Posted by Devin Anderson

Thinking about alternative approaches to print management? Let’s explore a few options.

Generally speaking, there are two categories of print management: on-premises and off-premises. The former is how print management has traditionally been implemented—that is, using print servers or a direct-IP printing approach that’s managed and maintained by your IT staff. The second category, off-premises, is print management purchased as a service. This can be a cloud printing solution, or outsourced to a third-party contractor.

PrinterLogic has seen phenomenal market growth because, among other things, its print-management solution offers the best of both worlds. PrinterLogic lets you eliminate print servers and sets up a high-reliability direct-IP printing backbone—coupled with organization-wide printer and driver management from a single admin console.

This solution affords a level of ease and powerful oversight that’s almost unheard of in direct-IP environments. PrinterLogic’s customers consistently report increased printer availability, unbounded scalability, and reduced print-management costs. What’s more, it integrates seamlessly with virtual environments such as Citrix and VMware, and streamlines enterprise printing to the point where it becomes an afterthought for IT and end users.

As we’ve developed dozens of case studies, we hear this is what IT managers hope for, that they don’t have to think about printers anymore—that they just work.

That said, on-premises print management isn’t for everyone. Some organizations opt for printing as a service, and move their print management offsite. We’ve discussed outsourced print management in previous blog posts, so we won’t rehash it here, other than to say it has some tradeoffs. A more preferable print-management solution is to move some centralized elements off-premises, but keep full administrative oversight.

That’s where PrinterLogic SaaS (formerly PrinterCloud) comes in. Like PrinterLogic Web Stack (formerly Printer Installer), PrinterLogic SaaS gives you the best of both worlds in terms of print management, but delivered as a service. PrinterLogic SaaS is a SaaS print-management solution, and as such, it hosts the print-management engine offsite. This model gives you secure centralized administration of your organization’s entire print environment without the need to maintain a physical server. You retain the power of in-house administration, so you don’t have to cede control to a firm that may not understand your print environment as well as you do.

One of the advantages of outsourcing printing as a service is that it frees up IT staff to concentrate on other tasks. That’s true—but that time savings is only relative to traditional print management approaches. Uniquely, PrinterLogic SaaS leverages the same direct IP paradigm as PrinterLogic’s on-premises software solution, PrinterLogic Web Stack, so you enjoy the same incredible efficiency:

• Self-service installation: End users can identify and install nearby printers by themselves with a single click. No need for them to call the service desk and ask for help, which is one of the biggest time vortexes in print management.
• Smooth, precise and effortless deployments: Printers and drivers can be deployed according to a variety of targeted criteria—and without having to rely on group policy objects (GPOs) or scripts.

With PrinterLogic SaaS, your organization can tap into all the advantages of print management as a service while experiencing the ease, stability, scalability, power and cost-effectiveness of PrinterLogic’s on-premises solution.

To see and experience all the PrinterLogic SaaS features, go to www.printerlogic.com/printercloud and click “Start Trial.” This gives you 30 days of free access so you can see how our solution gives IT administrators the ability to eliminate print servers and centrally manage printer and driver deployments in today’s SaaS environment.

Posted by Chris Poole

Printer redirection. Sounds simple on the surface: A print job in a client session is directed to a local printer. Conceptually, it’s not all that different from a desktop shortcut. In practice, however, it’s a source of numerous Epic printing problems—resulting in untold hours of troubleshooting for end users and administrators.

To understand why printer redirection is problematic, it helps to know why it happens in the first place. Used in virtual and remote-desktop environments, printer redirection allows end users to print to a locally installed printer. Print jobs generated during a session are passed from the server (or servers), to the local printer on the client machine. This process can prompt lots of problems, especially when the server doesn’t have drivers that match the destination printer, or if those drivers aren’t recognized.

Printer redirection issues are compounded by the very nature of Epic print management. In Epic printing environments, print servers require discrete administration. Every change is carried out manually and separately for each EPS—even when editing or deleting printers. Since Epic printing generally requires multiple servers, the time and energy needed for basic print management can drown an IT department.

Here are end-user complaints that are commonly reported for Epic printing:

• Vanishing print jobs: The jobs appear to be queued but never print.
• Printer selection: The default printer is wrong and users are unable to choose another printer.
• Outside apps won’t print: End users can’t print from applications outside of Epic.
• Deployment glitches: Printer deployment is delayed or aborted after the user logs into a session.

