Two or one policy to install printer?

[tcandela]

I manage a Site, JSS admin has setup check-in to occur every hour , Should I create separate printer drivers policies and place them in self service along with separate policies in self service to add the printers associated with those drivers?
Thus the user would have to install the driver(s) first, then secondly install the printer(s) via self service. OR should I create one single policy for each printer, each policy installing the driver package and the printer, then put it in self service?

Curious to hear others opinions and ways they deploy printers via policy.

These are network printers.

[rtrouton]

I'm deploying drivers on an as-needed basis when my users want to set up a printer using Self Service. I have a couple of posts on how I've done this for Canon and Xerox printers:

https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/deploying-canon-print-drivers-with-printer-setups-via-c...

https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/deploying-xerox-print-drivers-on-a-per-os-basis-via-cas...

[adamcodega]

There's no reason not to install the driver and then the printer in one step.

[davidacland]

In most cases we try to load up the deployed machines with the drivers when the OS is being deployed. This works best when the site is working with a specific print vendor.

We can then just deploy the printer config I the policy.

In cases where we're not pre-loading the drivers we will put the driver and the printer into a single policy which works fine.

[mscottblake]

@tcandela The down side to installing the driver with the printer is in the case where there are lots of printers using the same driver. It's a time and resource drain to re-install the driver over and over.

I do not use the built in Printers as they do not have everything I need in them (like sharing and kerberos settings). I instead create installer packages for printers.

I create the driver policy with a Self Service and a Custom trigger (something like printerDrivers-BizhubC3110). Then, within the preinstall script (of the printer installer) I trigger the Casper Policy to install the drivers.```
jamf policy -trigger printerDrivers-BizhubC3110
```

The benefit of this approach is that if the computer already has the driver, it will be outside the driver policy scope and will not do anything. If it doesn't have the driver, it runs the policy and it's just like having them combined in the policy as you mentioned.

[tcandela]

So when adding the driver and printer in the one policy, it just knows to install the driver before adding the the printer ? How is this installation order set?
I just have these macs enrolled via quick add package. I have smart groups detecting OS versions.
Same Xerox drivers work for 10.7 thru current 10.10 , we use the same Xerox model throughout the building.
Sharp drivers are OS version specific, have maybe 3-4 different models.
If deploying an OS I would also add the drivers in the config.
Maybe a thin image config, no OS, just drivers and other basics stuff.

[mscottblake]

@tcandela I am creating my own custom printer package installer. Within that installation, it triggers a casper policy to install the driver. If the machine is not in the smart group allowed to run the policy, nothing happens.

[tcandela]

For the Sharp printers I am just going to have the users install there printers and drivers using Self Service.

Will adding the Sharp printer to Casper Admin from an OS X.9 system and adding it into Self Service have an effect on users that are on X.8 or X.10 ?

[adamcodega]

@tcandela No, as previously discussed it won't help you grab the drivers.

[tcandela]

adamcodega - I just created a policy (xerox 4112) with the driver and printer in it together. I added the printer into Casper Admin from 10.9 system and just ran the self service policy from a 10.10 system = I checked the driver on the 10.10 system and driver is correct.

this xerox driver is for 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10 so I have 3 more of these Xerox printer in the building, so I will have to make three more policies coinciding with each location in the building.

but now I have a (4) Sharp MX-C311 printers, this printer has separate drivers for 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, so 4 x 3 = 12 policies I have to make ??

[rtrouton]

@tcandela,

I had a similar issue with OS-specific drivers for our now-retired Xerox printer. I have a post on how I handled that available from here:

https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/deploying-xerox-print-drivers-on-a-per-os-basis-via-cas...

It should hopefully help you cut down on the number of policies you need to create.

[tcandela]

rtrouton - I'll check it out, thanks.

I'm fine with creating 4 xerox policies, but 12 Sharp policies !!!

[tcandela]

If I install printer drivers in a seperate policy, then have a second policy that adds the printer will the printer then get assigned the correct driver?

The printer is uploaded to jss via CASPER admin, obviously configured with the printer driver to use prior to adding the printer, so I am curious to know if I then create a seperate policy that adds the driver files to the Mac first, and then have a second policy add the printer, will the correct driver be used?

Currently I have the driver and printer install in the same policy, 'use default ppd file' unchecked

[davidacland · Accepted solution]

Hi,

That's how I normally do it. We deploy the drivers separately, then deploy just the printer settings via a policy when it's needed.

The printer you add to Casper Admin will use the driver you selected when you set it up, as long as the driver exists on the target machine when you deploy it.