Frequently Asked Questions

• Step 1: Install
• Step 2: Start printing

Requirements:

• You should be connected to the network you want to use Printix on, for example, the network at the office.
• Your computer must have access to at least one printer on the network and with at least one print queue installed, to experience the various printing features. If you intend to install on a fresh virtual machine, you should add a printer first, so it can become managed by Printix.

Step 1: Install

*If you need to resume the install, then Sign in from printix.net or use the links in the email: “Get started with Printix …”

• Download Printix Client. Open and run the downloaded file to install on your Windows  or Mac  computer.
• Sign in to Printix Client. This is automatic if your Windows 10 computer is Azure AD joined.
  • If you see Sign in with Microsoft, select this and sign in with your work account.
  • If you see Sign in with Google, select this and sign in with your Google Workspace account (not @gmail.com).
  • Otherwise, enter the Email and Password you used when you registered. If you were not asked to sign in, then sign in via the Printix Client menu.
  • If you have issues with Sign in to Printix Client, then please read: Sign in issues.

• Discover printers. Please wait a couple of minutes while Printix Client discovers your printers.
  If it reports “Found no new printers” , it could be because your printers are on a different subnet than your computer. On the Printers  page select Add printer  to manually add a printer from that subnet, and then do another discovery to find additional printers on that subnet.

Step 2: Start printing

Having installed Printix Client, you can now print to the Printix managed printers and check out the many features that will make office printing convenient, secure and easy to manage. But first, let us check out how you can print as usual.

• Open the item you want to print. Select Print on the File menu.
• You will notice that nothing has changed, except for the three letters (ASD, BNM, …) at the end of the printer name, which indicates that these printers are now managed by Printix. And apart from the Printix Anywhere printer, you have the exact same printers available to you as you did before the installation.
• Identify a Printix printer, select it, select Print.

Optionally try the print methods and consider adding 2-3 users.

Yes, Printix can be used to deploy printers to users. In a small company, you can open Printix Administrator and check the printer property Automatically add printer for everyone. The corresponding print queue will be added automatically on all users’ computers running Printix Client. This is a very efficient method of deploying all printers on all computers.

If you use Azure Active Directory (AD) or Google G Suite you can use groups to control access to printers and deploy printers based on users’ membership of groups. If you enable dynamic memberships in Azure AD, you can automate the enrollment and the setup of printing for new employees.

Having installed Printix Client you can print to the Printix printers.

1. On your computer open the item you want to print.
2. Select Print on the File menu.
3. Identify a Printix printer, select it, and select Print.
   • I do not see my printer – How do I add the printer?

See also:

• How to print from Android phone and tablet.
• How to print from iPhone and iPad.
• I am using Printix Chromebook – How to print from Chrome.

Printix printers

• ASD, BNM, …
  A three-letter printer ID is part of the printer’s name. Example: Reception ASD. If you do not see your printer with a three-letter ID, then use Printix Client to add the printer.
  • You can Print directly (as usual), or.
  • You can choose to Print later and subsequently release the document at the particular printer via your phone.
    See the steps in the: Printix User Manual.

• Printix Anywhere printer 
  A print queue named Printix Anywhere on your computer.
  • Print to the Printix Anywhere print queue and subsequently release the document at any Printix (ASD, BNM, …) printer via your phone.
    See the steps in the: Printix User Manual.

Print methods

• Print
• Print later
• Print anywhere
• Reprint from your phone

Print

Document is printed immediately and directly at the selected printer.

• The document is processed using the matching print driver, with full control of finishing options, for example.

Print later

The perfect choice if you need to print confidential documents with finishing options and want to ensure your documents print exactly as you expect them to.

• The document can be released to the printer it was printed to.
• The document is processed using the matching print driver, with full control of finishing options, for example.

See the steps in the: Printix User Manual.

Print anywhere

When you submit a document to the Printix Anywhere print queue you can roam between printers and release the document at the printer you choose.

• The document can be released to the printer (ASD, BNM, …) you choose.
• If the release printer support PDF, the document is sent directly to the printer.
• If the release printer does not support PDF, the document is processed using a matching print driver.

See the steps in the: Printix User Manual.

Reprint

From your phone you can reprint those of your documents that were deleted or printed within the previous 12 hours.