There are workarounds, but none are foolproof. Fortunately, there’s a reliable way to avoid these problems by making a fundamental change in the way you manage Epic printing.

PrinterLogic is a scalable, enterprise-level print-management solution that integrates seamlessly with Epic printing environments. It is capable of restoring control, efficiency, and ease of use to Epic print management. With it, you can make a single edit to a printer object and have that edit populate across every EPS in your organization. No more laborious, error-prone changes.

PrinterLogic’s Epic print-management paradigm features an intuitive and streamlined interface patterned after its centralized management console. You can deploy printers without resorting to group policy objects (GPOs) or scripts. You can implement reliable location-based printing based on criteria such as IP address or Active Directory (AD). These benefits alone can solve print-redirection issues, as well as many other Epic printing problems.

PrinterLogic has become a mission-critical solution for OhioHealth and Guthrie. In these case studies, you’ll read how both firms utilized Epic in their networks, and they both struggled to manage printing. PrinterLogic solved their printing problems, cut administrative overhead, increased IT’s available time for other projects, and provided far more print-management functionality compared with competing solutions.

If you use MEDITECH, we can help you. See how Princeton Community Hospital implemented our software to the same effect.

More than 300,000 organizations rely on virtualization, networking, and cloud solutions from Citrix Systems. Many of these firms would be lost without Citrix’s powerful and scalable virtualization software such as Virtual Desktops.

The rub is that printing in a Citrix environment remains a sore spot for many server admins. Even with improvements, Virtual Desktops poses challenges, and even highly skilled admins have to jump through hoops to deploy printers properly and carefully monitor the print environment. End users still struggle with routine printing when default printers are reset because of policy conflicts, or they crash due to driver incompatibilities.

Alas, there is a long list of Citrix printing issues. This is because virtualization software introduces variables into the print environment and each of these variables—such as basic printer compatibility with Citrix software and how drivers are deployed in the session—leads to possible flashpoints. Let’s look at three common problems and their root causes and possible solutions:

1. Citrix server print-spooler crashes. This one has been around for a while. Symptoms include the print spooler hanging or server CPU usage suddenly spiking, resulting in end-user frustration and help desk tickets. The typical solution is restarting the print spooler using the Services Console. Sometimes this works, but if a driver is at fault, the spooler can be unresponsive.To restart the spooler successfully—and keep it from hanging again—an admin needs to hunt for the problem driver and remove it before resuming printing. This will stem spooler crashes, but there are still clients who need to print. You can search for a different version of the driver, or force the affected workstations to use the Universal Print Driver (UPD), which is more forgiving. Using the UPD will reduce driver clutter on the Citrix server (and reduce the risk of driver conflicts), but comes with a trade-off in printer functionality.
2. Printing policies are ignored. While print-spooler crashes are a longstanding Citrix printing issue, properly configured (but non-applied) printing policies can be equally frustrating. When there’s a conflict with an existing group policy object (GPO) or a related Citrix policy, the intended policy can be overridden. Anyone who’s worked with GPOs and Citrix policies knows these assignments can become a tangle of priorities and precedence. Admins sometimes sketch them out on paper like Venn diagrams to diagnose which subgroup is affected by which overlapping policy.A sensible course of action is to run a dedicated test server within its own organizational unit (OU) while blocking all policy inheritance. Then log in using a new user account and confirm that the desired policy takes effect when nothing else is there to override it. Then it’s safe to begin the process of logging out and logging back into the test account—each time adding another layer of existing policy. Sooner or later, you’ll find the desired policy that was ignored and you will have identified the conflicting GPO.
3. Improper printer deployment. This may seem like one of the most fundamental tasks in any print environment, but it can still be a problem in Citrix. Before deploying printers using Citrix, you have to choose one of two deployment methods:
   • Auto-create printers: This redirects printers already installed on the endpoint device to the Citrix session. The challenge here is not deploying the printers to the Citrix server, but rather deploying them to the endpoint device to begin with.
   • Session printers: Printers are initially deployed directly to the Citrix server. The challenge here is how to get the printers installed for use within the session, either a deliberate action on the part of the end user or automation via use of a logon script or GPOs.

