Table of Contents
BYOD (Bring Your Own) Mobile devices are now accepted as playing an essential role in many organisations and are here to stay. However, providing printing support across the varied devices available is challenging as there are many competing technologies with no standardization. Current mobile printing solutions are problematic because:
There are lots of choices
They may not compatible with your printing infrastructure or are difficult to integrate
They keep changing
There is no current "standout" mobile printing solution that is the best for all platforms. Rather, each platform has its own native or preferred option. PaperCut harnesses each of the native printing solutions to create a unified solution for your organization. PaperCut's approach is to:
Integrate with the native printing solutions on each platform,
Ensure that all of PaperCut's core print management features are available,
Provide a natural print experience across all devices,
Allow organizations to re-use their existing print infrastructure (no need for special printers),
Ensure that all users can be accommodated by providing simple options such as Email to Print and Web Print.
This chapter will help you understand the various tools that PaperCut provides for mobile users and how they can be mapped to your organization's needs, no matter how many users you are supporting. In addition it provides some guidance on how to approach deployment and troubleshooting.
The Process:
STEP 1 - Understand the tools
STEP 2 - Understand your users
STEP 3 - Develop your strategy and deployment plan
Before planning your deployment, you need to have a good understanding of the tools and technologies. A number of these technologies may already be in place in your organization, while others are made possible with PaperCut. The key technologies can be grouped as follows:
Native mobile print technologies
PaperCut-provided technologies
PaperCut integrates with existing systems to complement native print technologies with print management functionality. Additionally, PaperCut technologies such as Email to Print provide alternatives on platforms where a native approach is not available or practical.
| Technology | Benefit |
|---|---|
iOS provides users with a native and mature print experience on iPhones and iPads. Users have the power to select various printing options such as copies and grayscale, and can print from many applications without the need of additional software. Users may interface with PaperCut features via the Mobile Client app. | |
Google Cloud Print (GCP) | GCP is Google's preferred mobile and Chromebook (Chrome OS) printing experience. It is the native printing experience for Android, Chromebooks, and Google applications on iOS. GCP is also an option for laptop users (when using the Chrome browser or a custom driver/service). All of PaperCut's print management features integrate with GCP. |
A lowest common denominator, and simplest solution that will work on any device that's able to send email attachments. PDF or Microsoft Office document attachments are converted to print jobs. | |
A simple web based experience suitable for any BYOD laptop or Netbook users. End-users simply upload their document via a standard browser form. No special or client print driver setup required. |
Table 21.1. Technology Benefits
The remaining parts of this chapter cover each of these technologies in detail. Ultimately hands-on experience is the best way to understand the approaches and technologies. Your deployment plan, discussed below, will likely have a testing period to help you understand and assess the technologies before committing to them. This is discussed more in the following steps.
Every organization will have a different mobile & BYOD strategy. Small organizations may simply implement one technology, while larger organizations with dedicated IT departments may have a multi-faceted approach. Your strategy will be driven by your particular environment and user needs. The range of end-user drivers is diverse - some examples:
Many education organizations are now allowing students to bring their own laptops, or are considering supplying Chromebooks or iPads.
In business it's no longer 'one person - one device'. It's now desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile. Some have standard operating environments, while others support a broader spectrum or even a BYOD policy.
... and then there are the unexpected needs, such as Joe Exec turning up with his new Christmas present (a tablet) expecting to print.
After reviewing the user needs for your organization you'll know your device profile. Each device platform has preferred and supported approaches to printing. Use your device profile and the priorities of your user base to help determine the best technologies. The table below will help:
| iOS Printing | Web Print | Google Cloud Print | Email to Print | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android | N/A | N/A | Preferred | Supported |
| iPhone/iPad | Preferred | N/A | Preferred in Google iOS Apps | Supported |
| Chromebooks (Chrome OS) | N/A | Supported | Preferred | Supported |
| Netbooks | N/A | Preferred | Supported | Supported |
| BYOD Laptops | N/A | Preferred | Supported | Supported |
| Windows RT & Windows 8 tablets | Use standard Windows Printing with Mobile Client | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Google Mobile Apps (many devices) | N/A | N/A | Preferred | Supported |
| Other (e.g. Smart Phone) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supported |
Table 21.2. Technology Options
As with most IT projects keeping the solution simple as possible but satisfying the majority of users is the preferred approach.
Smaller teams will need to balance the needs of their users against the complexity of implementing multiple technologies.
Larger organizations with dedicated IT teams have the benefit of scale. Offering choice to support the widest range of devices may be the project goal.
Each organization will differ in terms of rollout strategy. Here's a few checkpoints to work through to make sure everything is in place:
Setup - Can this be done without impacting current users? Are there network or hardware requirements such as purchasing a Mac, or managing user accounts in Google to use GCP?
Test - Before advertising any new feature, can you test it with a small group of users? Maybe you have a small group that's been requesting the feature. They will be eager to test it, and will hopefully come back with fresh feedback.
Communicate - Before you roll out functionality, think about how you can most effectively communicate this to your users. Maybe a step-by-step guide via email is a good place to start.
Rollout - Execute your plan. Larger organizations implementing a multi-platform/technology plan will conduct the rollout in phases.
Manage - Don't forget to keep management in the loop with the different stages of the project. PaperCut has in-built reports on mobile print usage. This may be a useful tool.
Evaluate - Continue to monitor usage and user requirements. If you introduce new device types in the future, it might be time to consider introducing different methods to print.
At a technical level, it's also important to understand IT infrastructure requirements and the impact your choices have on your data and security policies. The table below hightights some of these considerations.
| Technology | Data Flow | Print Options | Basic Requirements | Other Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
iOS Printing | Internal |
Basic options, provided by iOS. Usually:
| iOS devices. Mac print server with PaperCut, or 3rd party Windows app. | Multiple subnet configuration can be challenging without 3rd party utilities. |
Google Cloud Print | Internal / external |
All options, provided by Google Cloud Print. Usually at least:
| Users must have a Google Account. | Depending on configuration, users may not be able to print from all applications. Exporting to PDF and printing from a browser is a common workaround. |
Email to Print | Internal (maybe external depending on mail server configuration) |
OS print queue defaults only (currently theree are no options selected by the user) It is possible to create multiple OS print queues with different defaults e.g. a 'duplex queue'. |
POP3 or IMAP email server. Optional sandbox machine / VM running Microsoft Office apps. | PDF only or PDF and Microsoft Office documents if a sandbox is configured. |
Web Print |
Internal Possible to make external by exposing the PaperCut user web interface to the internet. |
Number of copies only, other settings use OS print queue defaults It is possible to create multiple OS print queues with different defaults e.g. a 'duplex queue'. | Optional sandbox machine / VM running Microsoft Office apps. | PDF only or PDF, Microsoft Office and XPS documents if a sandbox is configured. |
Table 21.3. Technology Options
Detailed information on each technology can be found in subsequent sections.
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