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常見問題

什麼是PaperCut以及它是如何運作?
這是一個複雜的常見問題!下面是簡略摘要:

PaperCut通常安裝在列印伺服器上。管理員在伺服器上安裝印表機,然後共用印表機。網絡上的其他系統(工作站)列印到這些共用印表機。PaperCut的運作原理是通過監視這些列印佇列並截取列印信息,如頁數,並使用它來實現日誌記錄,收費,控制,配額或報告。PaperCut還可以監視本地連接桌面印表機甚至運作在獨立或點對點網絡。
什麼是列印伺服器,我需要一台嗎?
列印伺服器是託管和共用列印佇列的系統。列印伺服器不一定是一個專門的伺服器。在大多數網路上現有的伺服器,如檔案伺服器或網域控制站將滿足這一角色。桌面系統也可作為小型網路上的列印伺服器。PaperCut可以運作在Windows、Mac或Linux伺服器。
安裝後是否需要重新啟動?
在所有平台上的PaperCut版本在安裝或升級過程中,伺服器不需要重新啟動。
I'd like to evaluate PaperCut but am concerned about installing it on a production server?
First of all, it is great to see that you are a smart administrator! We are a technically focused company and love working with people who have a passion about technology and more importantly a passion to ensure that "it works"! PaperCut is a well tested application deployed cross tens-of-thousands of organizations. It should never "crash" your system, but it is possible to configure it incorrectly and have it accidentally deny user printing unexpectedly. Hence it is worth taking some time to consider this on larger networks. Here are some risk mitigation options: Standalone testing: PaperCut will function on standalone system. Installing PaperCut on a desktop system such as XP Pro, Vista, or Mac OS X Workstation is a good way to get a general "feel" for PaperCut. Just set up a few local printers for testing and experiment with the PaperCut features. Smaller Networks (less than 5000 users):
  • Deploy on your server with care, but do so armed with the knowledge of how you can disable PaperCut if you hit any unforeseen problems. PaperCut can quickly be disabled by manually stopping system services (or uninstalling).
  • Conduct your installation during a period of low activity.
  • The implementation guide found on the download page discusses some project management aspects associated with deployment.
Larger Networks (more than 5000 users):
  • If you have a test server or test environment, consider deploying PaperCut on here first.
  • Consider using server virtualization products such as VMware or Virtual Server and running PaperCut in a VM for initial testing/review before deploying on bare metal or in production.
  • Do not hesitate to contact our support team if you wish to discuss any specific questions.
Is the Mac/Linux version a "poor cousin" port of the Windows version?
The current versions of PaperCut were written from scratch to be cross-platform and support all major operating systems. Back in 2005 we started afresh, putting aside the current Windows-only code base and started over again. This represented a huge investment, but the end result is that all platforms share a common code base and have an identical feature set. We follow a similar development philosophy to major cross-platform projects such as Firefox, and synchronize platform releases. This ensures that one platform is never left behind.
PaperCut screen-shots show a "$" currency symbol. My country uses a different symbol.
PaperCut fetches the currency format from the Operating System's "locale" settings. The region can also be manually overridden if required.
But I don't want to "charge" my users?
PaperCut is a flexible solution and can be deployed with a number of configurations ranging from "silent monitoring" through to a full user-pays environment. Most organizations do not use PaperCut to "charge" their users. In an education-based organization, PaperCut is more often used to restrict users to a sensible quota/budget - for example $5.00 a week. In business, PaperCut can be installed in a "silent logging" mode, enabling the tracking of statistics, or billing to accounts/departments.
Will PaperCut save me money?
PaperCut provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring and controlling printer usage. Our customers find that they save between 20% and 50% of their paper and toner budget after implementing PaperCut. These savings add up quickly. PaperCut usually pay for itself within just a few months. To see how much you can save, try our online Return on Investment (ROI) calculator.
My users log in using a generic user account? Do I need to set up user accounts?
To track printing at an individual user level, each user will require an account in PaperCut. Usually accounts are automatically sourced from your existing user directory such as LDAP, Active Directory, OpenDirectory or eDirectory. PaperCut also has support for internal user accounts. Internal accounts are ideal for guest users, or on small networks where an external user directory may not be appropriate. PaperCut is able to support generic logins but still log at the individual user level by using client software and popup authentication.
Can I install PaperCut on a single standalone system or on a peer-to-peer network?
Yes. The system hosting PaperCut however will need to be a compatible OS (see system requirements). In fact, if you have less than 5 users using the system, you can use PaperCut for free! In a domain environment, you'll set up user accounts in the domain. In a peer-to-peer network, you'll set up the user accounts on the local system hosting PaperCut.
Are there yearly support or maintenance fees? What are the ongoing costs?
We do not charge a mandatory annual fee. Licenses are indefinite - once you have licensed PaperCut you can run that version for ever. Free email support is included with every license and we also have a generous upgrade policy, where minor point releases are free (e.g. 10.0 to 10.2). About once every 12 to 18 months, we release a major version upgrade. Customers have a few options in terms of upgrades:
