Micro Focus iPrint Advanced Feature Tour

Let your people print - quickly, easily and more securely

The organizational needs of printing have changed from traditional desktop printing to printing from mobile devices, email-enabled devices, driverless printing, and so on.

These advanced features are available with iPrint Appliance, a standalone version of iPrint. Now, with this release, the same features are enabled for OES customers. All the desktop printing features continues to work with legacy OES iPrint.

iPrint Advanced along with OES iPrint offers a single, scalable solution for managing all of your printing across multiple office locations from any device. It lets the users print quickly, easily, and more securely.

Figure 1 What iPrint Advanced Provides

1.0 iPrint Advanced Features

1.1 WalkUp Printing

  • Flexibility to print from any printer: Allows users to print documents to any printer. Even if a printer is unavailable, user can walk to another printer and collect the printout.

  • Simplified User Printing: Users no longer needs to install multiple printers. Installing a single WalkUp printer will allow the users to release documents to multiple printers.

  • Saves Paper: Many times users give print and forget to collect their documents from the printer. WalkUp printing prevents such accidental and unwanted prints by putting the job on hold and also automatically deletes any dormant jobs. The users can now print or cancel the hold job as per their convenience.

  • Enhanced Security: Users have to authenticate and then only the documents can be released. This ensures confidentiality of the document is maintained and only the owner collects the document.

1.2 Printing using Identity Cards

You can also print the WalkUp jobs by using the identity cards. A card reader is placed adjacent to the printer and the user swipes his/her identity card to print the jobs.

The highlights are:

  • Convenience: All you need is a identity card, no additional software or logins

  • Simplicity: It is so easy to print a job, just swipe your identity card

1.3 iPrint Release Portal

A web-based portal that allows the users to print jobs (that are on hold) to a desired printer from devices such as mobiles, tablets, laptops, and so on.

The release portal displays the list of jobs that are put on hold, the submission time, and the expiry time of the job.

To launch the Release Portal in a web browser, specify the server address/username (https://<iPrint Advanced server address>/user).

1.4 Advanced Authentication Support

iPrint Advanced integrates with Advanced Authentication framework to release WalkUp jobs. Advanced Authentication is a multi-factor authentication solution that ensures secure printing to the iPrint printers with minimal administration. iPrint Advanced uses only Card or combination of a Card and a Smartphone for authentication.

1.5 Support for Azure Active Directory Users

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) users can print jobs to secure iPrint printers by using iPrint application. This functionality is available with Desktop printing (Windows), QuickPrint, Release Portal, and Context Menu-based Desktop Printing.

1.6 QuickPrint (Web Printing)

QuickPrint is printing documents via Web browser. You no longer require clients or driver installation.

1.7 Context Menu-based Printing

iPrint is now available as a context menu option on Windows. Right-click a file or files, then select iPrint and an iPrint dialog is displayed. Select a desired printer and click Print.

1.8 iPrint Portal

A new printer portal is designed for enhanced user experience. To access iPrint Portal, specify https://<iprintforoes_IP or hostname>/print

The existing IPP page is redirected to the new iPrint Portal.

Highlights are:

  • QuickPrint (Web Printing) to upload and print a document

  • Quick access (bookmark) to printers based on filters

  • Controlled printer visibility

  • Locate printers easily based on location, type, model, and tags set for the printers

The IPP page is now deprecated. We recommend you to use the new iPrint Portal, if you still want to continue using the IPP page, a script will be provided soon.

1.9 Email Printing

Any email-enabled device can print to any Micro Focus iPrint printer by sending the print job in the body of the email or as an attachment. Administrators can set up a single email address for the organization's printing, or one for each printer.

1.10 Printing from Chromebook

iPrint now provides secure enterprise print services for Chromebook users. The extension is available in the Chrome Web Store for download.

The highlights of the extension are:

  • Prints documents to any iPrint-enabled printers, anywhere and anytime

  • Supports on-premises deployment. Data never travels through the cloud

  • You no longer need any cloud service for printing

1.11 Mobile Device Printing

Users of iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices can download the Micro Focus iPrint app from their respective mobile stores. The iPrint app allows you to print from the mobile devices directly to the printers in your organization. The iPrint server includes the necessary document rendering and conversion for printing from mobile devices. Your users can select the printer from a list and adjust all the basic print specifications through a simple touch-screen–friendly interface. The common mobile app benefits are:

  • Simplified and intuitive GUI

  • Flexibility to print WalkUp jobs and release the jobs when you are near the printer

  • Print documents on any iPrint enabled corporate printer and print infrastructure

  • Print securely using access restrictions

  • Scan a QR code to quickly connect your mobile device to a specific printer

Printing from iPrint iOS App

iPrint provides secure enterprise print services for your iPhone and iPad users with simplified and intuitive GUI. The benefits are:

  • Enabled for the 3D Touch feature. On the Home screen, press the iPrint icon to display the following actions: WalkUp Jobs, Photos, and Camera.

  • Supports printing using the iPrint App extension.

  • Support for managing the iPrint app by using ZENworks Configuration Management 2017

Printing from iPrint Android App

iPrint provides secure enterprise print services for Android and Amazon users. The benefits are:

  • Share document from any application and print using iPrint app

  • Enabled for the shortcut feature. Long-press on the iPrint app’s launcher icon to display the following actions: WalkUp Jobs, Photos, Documents, and Camera.

  • Enabled to support managed configurations (Android for Work). The supported devices are Android 4.0 and later.

  • Print from any application that supports native Android printing

Printing from iPrint Windows App

iPrint provides secure enterprise print services for your Windows phone.

1.12 Support for Mobile Device Management

iPrint mobile apps now supports Mobile Device management (MDM) solution with your own device.

  • iPrint Android app can be managed with MobileIron and ZMM.

  • iPrint iOS app can be managed with MobileIron.

1.13 Direct PDF Printing

A new parameter direct_pdf_print is added to the iprintmobile.conf file to support printing of PDF documents on a PDF supported IPP printers. The printer’s capabilities are leveraged and there is no dependency on the drivers for rendering the PDF jobs.

2.0 iPrint Advanced Features in Addition With OES iPrint

2.1 Serve Yourself

Users just looks up for the printer they want on the map, then point and click. Everything else happens for them, automatically. Within seconds, they can print. Reduce the help desk calls and increase productivity by empowering users to print to any of your organization's printers.

2.2 Expand Your Horizons

Users can print any time, from anywhere, using almost any device. Click to send a print job to any printer irrespective of the location of the printer. With Micro Focus iPrint, you can print anywhere.

2.3 Integrating With Your World

Makes secure printing easy by integrating its data store with your identity directory. By working with lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) sources like NetIQ eDirectory, iPrint can authenticate your users to increase the security of your printing operations. This means no matter what device an employee wants to use, iPrint offers authentication to keep your organization’s printing secure.

2.4 Works in a Heterogeneous Environment

Supports printing with major print vendors across mobile and desktop platforms.

2.5 Centralized Monitoring

Monitors and manages the print system using the iPrint Health Monitoring tool. Micro Focus iPrint also scales well, giving IT a central and easy-to-manage printing solution.

2.6 Accounting Applications

Supports print accounting with applications such as PaperCut and Nuance Equitrac.

2.7 Simplified Maintenance

Saves IT time and money by significantly reducing the management burden required for mixed fleets of Mac or Windows desktops, and Mobile devices. It works across the major mobile platforms as well, meaning IT only has to manage a single print solution for all your organization's endpoints.

2.8 Works with Legacy Printers

Mobilize your existing fleet of printers rather than buying new. It works with what you have now and what you may want going forward.