• Even documents you printed directly to the printer, can be reprinted without going back to your computer and submit them again.

See the steps in the: Printix User Manual.

Migrating multiple sites, like branch offices and campuses.

• Step 1: Add site
• Step 2: Deploy Printix Client to computers

Prerequisites:

• Printix is already deployed at the first site.

Step 1: Add site

Install Printix Client on a computer at the site you want to add.

• If you can remotely sign in to the computer as administrator, then you can also install Printix Client. Sign in to Printix Client.
• Alternatively use Add user to invite a user at the site you want to add. If possible call and notify the user in advance. Wait for this user to install and sign in to Printix Client. You can also use your own email account to send an explanatory message that includes a link to the Printix Client download page. Example: acme.printix.net/download

The user’s computer appears on the Computers page as being on an Unknown network.

• Use Add network and give the network a descriptive name.
• Use Add to network to add the gateway (LAN and/or Wi-Fi) of the computer to the network.
• Open the Computer properties page of the computer and select Discover printers.

If there are additional sites, then install on these also, to make the copy of the print infrastructure.

Step 2: Deploy Printix Client to computers

• Use your preferred method to deploy Printix Client, such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and get users to print with Printix.
  • If users Sign in with Microsoft you should Accept Printix for all users.

• Step 1: Install Printix Client on the print server
• Step 2: Deploy Printix Client to computers
• Step 3: Remove print server

Requirements:

• You have access to an administrative account and can sign in to the print servers.
• Make the recommended: Implementation setup.

Step 1: Install Printix Client on the print server

When you download the Printix Client software and install it on the print server, we make a copy of the current print environment details in Printix Cloud. Rest assured, we do not change or delete anything on the print server.

• The Microsoft web browser (Edge or Internet Explorer) Security settings may obstruct the download of the Printix Client software. To workaround this you may want to download it on another computer (without installing) and then copy it to the print server, so you can run it from there.
• If you have issues with Sign in to Printix Client, then please read: Sign in issues.

During the discovery process, we automatically detect and register printers, print queues and drivers in Printix Cloud. At the same time, a Network1 is created with the gateway of the print server’s network adapter.

If there are additional print servers, install Printix Client on each of these, to make the copy of your print infrastructure as complete as possible. Open the Computer properties page of the print server and select Discover printers.

• If not all of your printers are listed on the Printers page, then add the missing printers.
• Optionally rename printers and print queues.

Step 2: Deploy Printix Client to computers

• Use your preferred method to deploy Printix Client, such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
  • If users Sign in with Microsoft you should Accept Printix for all users.

Step 3: Remove print server

Before removing the print server, you should verify that the print server’s shared printers can be paused without users complaining. You should also verify that the server does not have additional roles, such as Domain Controller, File Server, etc.

Take the server offline. Unplug the network cable and leave it that way for a week or so: if nobody cries it’s safe to decommission the print server.

You are now on Printix – what has changed?

The user experience for printing is the same. Only the printer name is enhanced with a three-letter printer ID to make it easy to search for and identify printers. From an IT management perspective, however, cloud deployment means less ongoing management since infrastructure is now managed from the cloud.

Your Printix Cloud Print Management Service is established by deploying Printix Client, our small piece of software, on your computers (Windows and Mac).

Print driver management

Any printer discovered in your network is presented to you in our web interface Printix Administrator. Your configuration data is stored securely in your Printix Home in the cloud, and so are print drivers that Printix Client uploads to your Printix driver store. Your Printix Client is built to only work with your Printix Home and users are required to sign in before use.

Print-ready convenience

• Automatically Add and Remove print queues.
• Add, Modify and Delete Print driver configurations to configure:
  • Device settings (Paper trays, Duplexer, Stapler, Hole punch, and Output bins).
  • Printing defaults (Finishing options, Print 2-sided, and Print in black).

• Set default printer.
• Remotely Add, Update and Delete Printix managed print queues.
• Use Groups to deploy and grant exclusive access to printers based on users’ group membership.

Printing

The secure and flexible methods of Printing with Printix are achieved by having Printix Client temporarily store print data encrypted on the computer and informing Printix Cloud about the document. Users can print directly (as usual) or they can print securely and release documents from Printix App on their phone, tablet and computer. On printers with Printix Go users can sign in with card or ID code and release their documents. Pending documents can also be stored in your own secure cloud storage (Azure Blob Storage or Google Cloud Storage).

