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Print Services

The document outlines the responsibilities of IT professionals in managing printer drivers, settings, and network printers, emphasizing the importance of correct configuration for efficiency. It discusses printing languages, basic configuration settings, printer sharing, network scan services, and printer security measures. Key takeaways include the differences between Printer Control Language and PostScript, essential configuration settings, and the significance of network sharing and security in printer management.

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4 views4 pages

Print Services

The document outlines the responsibilities of IT professionals in managing printer drivers, settings, and network printers, emphasizing the importance of correct configuration for efficiency. It discusses printing languages, basic configuration settings, printer sharing, network scan services, and printer security measures. Key takeaways include the differences between Printer Control Language and PostScript, essential configuration settings, and the significance of network sharing and security in printer management.

Uploaded by

Charlyster Lisondra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Print Services

IT professionals are often responsible for adding and updating printer drivers and settings. This
may occur when a printer is added to a network, moved to a new location, or there is a software
update. Along with updating drivers and settings on printers, IT may also be responsible for
adding network printers to employee computers. Correct printer configuration saves time,
supplies, and effort. This reading covers printing languages, basic printer configuration settings,
printer sharing, printer security, and network scan services.

Printing languages
When choosing a print driver or troubleshooting issues with one, it is important to know which
printing language the printer and computer operating system are using. Printing languages
describe images on a screen to a printing device, so the printed output matches what is on screen.
Printing languages are also called page description languages. Two of the most common printing
languages are Printer Control Language and PostScript.

Printing languages can be either device-dependent or device-independent. Device-dependent


means both the printer and computer are responsible for creating parts of the printed data.
Device-independent means that the computer is solely responsible for creating the printed data.
It is helpful for IT to know if the printing languages used are device-dependent or independent as
it can help them troubleshoot whether printing errors are occurring because of the driver on the
computer or the printer’s hardware.

Printer Control Language (PCL)


Printer Control Language (PCL) is a printing language created by Hewlett-Packard that is used
by many printer brands and computer operating systems. PCL is printing device-dependent
because both the printer and computer are responsible for creating parts of the printed data.
Because PCL is device-dependent, the output may not be the same on every printing device.

PostScript (PS)
PostScript was created by Adobe and is a printing language used by many printer brands but
most commonly used in Macintosh systems. Unlike PCL, PostScript does not use the printer to
create data. PostScript is device-independent, and the output is the same on any printer. If an
error arises when PostScript is used, then it is usually an error with the driver on the computer.

Basic printer configuration settings


Configuration settings tell a printer how to complete a print job including the size, type of paper,
number of sides, and use of color. IT professionals help employees change and select the correct
settings for their document. The following are basic configuration settings that can be adjusted
using printer settings.

 Orientation is the direction in which a document is printed. The main options for most
printers are portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal).
 Print Quality refers to the level of detail that both the paper and the print settings are set to.
The higher the DPI (Dots Per Inch), the higher the resolution or quality of the print.
 Tray settings tell the printer which tray of paper to use for the print job. Different trays can
hold different paper sizes and types. Telling the printer to select paper from the correct tray
ensures that the document is printed as it was designed.
 Duplex allows for printing on both sides of the paper. Printers can print information on one
side (simplex) or both sides of the paper. Many brochures, booklets, and packets are printed on
both sides to save paper.
For more information on how to update printer settings for high-quality printing see the article in
the reference section below.

Sharing a printer on a network


Printers can be shared on a network allowing multiple computers to access one printer across the
network instead of having to be wired to the computer directly. IT professionals maintain and set
up networks that include shared printers. For more information on sharing printers on your
network read the article in the reference section below.

Network scan services


Network scan services allow a printer with scanning capabilities to create a file of a scanned
image and upload or send it to a location on the network or in the cloud, or attach the file to an
email and send it. Employees often need IT support for ways to use this type of technology. The
following network scan services can be used for fast file uploads or attachments.

 Email scan service allows a document to be scanned directly from the printer to email.
 Server Message Block (SMB) protocol allows a document to be a shared resource
once scanned by the printer.
 Cloud services enable a document to be scanned from the printer and uploaded directly to
the cloud.

Printer security
Printer security protects access and tracks the activity of a print device. Printer security aims to
ensure that only authorized users can use a printer. Setting up and monitoring proper security
permissions falls under the job of an IT professional.

Some basic measures for limiting access to printers and tracking print activity are:
 User authentication commonly requires a user to enter a username and password before
completing the print job.
 Badges are usually a physical card a user must scan at the printer to complete the print job.
 Secured prints require a user to enter a user-created code at the printer to complete the
print job.
 Audit logs track users that have accessed the printer, including the date and time of use.

Key takeaways
IT support professionals are often responsible for printer management. It is helpful to know
about printing languages, printer configuration, networking, and security.

 Printer Control Language is device-dependent, while Postscript is device-independent.


 Some basic printer configuration settings are orientation, print quality, tray settings, and duplex.
 Having a printer on a network enables multiple users to share printers.
 Network scan services allow a printer with scanning capabilities to create a file of a scanned
image and upload or send it to a location on the network, on the cloud, or email.
 Printers have security and tracking features such as user authentication, badges, secured print,
and audit logs.

Resources for more information


For more information about software and driver downloads for specific brand devices, review
the links below.

HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads

Cannon Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads

Xerox Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads

Ricoh Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads

HP - How to Update Printer Settings for the Highest Quality Printing

Microsoft Support - Share your network printer

Xerox - Scan a Document to an Email Address

HP Customer Support - Set up Scan to Network Folder

Dell - How to Configure Your PC or Server for SMB (Server Message Block) Scanning on Dell
Laser Printers
Xerox - Scan to Cloud or Enable Remote Destination

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