.

Give it a shot today—we think you’ll realize the benefits right away. And it costs nothing to get started, just visit www.printerlogic.com/printercloud and click “Start Trial.”

Organizations that use virtual desktop interface (VDI) environments such as Citrix and VMware regularly cite VDI printing issues as the biggest downside of these virtual solutions. It’s easy to see why problems exist. There are a lot of moving parts to contend with in any VDI infrastructure, and there are usually just as many moving parts in most print infrastructures. Put the two together and you’ve created a situation where there are bound to be complex incompatibilities and issues that demand VDI printing solutions.

Unfortunately, most VDI printing solutions on the market today feel like bolted-on afterthoughts. Either they don’t mesh seamlessly with the VDI solution itself or they have an idiosyncratic workflow that trades ease of use for the resolution of a small number of the more glaring VDI printing issues.

At PrinterLogic, we don’t think VDI printing solutions have to be compromises. You can have a VDI printing solution that integrates seamlessly with your VDI environment and you can address all your VDI printing issues while enjoying greater ease of use. And the reason we’re so confident about this is because our next-generation enterprise print management solution is the proof.

Once you’ve implemented our print management solution (and its speed of deployment is incredible, by the way), you have three different options when it comes to provisioning printers in Citrix with PrinterLogic:

1. With the Citrix Universal Printer: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP printers to the endpoint device, then print to the Citrix Universal Printer. This addresses VDI printing issues by allowing you to leverage driverless printing that even supports home-based printers. PrinterLogic also provides the simplified printer and driver administration that other VDI printing solutions lack.
2. As Citrix auto-created printers: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP printers to the endpoint device, then use the Citrix auto-creation or redirection features. This has many of the same benefits as the Citrix Universal Printer above, including print job compression.
3. As session printers: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP session printers. With this method, you get benefits like proximity (aka location-based) printing and the ability to deploy Citrix printers without using group policy objects (GPOs) or scripts, which alone will solve many VDI printing issues and other headaches. You can also take advantage of PrinterLogic’s self-service printer installation portal. It empowers end users to identify and install nearby printers with a single click.

This flexibility is one of the many areas where PrinterLogic shines relative to other VDI printing solutions. And when managing printers with PrinterLogic in VMware, its flexibility and feature set are similar:

• Self-service printer installation: Routine printer installations can be performed quickly and easily by the end user—no service desk call necessary.
• Location-based printing and automatic printer deployment: Get the right printers to the right users based on a whole host of static or dynamic criteria.
• Superior print and driver management: Administer printer profiles and drivers for endpoint devices with unprecedented ease.
• No rights management, faster logons: With PrinterLogic, there’s no need for GPOs or the scripts that slow login times. Plus network performance is faster because of its far more efficient WAN use and installation processes.

No matter which VDI environment you prefer, PrinterLogic bests other VDI printing solutions by virtue of its seamlessness and its ability to target the fundamental causes of VDI printing issues.

Corporate printing costs can be a lot like printers themselves. They’re there, always in the background, and you don’t really notice them until they start acting up or get out of control. This means that, in most corporate printing scenarios, there are a lot of unseen costs that could be weighing on your bottom line.

Before they can attempt to scurry back into hiding, let’s bring some of these corporate printing costs out into the open. For each item, we’ll also take a look at how PrinterLogic’s next-generation print management solution can help alleviate them.

1. Printing hardware: Inexpensive printers and copiers have lower price tags upfront, but they could be adding to corporate printing costs over time because they generally require more maintenance and oversight.
   How PrinterLogic helps: Our print management solution maximizes your hardware investment by prolonging the useful life of legacy machines. Through PrinterLogic’s Pull Printing and Mobile Printing software modules, you can easily add next-gen features to your existing fleet.
2. Power consumption: Laser printers and photocopiers are high-drain devices. Each time they print a job, their fuser needs to heat to the high temperature required to bind the toner to the paper. The energy required for this heating process can actually be more inefficient in low-use corporate printing scenarios.
   How PrinterLogic helps: PrinterLogic’s Print Auditing feature gives you detailed insight into individual and aggregate printer usage, so you can optimize placement of your high-drain devices according to actual printing behavior.
3. Lack of infrastructure consolidation: Many organizations are operating with far more print infrastructure than they need, usually in the form of non-shared printers and multiple print servers. All those devices cost money to purchase, operate and maintain.
   How PrinterLogic helps: Our mantra is “eliminate print servers” for a reason. You can replace dozens or even hundreds of print servers with a single instance of PrinterLogic. Not only does that minimize the footprint of your corporate printing infrastructure, it also gives you proven reliability and availability that no amount of print servers can match.
4. Printing supplies: Few accountants and IT professionals would count supplies among “unseen” corporate printing costs, but it’s surprising how many end users forget that things like paper, ink and toner cost money. Overuse is rife and doesn’t come cheap.
   How PrinterLogic helps: Once again, PrinterLogic’s Print Auditing module will enable you to pinpoint the heaviest usage by user, workstation or department. You can also easily restrict printing options such as color/monochrome or paper tray. This is why it’s not uncommon for our customers to report drops of 50% or more in consumable usage after installing PrinterLogic.
5. Lost productivity: Downtime and lack of printing availability has a serious impact on your bottom line. That much is obvious. But it’s often hard to translate the hours that end users spend on the phone with the service desk or drumming their fingers while waiting for a print server to come back online into lost revenue, which makes its impact on corporate printing far less visible.
   How PrinterLogic helps: By allowing end users to install printers themselves with a single click and print without any loss of core functionality even in the event of a server outage, PrinterLogic introduces unprecedented standards of uptime and availability.
6. Technical support: As with printing supplies, this cost doesn’t go “unseen” by IT experts. Yet many organizations consider technical support to be a fixed and inescapable segment of corporate printing costs.
   How PrinterLogic helps: When end users are spending less time calling the service desk for routine printer installations and technicians aren’t dealing with complex deployments and print server crashes, corporate printing support costs shrink to levels you thought were unattainable. PrinterLogic makes that possible.
7. Print management: Another hard-to-pinpoint—if not quite invisible—cost in corporate printing is the time spent on print management. Setting up tricky deployments using group policy and updating (or rolling back) drivers in traditional print environments eats up vast amounts of time that could be spent on other IT-related tasks.
   How PrinterLogic helps: PrinterLogic’s centralized print management console gives admins precise control over printer and driver deployments—all without the need for group policy or scripts. It’s even possible to make individual or batch profile changes by simply checking a box. No wonder so many of our customers have reduced time spent on print management by 30% or more by using PrinterLogic.

PrinterLogic’s print management solution gets to the root cause of “unseen” corporate printing costs, allowing your organization to reduce the time, money, resources and infrastructure necessary to operate an efficient, reliable and versatile enterprise print environment. And those savings will definitely be visible in your bottom line.