Behind the scenes the process of releasing the document is as follows:

1. Printix App sends a release-document request to Printix Cloud.
   The user’s record of pending documents is consulted to determine where the document is stored.
2. Printix Cloud sends the release-document request to the Printix Client on the user’s computer.
3. Printix Client on the user’s computer decrypts the print data and sends it to the designated printer.

Yes, you can remove the need for any print servers as the Printix Cloud Print Management Service handles all the data required.

However, in some cases running the Printix Client software on at least one computer that is always on, may be recommendable. Let us look at the details:

Printix Client facilitates communication between Printix Cloud and your printers

• When there is no Printix Client running on the network with your printers, our web interface, Printix Administrator, will not be able to show the latest status of these printers.

Printix Client can facilitate printing between networks and via the cloud

• When there is no Printix Client running on the network with your printers, users will not be able to print and release documents to those printers. Obviously, if the user’s computer is connected to the same network as the printer, then printing works, as the Printix Client on the user’s computer will also be running.
• If you have users and printers on two separate networks, then you can have a computer with two network adapters (LAN and WiFi) connected simultaneously, one for each network, thus have Printix Client on that computer transfer the print data to the printers.
• If you want users to be able to print, to printers on the company network, while they are at home or travelling, then you should also ensure that there is at least one online computer with Printix Client on the network with the printers.

Printix Client facilitates Active Directory authentication

• If you are using Active Directory authentication, a computer with Printix Client must be online on the network, otherwise, the on premise Active Directory server can not be contacted for authentication. This is not a requirement if you use Azure/Office 365 authentication or another of the supported cloud-based Identity Providers.

In the above situations, the computer that is on at all times is not required to run a Windows Server OS.

Here is why Printix is serverless:

• Our Printix Cloud Print Management Service handles all the data required for your serverless print infrastructure. You do not have to add and maintain additional on premise servers and databases.
• You can remove print servers.
• If you decide to have Printix Client running on one or more computers at all times, these computers are not required to run a Windows Server OS.

Printix maintains a global driver store with Windows and macOS print drivers. When users start to use Printix Client, it will automatically upload print drivers and put them in your Printix driver store. If there is no dedicated print driver for a particular printer, then an appropriate Universal print driver may be used.

Printix Client for Mac uses Apple’s Generic PostScript Printer and Generic PCL Printer if there is no dedicated or Universal print driver.

You may wish to add a print driver to your Printix driver store to deal with these scenarios:

• Newly released printer
  The printer is just released and therefore the print driver is not among the print drivers in the driver store.

• Selected print driver lacks features
  The selected print driver (perhaps a universal/generic print driver) does not fully support the features of the printer.

• Selected print driver lacks language support
  The selected print driver does not support the language required. Some Asian countries for example may require special print driver packages for language support.

• No print driver was selected for the printer
  If the printer does not support PostScript, PCL6 or PCL5, then a Universal print driver is not available, and you have to use a dedicated print driver from the printer vendor.

*Rather than using Windows class drivers we recommend use of the printer vendor supplied print drivers and universal print drivers, as these offer advanced features and better control.

See also:

• How to add a print driver
• How to change print driver
• How to work with print driver configurations
• How to add an EFI Fiery printer
• Universal print drivers

Consider a company with two sites (Amsterdam and Berlin) with separate networks. There is no routing between the two, that is, from Amsterdam you cannot reach (ping) a printer in Berlin and vice versa.

Teach Printix about networks so it can filter what printers are available to users. A user while at the Amsterdam site will only be presented to printers on this site.

You can optionally allow users to print between networks and print while their computer is on an unknown network, for example during travel or while at home.

• How to work with networks
• About networks
• Example: Company with sites in Amsterdam and Berlin
  • User printing while on company network
  • User printing while on unknown network
  • Bridging two known networks
  • Cloud storage
  • Printer availability

How to work with networks

• How to add a network
• How to modify network name
• How to add an unknown network to a network
  • How to add a network/gateway from the computer properties page
• How to add a gateway to a network
• How to delete a gateway from a network
• How to merge networks
• How to enable printing via the cloud

About networks

• You can name networks to reflect the name of company sites or branches (Amsterdam, Berlin, …).
• The first network is named Network1.

