Managing Color Printing
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I was curious how everyone manages their color printing.
We have no desire to track individual users. However, we want to ensure they don't inadvertently print 100 pages in color that they wanted it in B&W.
On the previous devices, we would create a "color" printer share and a "B&W" printer share, and manage it that way. (True, a mistake could still be made, but it seemed to work great.)
What is everyone else doing? Just having the user set it in the app they print from? A similar dual print share arrangement? Or something totally different?
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Change the default printer settings on your print server to black and white for each printer.
Then it will default to b&w for everyone it's deployed to.
We use PaperCut on top of that, and have a script for certain copiers that gives users a warning when printing in color and gives an option to print in b&w, or continue with color.
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@brrabill our departments all pay for their own supplies which eliminated any need for us to manage
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@jmoore said in Managing Color Printing:
@brrabill our departments all pay for their own supplies which eliminated any need for us to manage
Good point, IT trying to manage a human problem. To some degree, logical defaults and clear accessibility is important. But at some point, people just need to adult and sometimes that means accidentally printing in colour when they didn't need to.
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99% of the issues are printing when it shouldn't be on paper at all. Colour instead of B&W is typically an artefact.
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Yeah, I guess I could just say "be an adult" ... but if I can easily make it ... easy ... that is what I want to do.
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@brrabill I understand that totally. If I can think of anything I'll reply back here
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I don't remember exactly but I think we are only charged based on print counts or something like that, so we don't really worry about it that much.
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Like I said, I am not worried about charging back.
I am just trying to prevent someone from printing out 500 pages that happen to have one letter in red or something, and costing us $20 versus 20 cents.
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@black3dynamite said in Managing Color Printing:
I don't remember exactly but I think we are only charged based on print counts or something like that, so we don't really worry about it that much.
B&W are normally around 1 cent per page, Color is normally closer to 10 cents, so it makes to big difference
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We actually user a username and code with the last MFP.
That made it simple. One share had it, and one didn't.
Still trying to figure that option out on this new device.
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@obsolesce said in Managing Color Printing:
Change the default printer settings on your print server to black and white for each printer.
Then it will default to b&w for everyone it's deployed to.
The issue with this, though, is if the user ends up changing it to color to some reason.
It would be nice to be able to lock that setting.
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Though, admittedly, that is a HR related thing.
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In our front office, we have 2 common printers. One color, and one monochrome. People just print to whichever they need. For people with individual offices, they either have a monochrome or color MFP.
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@obsolesce said in Managing Color Printing:
Change the default printer settings on your print server to black and white for each printer.
Then it will default to b&w for everyone it's deployed to.
We use PaperCut on top of that, and have a script for certain copiers that gives users a warning when printing in color and gives an option to print in b&w, or continue with color.
We did something similar at my last company. Printer was set to black and white by default. Users had to take action to print in color. We didn't have any kind of other application that provided a warning.
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I know people are printing crap they don't ever need to print. I also know that they print crap in color that doesn't need to be in color. They are buying compatible cartridges, so it is less expensive. If it were up to me, very few people would have printers or access to printers.
I have made it one of my missions to get rid of as many printers as possible. We have converted most of invoicing to electronic only. Also, we are modernizing the warehouse with handheld scanners for order picking and shipping, which currently involves a vacuum tube sending paper from one end of the building to the other. Yes, a freakin' vacuum tube.
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@wrx7m that's an admirable goal, wish I could do that
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No username/password on BW, but pops up on colored.
This can be done in Cannon IR 3320 and give the pass to Line Managers
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@wrx7m said in Managing Color Printing:
I have made it one of my missions to get rid of as many printers as possible.
Prior to my current gig, I had only a minor disdain for printers. We're in a Citrix environment. Printing is a nightmare.
