Deploying Printers via Casper that require Accounting

[smontalvo]

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for any help.

The situation is that we have a Xerox D110 that has local user accounts. To use accounting on a Mac after installing with the proper driver, you have to enable it by trying to print something, clicking show details, clicking a drop down and selecting Xerox Features to turn on accounting and prompt for password.

But is there a way to capture those driver settings with Casper for deployment via self service? I can have the printer connected directly to the Mac or through our print server, as long as the accounting settings also get deployed.

Again, thanks for any help or suggestions!

[blackholemac]

Certain you aren't trying to re-invent the wheel, but basically the way we handle page accounting is through web-based software called Papercut that interacts with our various models of copiers. The copier doesn't handle the accounting, the server software does.

Our Windows admins have set up Windows Printer queues (which Macs actually support fairly well). User prints job from a Mac logged in with their AD account to the PaperCut printer queue (on their Mac or Windows machine). Job goes lands in a Papercut server general queue. User flashes their HID-enabled work badge that is cross linked to their AD account. Job prints on any copier in the building. Papercut is a bit salty, but has helped us bridge the different models of printers we use and is implemented well here. Feel free to check them out at http://www.papercut.com

[smontalvo]

Coincidentally I was actually looking at Papercut to help us manage our printing, unfortunately this is for a whole school district (which I should have mentioned before, sorry) so it is hard to pitch a district-wide change as an immediate solution. Though I do appreciate the suggestion.

The simplest solution so far is to push out the printer, and give out a little instruction sheet on how to turn on accounting. I just wanted to see if I could avoid that because people tend to still mess it up and our help desk gets flooded with calls.

[blackholemac]

We use Papercut for the whole district actually. It sits on a district wide server and all of our AD accounts are usable in any building district wide. I can refer you in more detail to our Print Server guy (who also doubles as my co-admin on the Casper side). His name is Dennis Homco and he has quite a bit of built up knowledge of Papercut and has implemented the "right way" as far as I'm concerned.

Umm. I don't know how to get you his email without giving it out on here which he asked me not to give it out large scale. I wish we could send PMs on here.

[smontalvo]

I appreciate it, but you don't have to worry. For the most part I meant that Papercut would be nice, but it would take a couple months for me to pitch the idea to our director, have it approved, test it on out network, etc. I was looking for an immediate solution because out staff needs that printer up an running asap.

Thank you for the suggestions though.