FAQ

Issue Addressed:
These versions have the same functionality and features, but are licensed and priced differently.

* Print Manager Plus 2008 with Client Billing and Authentication SOHO Edition

The Small Office, Home Office version is limited to a Work Group network or single file and print server with no more than 2 printers and 5 users. The SOHO edition has all of the functionality of Client Billing with Authentication. Maintenance is included and covers Upgrades/Updates and Phone support for 1 Year from date of purchase.

* Print Manager Plus 2008 with Client Billing and Authentication Small Business Edition

The Small Business Edition is limited to a Work Group network or single file and print server with no more than 5 printers and 35 users. The SOHO edition has all of the functionality of Client Billing with Authentication. Maintenance is included and covers Upgrades/Updates and Phone support for 1 Year from date of purchase.

* Print Manager Plus 2008 with Client Billing and Authentication

Print Manager Plus with Client Billing Module is licensed per a print server. It covers unlimited users on the domain(s) and unlimited printers on the print server or workstation connected printers. Maintenance is included and covers Upgrades/Updates and Phone support for 1 Year from date of purchase.

* The workstation based Authentication Module can be installed on unlimited workstations for no extra charge.

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Does Print Manager Plus support Active Directory?
Yes, Print Manager Plus supports Active Directory in Active and Passive modes.

Can Print Manager Plus with Client Billing and Authentication run on a Peer to Peer Network?

Yes, Print Manager Plus can run on a Peer to Peer network. Because Print Manager Plus runs as a native Windows Service it can be loaded on a Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista workstation which can act as your print server. Then by simply directing you other workstations to the shared printer on the workstation you will be able to track and manage all of your printing in the office.

Does Print Manager Plus support Microsoft Cluster Server? 

Click here to download associated notes.
Print Manager Plus supports Microsoft Cluster Server. One license must be purchased for each server that is clustered.

Does Print Manager Plus Require Software On The Client?
Yes, The Authenticatin Module must be loaded on each workstation that you would like the user to track client/account/User printing.

The Authentication Module can be installed on these O/S:

* Windows NT Workstation
* Windows 2000 Workstation
* Windows XP Professional
* Windows Vista

Does Print Manager Plus Use Port Monitors?

No Print Manager Plus does not use any type of Port Monitor. It does not change or replace anything in Windows. It has received logo approval from Microsoft.

* Verified for Windows 2003 Server.
* Certified for Windows XP.
* Certified Microsoft Backoffice.

What Network Protocol does the Authentication Module use?

Print Manager Plus with Client Billing and Authentication and the remote Authentication Module use TCP/IP to speak through Named Pipes.

What Operating System does Print Manager Plus run on?

Print Manager Plus services can be installed on:

* Windows 2008 Server
* Windows 2003 Server
* Windows 2000 Server
* Windows NT Server
* Supports Microsoft Cluster
* Supports Citrix and Terminal Services Environments

The product can also be run on an NT/2000/XP/Vista Workstation, but we recommend that your print server is setup on Windows Server O/S.

The remote Administrator for Print Manager Plus can be installed on an NT/2000/XP/Vista Workstation.

What printers can Print Manager Plus track?

Print Job data is translated into specific datasets which can be used for full featured auditing and cost analysis.

Print Job data collected is: Time/Date Printed, Document Title, Document Type, Page Count, Copy Count, Page Size, Print Job Size, Black & White Output, Color Output, Duplex, N-Up, Large Format Printing by Inches and Centimeters.

Print Manager Plus was created by request from the IT industry at the inception of Microsoft's Windows NT server release. Software Shelf took on the challenge of surveying and developing a simple, and easy to use software based product, and it did in 1998 releasing our 1.0 version of Print Manager Plus. We found that tracking print jobs from operating systems was not as easy as we thought it would be. The development route we took required that we audit the actual spooled print job file that the printer hardware deciphers to actually print the job. This required us to be able to look at separate print languages that the printer manufactures write for their hardware. Since then we have deciphered and audit hundreds of print languages. This allows Print Manager Plus to track the data needed for a complete audit of all printing traffic over any size network and any printer type.

Printers Audited includes: Dot Matrix, Inkjets, LaserJets, Multifunctional devices, Large Format Printers, and Plotters.

Current Print Languages Supported:

Brother HBP - Host Based Printing
Brother NCM - Native Compression Mode
Brother XL2HB
Canon CAPT - Canon Advanced Printing Technology
Canon UFR - Ultra Fast Rendering
DPL (Dell Printer Language)
Duplo DUPRINTER
Epson ESC/P
Epson ESC/Page
Epson ESC/Page2
Fuji
GDI (All Versions) - Graphics Device Interface
HP LIDIL - Lightweight Imaging Device Interface Language
HP PCL - Print Control Language (All Versions)
HP PCLXL - Print Control Language XL
HP PPA - Printer Performance Architecture
HP Universal Print Driver (Postscript)
HP Universal Print Driver (PCL)
HPBL
HPGL - BINCO
HPGL - HP Graphics Language
HPGL/2 - HP Graphics Language 2
KIPGL
KIP Script
Kyocera KPDL - Kyocera Print Definition Language
Kyocera Prescribe
Lexmark GDI
OAKT - Oak Technology
OKI GDI
OKI HiperC
Panasonic GDI
PDF (All Versions) - Page Description Format
Postscript - (All Versions)
Prescribe - page description language (All Versions)
Printronix - PGL Printronix Graphics Language
Ricoh IPDL - Intelligent Page Description Language
Ricoh RPCS - Refined Printing Command Stream
Samsung QPDL
Samsung SMART
Tally Stream
Tally TCPL - Tally Compressed Printer Language
Text (RAW)
Xerox TIFF6/GDI
Zenographics ZIMF
Zenographics ZJStream

What types of Client and User Authentication does Print Manager Plus do?

