The top-ten hidden features!
Much of PaperCut MF flexibility and usefulness comes not from the features you can see, but from the advanced hidden features. PaperCut MF is packed full of handy tools, utilities and options and you will read about these throughout this guide. To provide a quick overview now, the most popular hidden features are:
One: Zero-install User Client deployment
PaperCut MF is implemented using 100% server-side logic and no client software is required. A simple lightweight User ClientThe User Client tool is an add-on that resides on a user's desktop. It allows users to view their current account balance via a popup window, provides users with the opportunity to confirm what they are about to print, allows users to select shared accounts via a popup, if administrators have granted access to this feature, and displays system messages, such as the "low credit" warning message or print policy popups. is, however, provided so end users have access to advanced features such as shared accounts and the option of viewing their account balance in a popup window.
Deploying client software can be a time consuming and fiddly process. To streamline the process PaperCut MF allows its client to be run directly off a network share - you do not need to install locally, or mess around with deployment tools! Just set the executable as a startup program and it runs and auto-updates itself thereafter.
See User Client for more information.
Two: Remote administration
PaperCut MF is a 100% web based application. Full system administration can be performed from anywhere on the network via a standard web browser - no special admin software is required! To access the administration section, point a browser at the server on port 9191:
http://[server_name]:9191/admin
Encrypted SSLSecure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. The protocol uses a third party, a Certificate Authority (CA), to identify one end or both end of the transactions. To be able to create an SSL connection a web server requires an SSL certificate. When you choose to activate SSL on your web server you will be prompted to complete a number of questions about the identity of your website and your company. Your web server then creates two cryptographic keys - a Private Key and a Public Key./HTTPS access is also available on port 9192:https://[server_name]:9192/admin
Access is granted to the built-in admin, or to any user with administrator level access.Three: Mobile Printing & BYOD
Mobile Printing & BYOD enables printing from user-owned devices without the overhead of installing printer drivers and managing workstation authentication to the server.
For example, in Web PrintWeb Print enables printing from user-owned devices without the need to install printer drivers and manage server authentication. Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF files are uploaded using the same User Web Tools available on network computers. Mobile Printing & BYOD is fully integrated into PaperCut's standard print charging/accounting/quota process. It does not matter if you're a staff user allocating to a faculty or department account, or a student charging to your free print quota, the user account allocation experience the same as that seen when printing from a networked desktop system.
PaperCut's Mobile Printing & BYOD has been widely deployed across education campuses and is an ideal solution for offering print services via student owned laptops, netbooks or hand held devices.
See for more information.
Four: Shared accounts
Many organizations want to track their printing on more than a per-user level. With shared accounts, users can allocate jobs to cost areas such as Faculties, Departments, Projects, Clients, Cost Centers, or Pools. Shared accounts are selected via a customizable popup window. Two popup window types are available:
Standard - A simple account selection window design ideal for most users.
Advanced - An advanced account selection window designed for the power user including features such as search, preference list, recent selections, comment entry and invoicing options. This is ideal for businesses including Engineering, Law, Accounting and Architecture Firms.
See Shared accounts for more information.
Five: Secondary servers and Site Servers
PaperCut MF is an enterprise level application designed to be managed and controlled from a central location. Multi-server environments are common in large organizations and PaperCut MF handles them with ease. All servers are configured to report back to the central Application ServerAn Application Server is the primary server program responsible for providing the PaperCut user interface, storing data, and providing services to users. PaperCut uses the Application Server to manage user and account information, manage printers, calculate print costs, provide a web browser interface to administrators and end users, and much more.. This ensures that all management, logging and control is centralized. Secondary servers and workstations with local printers run a light weight monitoring component that communicates to the central server via XML Web Services calls.
You can compliment secondary servers with a Site ServerSite Servers take over the role of a Primary Application Server in the event of network outages. Key roles taken over include authentication, copy and print tracking and Find-Me printing. Site Servers ensure continuous availability of printing resources to support key business functions over unreliable network links or during unplanned network disruptions., which ensures continuity of print services even if the Application Server is unavailable due to a network outage. For more information, see Resiliency with Site Servers.
Servers and workstations can run the Site Server and secondary serverA PaperCut secondary server is a system that directly hosts a printer, that is, a print server with a Print Provider installed. A secondary server can be a server style system hosting many printers, a desktop style system hosting printer(s) also shared to other network users, or a desktop style system with the printer used only for local users (not shared). software on any supported operating system no matter what operating system is used on the Application Server because PaperCut MF supports mixed or heterogeneous networks as well!
See Multi-server and multi-site deployments for more information.
Six: Scripting
Scripting can be applied on a per printer basis to provide programatic control during the print process. Possible applications include:
Route the job to the cheapest compatible printer and notify the user of the change (least-cost routing)
Prompt users to print large color jobs on a compatible low cost grayscale printer
Charge printing during class time to the department
Inform user when printer is in error and suggest a compatible alternative
See Advanced scripting (print scripting) for more information.
Seven: Customizable web interface
The end user interface can be quickly customized to make it look like an official part of your organization's infrastructure. With some simple HTML, you can make the PaperCut MF end user interface look just like your existing web site or intranet site.
See Customize the User web interface for more information.
Eight: XML Web Services and command-line control
Many things these days are Web Services enabled. Not to be outdone, PaperCut MF exposes dozens of APIApplication Programming Interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software and applications. An API expresses a software component in terms of its operations, inputs, outputs, and underlying types, defining functionalities that are independent of their respective implementations, which allows definitions and implementations to vary without compromising the interface.'s via secured XML Web Services. This provides advanced administrators and developers with the ability to programmatically remotely control, integrate and manage the application. The possibilities are endless... some of our users now have their library fines hooked into the PaperCut MF system!
In addition to the Web Services API's, SysAdmins can hook into the inner workings of PaperCut MF using server commands and scripting.
With server commands you can use batch files or scripts to automate system functions such as:
Schedule "online" backups to coordinate with your existing backup processes. You do not need to take the system down to take a data snapshot.
Create users in PaperCut MF automatically and as part of your existing user creation scripts.
Automatically import/sync list of accounts from a file, 3rd party system or existing directory structure. (Great for Engineering and Architecture firms)
See The XML Web Services API and Server commands (server-command) for more information.
Nine: 3rd party database support
PaperCut MF ships with its own preconfigured and self-maintaining database. The system, however, is database independent and can be run on top of a number of leading database systems. Maybe you have an existing Microsoft SQLStructured Query Language (SQL) is a special-purpose programming language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS). Cluster and want to take advantages of this infrastructure. No problem! PaperCut MF can be quickly configured to hook into your preferred database.
See Deployment on an external database (RDBMS) for more information.
Ten: The development team
Software is only as good as the development process. PaperCut MF is developed in an open and transparent fashion by a small development team. Suggestions and feedback are encouraged and source code access is provided to our customers. The team works closely with key system users to architect new features. A member of the development team is online for 8 hours a day and is always happy to chat. Come visit us on our Live Web Chat page!
See the PaperCut Software website https://www.papercut.com for more information.