5.5 Configuring Printing Through Mobile Devices

You can configure printers to accept print jobs through mobile devices, AirPrint or email.

5.5.1 Configuring for Mobile Printing

  1. On a Web browser, use either the host name or the IP Address to access the Management Console. For example, https://10.0.0.1:9443 or http://iprint.example.com/admin.

    Ignore the security certificate warning, and continue to the iPrint Appliance Management Console. If you add the certificate to the trusted certificates list, the security warning is not displayed.

  2. In the iPrint Appliance Configuration login page, enter the user name as vaadmin, enter the password that you specified for vaadmin, then click Log in.

  3. Click Manage iPrint Appliance.

  4. Under Configuration, click Printers.

    The printers listed in this screen can be enabled for AirPrint, Mobile, and Email printing for iPrint Appliance.

  5. Select the printer that you want to configure. You can choose multiple printers at a time by holding the Ctrl key.

    The AirPrint, Mobile, Email, and Configure drop-down menus are activated.

  6. To configure the printers for Mobile printing, click the Mobile drop-down menu, then select Enable.

5.5.2 Configuring for Email Printing

iPrint Appliance contains an email printing feature. Using email printing, you can print documents from any device capable of sending emails. You can print emails by specifying email printing commands in the subject line of the email. You can also print documents by emailing them to your printer as attachments.

When you enable email printing, the email address you provide becomes the global print email address. You can also configure a printer for private email printing by providing a specific email address to each printer.

The difference between global email printing and private email printing is:

  • Global Email Printing: When you enable email printing, you are prompted to specify an email address. This email address is the global print email address. When configured for email printing, iPrint Appliance becomes a client to an email server. The global email account inbox is polled for incoming print jobs, which are then routed to the intended printer.

  • Private Email Printing: With private email printing, you can assign a specific email address to each printer. When a user sends an email printing request, the print job is sent directly to the printer. Users do not need to specify any print commands in the subject line of the email.

Email printing is not enabled by default. You can enable email printing through the Management Console. You must create a unique email address for iPrint Appliance to receive and process print requests. For more information on enabling Email, see Global Email Settings and Enabling Private Email Printing.

IMPORTANT:If you enable auditing for email print jobs, the email address of the user is logged in the iPrint audit logs. If the same email address is populated for the user object in the LDAP source, then the user FDN is logged instead of email address. This is important if you are using an accounting software to ensure that jobs are tracked or accounted correctly.

Email Printing Commands

You can print the body of the email and the attachments by using a few simple print commands in the subject line of your email.

Basic Print Commands

help

Provides information on email printing commands.

list printers

To get the names of the available printers, send an email to the iPrint server address (for example, iprint@example.com) with the subject line list printers.

print printer=<printer_name>

Prints your email and its attachments to the specified printer. For example, print printer=hp#Test Mail.

If you print to a specific printer by using the printer’s email address, the print printer command is ignored.

hold printer=<printer_name>

Queues your email along with its attachments and sends you the job ID as acknowledgement.

resume

Resumes the printing of a job that you put on hold. There are two ways to print a job on hold:

  • Send an email with subject resume followed by the job ID. For example, resume 10

  • Send an email with the original subject line prefixed with resume. For example, resume#Test Mail

cancel

Cancels a job that you put on hold. There are two ways to cancel a job on hold:

  • Send an email with subject cancel followed by the job ID. For example, cancel 10

  • Send an email with the original subject line prefixed with cancel. For example, cancel#Test Mail

status

Displays the status of a job. There are two ways to check the status of a job:

  • Send an email with subject status followed by the job ID. For example, status 10

  • Send an email with the original subject line prefixed with status. For example, status#Test Mail

move

Moves a job to a new printer. There are two ways to move a job to a new printer:

  • Send an email with subject move, the job ID, and the name of the new printer. For example, move 10 printer=<PrinterName>

  • Send an email with the original subject line prefixed with move, the name of the new printer, and #. For example, move printer=<PrinterName>#Test Mail

list jobs

Lists the details of the held jobs.

default printer

Displays the default printer.

default printer=<PrinterName>

Sets a particular printer as your default printer. After you set the default printer, you do not need to include the printer name while printing to the default printer. You only need to use the print command followed by the email subject. For example, print#Test Mail.

Note

  • If a printer name contains spaces, enclose the printer name within double (") or single (') quotes. For example, print printer='HP PRINTER'.

  • To separate the email subject from the command, use #. For example, print printer=hp#Test Mail.