• A network is defined by a collection of one or more Gateways (identified by their IP address and MAC address).
• A gateway should only be added to a network if routing is possible to the other computers/printers on that network.
  • To test, verify you can ping printers/computers on the network.
• A computer is considered to be on the network the gateway is part of.
• A computer can be on multiple networks – one for each network adapter (LAN and Wi-Fi).
• A computer that uses a gateway that is not part of a network will appear as being on an Unknown network and a yellow dot is shown on the Printix Client icon 
• A computer (laptop and hybrid tablet like the Microsoft Surface 3 or later) will appear as being on an Unknown network when it is powered-on outside a named network, for example at home or during travel.

• A printer is automatically added to the network you select, when you use:
  • Discover printers or
  • Add a network printer

*If a CSV file with gateway IP and MAC addresses can be provided, then Printix Configurator can be used to add networks. That way you can add networks before computers are on them.

Example: Company with sites in Amsterdam and Berlin

1. As you first deploy Printix Client in Amsterdam on computer A and discover printer ASD these will be recorded as being on the network named: Network1.
2. You can modify the network name to change it from Network1 to Amsterdam.
3. When you deploy Printix Client in Berlin on computer B it will appear as being on an Unknown network due to the unknown gateway.
4. On the Networks page you can add a network, name it Berlin, and then add the relevant Unknown network to the Berlin network. By adding networks, you are teaching the system about your company’s networks. With the new knowledge, the system will attempt to automatically assign computers to the right company network in the future.
5. Use Discover printers, select the Berlin network to add the printer BNM.
   • An employee who brings a laptop from Amsterdam to Berlin will not have to change anything, as the laptop will automatically be reassigned to the Berlin network.
     • Any of the print queues on the Berlin network, which has Add print queue automatically checked, are added automatically on the employee’s computer.
     • Existing printers, including those added in Amsterdam, will appear as offline on the computer.
   • When the employee travels back, the laptop is automatically reassigned to the Amsterdam network. If any of the Berlin print queues, which has Remove print queue automatically checked, are removed automatically from the employee’s computer.
   • During travel and at the employee’s home the laptop will appear as being on an Unknown network.

Print between networks

Printing is achieved via Printix Cloud and a Printix Client computer on the printer’s network. At least one of the Printix Client computers on the printer’s network should have permanent network access. The document remains secure during the transfer over the Internet as the document itself and the communication are both encrypted.

• Enable printing via the cloud for printer BNM in Berlin.

User printing while on company network

• The user on computer A in Amsterdam can now add the BNM printer and print to this even though it is in Berlin.

User printing while on unknown network

• A user working on computer X at home or while travelling, can print directly and release documents to the printer BNM.

Bridging two known networks

If you have a computer C with two network adapters, and it is on both the Amsterdam and Berlin network at the same time, then print data from computer A to printer BNM are automatically forwarded via this instead of via the cloud. Computer C should have permanent network access.

Cloud storage

If you Add cloud storage, documents printed Via the cloud will go via your cloud storage, rather than the Printix Cloud. In addition you can enable storage of pending documents in your secure cloud storage.

See also:

• How to add Azure Blob Storage
• How to add Google Cloud Storage
• Which documents go via the cloud?

Printer availability

Based on the network, Printix Client filters the list of printers you can add. If in Amsterdam you will see printers on the Amsterdam network. Regardless of the network, the list will always include:

• Printix Anywhere printer(s).
• Printers with Via the cloud checked.

+1 While the computer is on an Unknown network it is possible to print directly and release print later documents to the printer BNM.

+2 While the computer is on an Unknown network it is possible to release print anywhere documents to the printer BNM.

The requirements are grouped as follows:

• Web browser requirements
• Printer requirements
  • Printix Go supported printers and MFPs
• Windows requirements
• Mac requirements
• Chrome requirements

Printix printing is also possible if you use Citrix or Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

1. Install Printix Client on the Citrix Servers and install Printix Client on at least one computer at each site/location.
2. Add networks to reflect the sites/locations.
3. For each print queue in Printix Administrator open the Print queue properties page and check Via the cloud.
4. Each user running a terminal session (Citrix session) will Sign in to Printix Client and see all the printers for the site/location.