The Authentication Module installs on Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista Workstation, Runs with Print Manager Plus 2008 Client Billing and Authentication FULL, SBE, and SOHO versions only.

This application based product is only shipped with Print Manager Plus 2008 with Client Billing and Authentication. The Module installs on the workstations that you would like to authenticate printing from. The program can be manipulated by the Print Manager Plus service to change based on the authentication permissions you set for the user.

The Authentication Module can be installed on as many workstations as the customer needs. The product is given at NO CHARGE.

Print Manager Plus takes print management to a new level with robust client billing and authentication features.

Client Billing Verification and Authentication Settings

Client Billing Verification and Authentication settings are specified on a per Print Printer basis. You can access these settings by opening the properties of each printer within the Printers Tab. You will find these settings under the Authentication tab for each printer. Below is a description of each option available. Print jobs will be paused in the print queue awaiting authentication from the user.

Client Billing Print Job Verification Only

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will have the option to select a Client Account to bill the print job to, or delete the print job. (Client Accounts and passwords are specified and configured under the Client Billing tab)

Client Billing Print Job Authentication by Client Account Password Only

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will have the option to select a Client Account to bill the print job to, or delete the print job. This will also require the user to authenticate by entering the Client Account password if one is set for that Client Account. (Client Accounts and passwords are specified and configured under the Client Billing tab)

Client Billing Print Job Authentication by User Password Only

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will have the option to select a Client Account to bill the print job to, or delete the print job. This option will require the user to enter their password (as specified within Print Manager Plus within the Users tab).

Client Billing Print Job Authentication by User Name and User Password Only

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will have the option to select a Client Account to bill the print job to, or delete the print job. This option will require the user to authenticate by entering their username and password (as specified within Print Manager Plus within the Users tab).

Account Creation Checkbox

At the bottom of this tab, a box is listed which allows the user to create a new Client Account from their Authentication Module. If a user adds an account, it will automatically be added to Print Manager Plus and can be viewed under the Client Billing tab.

User Verification and Authentication Settings

Print Job Verification Only

When this is selected, the Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information including total pages and job cost.

Authentication by Password Only

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will be prompted with the option to Print or Delete job. This option will require the user to enter their password (as specified within Print Manager Plus within the Users tab).

Authentication by User Name and Password

The Authentication Module will popup showing the print job information. The user will be prompted with the option to Print or Delete job. This option will require the user to authenticate by entering their username and password (as specified within Print Manager Plus within the Users tab).

What Operating Systems can Print Manager Plus Monitor?

Print Manager Plus can monitor print jobs being printed from Windows 2008/2003/2000/NT 4.0, 3.51, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.1, DOS, Novell, Macintosh, UNIX (all flavors), Linux, and OS/2 clients.

Can Print Manager Plus monitor printers attached to a workstation?

The Print Manager Plus Workstation Connected Printer Agent can do this.

Requirements: Installs on Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista Workstation and runs with all Print Manager Plus 2008 versions.

This application based product can be installed on a workstation and allows the Administrator to Monitor, Quota, and Restrict printing on the locally attached printer and any users printing to that workstation connected printer.

This tool is great for companies that have locally attached workstations that they cannot monitor or Large Format Printers that they do not want to send large print jobs over the network to through their print server.

Once the product is installed on the workstation the Workstation Connected Printer Service will appear under the services tab in Print Manager Plus. Also all printers locally attached to that workstation will appear under the printers tab. The local service can be Stopped, Started, and Restarted remotely. The service can also be updated remotely using E-Update.

There is a charge for this product. It is licensed per workstation with a locally connected printer. Go to this page for more information and a trial version:
http://www.softwareshelf.com/HTML/products/agents_options.asp

Also check out the your User Guide and look under the section on Workstation Connected Printer for a free way to setup tracking through Windows Protocols.

Will Print Manager Plus slow printing?

Print Manager Plus will pause every print job when it enters the Windows Print Spooler. The product needs to do this to be able to extract the information it needs from the print job. The print job is then released. This process is very quick and there is NO noticable slow in printing.

Does Print Manager Plus support multiple domains?

Yes, Print Manager Plus supports multiple domains. You can track and restrict users and groups from other domains.

What database does Print Manager Plus support?

Print Manager Plus supports the following databases:

Server Upgrade to 2010 Procedure

Upgrade Obtainment and Elegibility

Step 3: Upgrade the First Server
Ensue you are logged into the server as an Administrator of that machine, that has full permissions to the Print Manager Plus database. From the installation files, launch the setup.exe locally on the first print server. The setup should detect the existing version, and inform you it is being upgraded.

During the install the database version will be checked, and appropriate upgrade steps taken. This process may take several minutes or more to complete depending on the size of the database being upgraded.

Step 4: Upgrade Additional Servers
If you are running Print Manager Plus on multiple servers sharing the same database, then ALL servers should be upgraded immediately following the same process by launching setup.exe locally on each one.

Step 5: Server Reboot
In many cases a server reboot may be required before it is fully complete. If prompted to perform a server reboot, please do so or schedule as early as possible.

Step 6: Upgrading Agents and Options
Once the main print server installs have been upgraded, you should evaluate upgrading any agents and options you have installed throughout your network. In the section below are agents and options listed with links and upgrade notes