Web Print works in two ways.
It can print PDF files directly.
It can also accept popular file formats and convert them to print jobs using common applications. This is done by orchestrating applications such as Adobe Reader TM, Microsoft Office TM and the Microsoft XPS Viewer as background server-side tasks. Using this approach ensures that maximum print compatibility and quality is maintained.
Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office and XPS Viewer are not supplied with PaperCut. It is your responsibility to purchase and conform to the licensing requirements of any third party software.
The following table lists the applications that Web Print may use to render uploaded documents into print jobs. Before a file format can be accepted as an upload its supporting application must be installed.
Note that when running Web Print on Windows in default mode Microsoft Office applications are not available due to limitations in the applications. See the section called “Setting Up Web Print” for information about the difference between Default Mode and Sandbox Mode.
| Application | File Format(s) | |
|---|---|---|
Adobe Reader 9, Adobe Reader X (10) | Native (using Xpdf library) | |
Microsoft Office Excel 2007, 2010 | XLS, XLSX, etc. | |
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, 2010 | PPT, PPTX, etc. | |
Microsoft Office Word 2007, 2010 | DOC, DOCX, etc. | |
|
Microsoft XPS Standalone Viewer (Essentials Pack) - For more information please see the section called “XPS Viewer Installation Instructions” | XPS |
Table 21.1. Web Print Supported Applications and File Formats
Before setting up Web Print it is worth considering any security implications. Because Web Print allows any user with access to the PaperCut NG user web interface the ability to upload a document for printing, it naturally increases surface area for attack.
More specifically, security vulnerabilities that might usually be considered local because they are triggered by opening a document in a Microsoft Office application or Adobe Reader can become a remote vulnerability. This is because these same applications are used to render print jobs on the server after the user has uploaded their document.
Much of the security risk can be mitigated through security best practice, such as regularly applying security updates to the orchestrated applications. Organizations that are very security conscious may with to consider the sandbox approach. Sandboxing the Web Print server provides an extra layer of protection/isolation.
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