Alternatively, if you are using “fat” clients:

1. Install Printix Client on each client.
2. All the local printers will be mapped into the Citrix terminal session.

Deploying images with Printix Client

If you intend to copy an image with an installed Printix Client to another Citrix or RDS server, then you must ensure that no user has signed in to Printix Client.

Each computer with Printix Client is, once a user has signed in, registered in Printix Cloud with a unique ID, and it is also at this time the computer will appear in Printix Administrator. The ID is written in the Windows Registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
printix.net\Printix Client\WS\WSId

If an image is produced after a user has signed in, and subsequently installed on another computer, then there will be an undesired condition where these computers will have the same WSId. This will result in the computers fighting for connection and they will try to update the same computer properties in Printix Cloud. To resolve the issue you need to make an image, where no computer (WSid) has been registered. Before you start to use the new image, you need to delete the computer in Printix Administrator. After a short time, the computers will register and appear in Printix Administrator.

How to produce an image without the trace of previously registered computers (WSid)

1. Open Task Manager
2. Select the Details tab.
3. Select PrintixClient.exe and select End task. Select End process.
4. Select PrintixService.exe and select End task. Select End process.
5. In Registry Editor browse to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
   printix.net\Printix Client\

6. Delete the Printix Client folders:
   • \RT
   • \WS

7. Verify that these folders are still there:
   • \CurrentVersion
   • \Printers
   • \Tenant
   • \Users

8. In the Printix Client folder add the DWORD value name StartAsVDI.
   The  StartAsVDI can take on these Decimal values (hex value in parenthesis):
   • 0 (0×00000000)
     This is the default. Printix Client will update itself automatically.
   • 1 (0×00000001)
     Printix Client will NOT update itself automatically. It will read and write the user’s Printix settings, including access tokens, in the user’s Application Data folder.
     • The path to the users application folder is based on %APPDATA%.
   • 2 (0×00000002)
     Printix Client will update itself automatically. It will read and write the user’s Printix settings, including access tokens, in the user’s Application Data folder.
     • The path to the users application folder is based on %APPDATA%.
   • 999 (0×000003e7)
     Printix Client will NOT update itself automatically. It will read and write the user’s Printix settings, including access tokens, in the user’s Application Data folder.
     • The path to the user’s application folder is based on %USERPROFILE% and then AppData\Roaming is appended.

9. In the Printix Client folder add the DWORD value name useGroupPermissions.
   It can take on these Decimal values (hex value in parenthesis):
   • 0 (0×00000000)
     This is the default. Printix Client will make all installed print queues available to the signed in user.
   • 1 (0×00000001)
     Printix Client will look at the users’ group membership and only make print queues with Exclusive access available to the signed in user. This is done by setting the security permissions on the print queues accordingly.

10. Produce the image.

Citrix Profile Management

To make Printix Client work, you need to modify Windows Registry so user’s Printix settings are included in the Application Data roaming profile.

1. Select Windows logo  key + R to open Run.
2. Type: regedit, and select OK.
3. In Registry Editor browse to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
   printix.net\Printix Client\
4. Add the DWORD value name StartAsVDI and give it the value that match your environment (see above).

How to see the value of APPDATA

1. Open a command prompt and type: echo %APPDATA%
   • Normally this will give the result:
     C:\Users\  username \AppData\Roaming
     Example:  C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming
   • If the AppData folder is redirected this will give the result:
     \\  servername \ folder Redirect$\ username \Application Data
     Example:  \\myserver.acme.com\myfolderRedirect$\John\Application Data

The below is the example of the Printix relevant path and subfolders that must be included in the roaming profile.

• %APPDATA%\printix
  Example:  \\myserver.acme.com\myfolderRedirect$\John\Application Data\printix

1. Sign in to Product Support (support.printix.net).
2. Select Changelog and then Announcements
3. Select Follow and be notified/alerted by email when there is a new announcement.

• If we have scheduled maintenance or issues with access to Printix Cloud, this will be announced here.
• To be notified whenever there is an update to an announcement, for example, that it is resolved, then open the specific announcement and select Follow.