   Without a solid print-management solution, neither method of deployment is ideal. GPOs can be complex and lead to policy conflicts that are hard to troubleshoot—especially in big, distributed organizations. Scripts must be custom coded and can slow down login times considerably. And unless end users have a simple, one-click route to printer installation, the intricacies of mapping printers can test the limits of their computer skills and leave them relying on help-desk calls to sort things out.

PrinterLogic is a comprehensive solution for Citrix printing problems
PrinterLogic is a solution for trouble-free, reliable printing in Citrix environments. Thanks to a centralized management architecture and deployment features that don’t rely on scripts or GPOs—plus its ability to empower end users through an intuitive self-service portal—PrinterLogic solves the most common and persistent Citrix printing issues in one package:

• When using auto-created printers, the PrinterLogic client is installed on the end-user workstation. Printers can be automatically deployed to the workstation and redirected in the session through the Citrix policy of printer auto-creation. This can leverage either native printer drivers (to retain important finishing options), or the Citrix UPD—which ensures broad compatibility.
• When opting for session printers, admins deploy the PrinterLogic client in the session itself. The software client gathers information about the end-user workstation from the Citrix session. The client then manages printer security to ensure the correct printers are installed and appear automatically in the user’s session. PrinterLogic establishes direct-IP connections between workstations and nearby printers, and session printing lets end users print using full-featured native printer drivers.

Because PrinterLogic integrates seamlessly with Citrix environments, it feels and functions like a natural enhancement of Citrix printing rather than a bolt-on, third-party solution. It delivers streamlined print management and improvements in printer availability that save administration time and keep users productive. It helps reduce hardware infrastructure and demands on technical-support resources. PrinterLogic is a complete solution for Citrix printing problems and a comprehensive solution for enterprise print management as well.

A key benefit of cloud computing is user mobility, but this requires traditional authentication methods to ensure adequate security. Active Directory, for example, must be moved to the cloud. Microsoft’s answer is Azure AD, an identity and access-management solution for SaaS applications.

PrinterLogic SaaS (formerly PrinterCloud) gives IT administrators the ability to eliminate print servers and centrally manage printer and driver deployments in a SaaS solution. As an option, PrinterLogic SaaS will leverage Active Directory and LDAP to authenticate its mobile- and pull- printing features.

Figure 1: PrinterLogic SaaS Authentication Paths

When using PrinterLogic SaaS for driver management and printer deployments, there is no need to configure an LDAP connection with Active Directory. The PrinterLogic SaaS client—installed on the end user’s workstation—uses a Windows API to request information about the user and domain, which is enough to perform these basic functions as shown in Figure 1 above.

For mobile and pull printing in PrinterLogic SaaS, the LDAP connection field must be completed. This is found under Tools > Settings > General as shown in Figure 2 below.

Active Directory Authentication: If features such as pull printing or mobile printing are used, the entire top section down to the LDAP port field (“Secondary LDAP Server” optional), as well as the Domain Alias, Bind User, and Bind Password fields, must be configured (Figure 2) so end users can release their pull/mobile print jobs from either a web-release portal, a control-panel application, or via badge release.

Figure 2: LDAP Settings for PrinterLogic SaaS

Microsoft Azure AD offers three variants that can be used, depending on organization size and the level of authentication required:

Azure AD—Cloud Identity Only. Azure AD is a basic identity service that can be used for single sign-on authentication (SSO) to give access to SaaS applications such as Office 365, Salesforce.com, and Dropbox. See Figure 3, below, for more details.

Azure AD Hybrid. Azure AD Hybrid offers full Windows Active Directory services synchronized with Azure AD using Azure AD Connect. This extends local AD accounts to Azure and allows end users access to both local and SaaS applications using single sign-on (SSO). See Figure 4, below, for more details.

Azure AD Domain Services (DS). Azure AD with Domain Services provides full Windows Active Directory without needing to create an additional Windows Server VM. This option is shown in Figure 5, below.

Figure 3: Azure AD Cloud Identity Only Model

Azure AD stores a few basic attributes such as name, tenant, role, and password. No on-premises Windows Servers are required. All information is stored and managed in the Azure AD instance in the cloud. Authentication is performed through SAML, WS-Federation, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect protocols. In this scenario, all PrinterLogic SaaS core features work, aside from AD-based printer deployments; however, authentication for mobile and pull printing does not yet support these forms of authentication.