  • Continue to run the current version (Yes. We still have customers running the 9 year old version 1 release, and we continue to support them!)
  • Purchase an upgrade. The upgrade fees are always between 20% and 30% of the new license price.
  • Subscribe to premium upgrade assurance.
Premium upgrade assurance is purchased in 12-month blocks and provides a few benefits such as access to all upgrades at no cost, priority support, and phone support. Organizations that like to stay with the most recent version, or like to be able to budget for upgrades in advance should consider upgrade assurance. Most larger education organizations over 2000 users, or businesses over 200 users opt for upgrade assurance as total cost of ownership is lower. Read more about premium upgrade assurance. Very large organizations such as Universities or Corporate that require extra-special support such as 24-hour coverage should contact our development team for options. One last point: Upgrading is always optional. We continue to support older versions - even version 1.0 from 1998!
Why do you license based on users and not per-server?
We are aware that some of our competitors offer per-server licenses. We however see a few problems with server licenses:
  • It encourages overloading of servers.
  • Forces organizations to restructure their network just to save costs.
  • Discourages use of modern system designs such as clustering and server virtualization.
  • Discourages best practice such as duplicate test environments or backup servers.
  • It produces a pricing model that is not reflective of an organization's budget.
PaperCut is a true enterprise-wide license. There are no limits on the number of servers, printers, locally attached printers, workstations, domains, clusters, or physical sites. It's up to you to define how you use the software and run your network. We are aware that in some situations, per-server licensing may be cheaper, but we're confident that users see through this and appreciate the flexibility we offer and the future benefits this will provide.
What hardware is recommended/supported?
For more information, see the product system requirements:
Are locally connected desktop printers (peer printers) supported?
Yes. PaperCut was specifically designed to allow organizations to have any number of systems hosting printers. Where possible we recommend network printers centralized on print servers as this simplifies management. All that is required to track local printing (e.g. a USB printer) is to install the light-weight print monitoring service on the workstation (about 350k). To do this run the installer and select the "Secondary print server" option when prompted. More information here. This is included as standard with the license. There is no extra cost.
Which printers are supported?
PaperCut works with the majority of printers including printers supporting:
  • Postscript
  • PCL (all versions)
  • PCL-GUI
  • PCLXL
  • HPGL
  • Epson languages ESC/P2, ESC/PAGE and ESC/PAGE-COLOR
  • Ricoh RPCS
  • Many proprietary GDI printers from the links of Lexmark, Brother, Panasonic, HP, Xerox, QMS, Samsung and others.
You can find more information on specific models and manufactures in our knowledge base on the supported printers page.
Will PaperCut slow printing?
Users will experience no noticeable slowing of normal print jobs. Very large jobs may experience a few seconds delay as the job spools to the print server.
Does PaperCut support different charging prices for color, duplex and different page size printing?
Yes. PaperCut supports a variety of charging techniques, including charging by specific page size (with different color and grayscale rates), page area charging, page size category charging, and discounts for duplex printing to encourage paper conservation.

PaperCut also supports page-level color detection. With this feature, PaperCut "looks" into the document searching for use of color. This ensures that users are only charged the color rate for pages that use color.
I only want to monitor or charge a small number of users on my domain. Do I have to buy a license that supports all users?
The license is based on the number of user logon accounts registered with the system - usually the same number of login accounts on your domain. PaperCut periodically checks the number of users in its database and will prompt you if you exceed your license. If you only intend to monitor a small percentage of your users, you can import the users from a network group that contains a subset of your users. This is discussed in the knowledge base here.
Our legal department would like to make some changes to your End User License Agreement (EULA). Is that OK?
Unfortunately, within PaperCut's current price structure, we're unable to make any changes to our EULA. If you consider our pricing model and the costs of creating and managing individual agreements with each of our customers, you can begin to understand our position (lawyers are expensive!). Maintaining a standard EULA with all of our customers allows us to focus our resources on meeting our obligations under these agreements. Do keep in mind of course that our EULAs have been very carefully authored to be fair to both you and us. Still concerned? Get in touch and we can discuss.
What if my question isn't answered here?
Many common questions are answered in our knowledge base, and we recommend you look for an answer there. If you can't find the answer in the knowledge base, we're happy to answer your questions by email or to chat online. You can find our details on the contact page.