Additional Print Commands

In addition to the basic print commands listed above, you can use these commands to refine your printing:

portrait [portrait=yes/portrait=y (or) portrait=no/portrait=n]

Prints your email content in portrait orientation. For example, print printer=hp portrait=y#Test Mail

landscape [landscape=yes/landscape=y (or) landscape=no/landscape=n]

Prints your email content in landscape orientation. For example, print printer=hp landscape=y#Test Mail

color [color=yes/color=y (or) color=no/color=n]

Prints your email content in color. For example, print printer=hp landscape=y color=y#Test Mail.

pages

Prints a given range of pages in your email. For example, the command print printer=hp landscape=y color=y pages=1-3#Test Mail prints pages 1, 2, and 3.

copies

Prints the specified number of copies of your email and its attachments. For example, the command print printer=hp landscape=y color=y pages=1-3 copies=5#Test Mail prints 5 copies of pages 1, 2, and 3.

duplex [duplex=yes/duplex=y (or) duplex=no/duplex=n]

Prints your email and its attachments on both sides of the printing paper. For example, the command print printer=hp landscape=y color=y pages=1-3 copies=5 duplex=y#TestMail prints 5 copies of pages 1, 2, and 3 in duplex mode.

media

Prints your email and its attachments with the specified paper type. The default paper type is “LETTER.” You can change the default paper type by using the iPrint Appliance Management Console. The other available print paper types are A3, A4, and other common paper types. For example, the command print printer=hp landscape=y color=y pages=1-3 copies=5 duplex=y media=A3#Test Mail prints 5 copies of pages 1, 2, and 3 in duplex mode, on an A3 size paper.

mailbody [mailbody=yes/mailbody=y (or) mailbody=no/mailbody=n]

Prints either your email and its attachments or only the attachments from your email without the email body. For example, using the command print printer=hp landscape=y color=y mailbody=n#Test Mail prints only the email attachments in landscape mode.

NOTE:If you do not specify any of the additional commands, your print job is carried out according to the default preferences set by your administrator.

IMPORTANT:When printing to a specific printer using the printer’s private email address, you do not need to specify the printer’s name in the command. You can also leave the subject line empty. Printing is carried out according to the default print options set by the administrator.

However, you must specify the print command in the following scenarios:

  • The administrator changes the subject_optional_for_printer_specific_emails to False in the iPrint Appliance Server Configuration file located at /etc/opt/novell/iprintmobile/conf/iprintmobile.conf.

  • If you want to customize the print options, you must specify the print command, along with the required print options. For example, print landscape=y color=y pages=1-3 copies=5 duplex=y media=A3#Test Mail.

5.5.3 Printing Using Email

Using email printing, you can print documents from any device capable of sending emails. You can print emails by specifying email printing commands in the subject line of the email. You can also print documents by emailing them to your printer as attachments.

Ensure to meet the following prerequisites:

  • Appliance is configured with global or private email address. For example, iprint@example.com

  • The users are provided with the appliance configured email address

  • List of printers configured for email printing

Perform the following steps to print using email:

  1. Open an email. You can use any email mail box.

  2. In the To field, specify the appliance configured email address. For example, iprint@example.com

  3. In the Subject field, specify the commands from the Email Printing Commands section.

    For example,

    • To print from a printer named printer1, print printer=printer1

    • To view list of printers that are available to print, list printers

    • To view the list of commands, help

  4. Specify the information to print in the body of the message or add an attachment to print.

  5. Click Send.

    The document is printed and a confirmation message is received in the mail box.

5.5.4 Printing via AirPrint

AirPrint is an Apple technology that facilitates printing without the need to download or install drivers. AirPrint enables easy discovery, automatic selection of media, and so on.

Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch users can use AirPrint to print over wireless network to AirPrint enabled printers.

Enabling AirPrint through iPrint

  1. On a Web browser, use either the host name or the IP address to access the Management Console. For example, https://10.0.0.1:9443 or https://iprint.example.com:9443.

  2. Specify vaadmin or root as the user name.

  3. Specify the password, then click Log in.

  4. Click Manage iPrint Appliance.

  5. Under Configuration, click Printers.

  6. Select a printer for which you want to enable AirPrint.

    All Apple certified AirPrint printers are supported by iPrint for AirPrint printing.

  7. Click the AirPrint drop-down menu, then click Enable Advertising.

iPrint AirPrint is now enabled on the iPrint printer. You can print to an iPrint AirPrint enabled printer from any iOS device.

Disabling AirPrint through iPrint

To disable AirPrint through iPrint:

  1. On a Web browser, use either the host name or the IP address to access the Management Console. For example, https://10.0.0.1:9443 or https://iprint.example.com:9443.

  2. Specify vaadmin or root as the user name.

  3. Specify the password, then click Log in.

  4. Click Manage iPrint Appliance.

  5. Under Configuration, click Printers.

  6. Select a printer for which you want to disable AirPrint.

    The AirPrint and Mobile drop-down menus are activated.

  7. Click the AirPrint drop-down menu, then click Disable Advertising.

5.5.5 Generating QR Code for Printer

User can scan a QR code to select a specific printer on their mobile device. To generate the QR code for the printer, perform the following steps:

  1. Create a QR code using any QR code generator.

    The generator might include multiple formats, ensure to use Plain text format.

    The format to use is ipp://<server ip or host name>/ipp/<printer name>

    where the printer name is case-sensitive.

  2. Print the generated QR code and paste it on the printer.