Figure 4: Azure AD Hybrid Model

Windows Server Active Directory is synchronized with Azure AD using an Azure AD Connect Server. This allows end users to access SaaS applications with their current AD credentials. PrinterLogic SaaS will integrate seamlessly with this architecture because it connects to the Windows Server Active Directory for authentication using LDAP, making all features available.

Figure 5: Azure AD Domain Services

With Azure AD Domain Services (DS), administrators create an entire virtual network, complete with domain controllers. Azure AD DS is available for cloud-only organizations and hybrid organizations, whereas Azure AD Connect is used to support identity synchronization. If Azure AD DS is used, PrinterLogic SaaS can be deployed and authenticates against the domain service using secure LDAP.

This is done by configuring secure LDAP (LDAPS) for the Azure AD Domain Services (Secure LDAP Configuration Guide) and filling out the LDAP configuration section under Tools > Settings > General in PrinterLogic SaaS. (See Figure 6 below for an example.)

Figure 6: LDAP configuration for Azure AD Domain Services.

PrinterLogic SaaS integrates seamlessly with this architecture because it connects to the Azure AD Domain Services for authentication using LDAPS. This makes all features available.

To see all these PrinterLogic SaaS features, go to www.printerlogic.com/printercloud and click “Start Trial.” This gives you 30 days of free access so you can see how PrinterLogic SaaS integrates with a Azure AD and gives IT administrators the ability to eliminate print servers and centrally manage printer and driver deployments in today’s SaaS environment.

PrinterLogic’s email-to-print functionality (part of the Mobile Printing Advanced Module) doesn’t just work with any client. It also works with any network printer—even legacy devices. Plus there is no client-side email-to-print software to install, which makes management a breeze.

In enterprise-scale organizations, there is a lot of head-scratching over how best to implement mobile-printing capabilities. Is there a straightforward solution like email-to-print software? If so, how do you roll it out to everyone in the organization—especially BYOD and guest users? Will the associated print-management hassle be worth it? Does it require additional infrastructure like an email-to-print server?

Fortunately, there’s a single answer to all of the above: PrinterLogic. We offer on-premises and cloud-based next-gen print-management solutions. Both feature easy-to-implement and easy-to-manage Mobile Printing Modules with powerful email-to-print options right out of the box. There’s no need for a print server or separate email-to-print software because all of it—and a great deal more—is handled entirely by our solution.

For starters, let’s examine PrinterLogic’s email printing capabilities. This is handy in both on- and off-network scenarios—where a user, such as a freelancer or consultant, needs to print a file on a local printer but hasn’t set it up yet. Using any client computing device, the visiting user can send the file to a network printer’s dedicated email print address. After the file is received via email, the job will enter the print queue like any conventional job.

One of the reasons organizations are skeptical about automatic email printing is security. But with PrinterLogic’s email-to-print software doing the heavy lifting, each designated printer has a unique email print address known only to select users. You can also set up rule-based routing in your mail service provider to restrict email print jobs to specific file types and specific sender addresses or domains.

PrinterLogic customers have implemented email-to-print software in a number of ways. One customer put a dedicated email print device outside the firm’s main conference room so authorized auditors and consultants could print documents easily—even when they were isolated on the guest WiFi network.

Another customer with several work-from-home employees set up automatic email printing on specific in-house departmental printers. These employees could print documents securely for their colleagues to retrieve without having to remote in.

PrinterLogic’s email-to-print functionality doesn’t just work with any client; it also works with any network printer—even legacy devices. And, there’s no client-side email-to-print software to install, which makes the workflow easy.

As I said at the outset, PrinterLogic’s mobile printing capability offers more than just a way to implement email-to-print functionality. It’s actually a full-featured printing solution for every mobile device in your organization. It offers a tailored—yet seamless—experience for your authorized mobile users, regardless of whether they’re running iOS, Android or another mobile OS. To print, these users simply tap the Share button, then “Print,” and finally select a designated PrinterLogic printer.

As with email to print, you can control who’s allowed to print and customize the output options, like setting print quotas and limiting printing to black and white. There is no custom app, no manufacturer-specific limitation on what kind of network printer you can use, and no concerns about compatibility glitches that can occur with the next mobile OS upgrade.

Whether you choose PrinterLogic’s on-premises solution or the SaaS option of PrinterCloud, you’ll get convenient email-to-print functionality and full-featured mobile printing capabilities for your entire organization—all in one cost-effective enterprise print-management solution.