Knowledge Base

Testing a printer's compatibility without the physical printer

I am planning on purchasing a printer of model ABC and would like to confirm that it works with PaperCut prior to purchase. How do I do this?

PaperCut works by intercepting the print job as it passes via the server's print queue. In most cases it's possible to test compatibility with PaperCut with only the driver (no need for the physical printer itself). Use the following procedure:

1. Download the latest driver for your desired printer from the manufacturer's website. Where possible we recommend using the Postscript driver if a choice is available.
2. Install the driver on the same system as your current PaperCut install (i.e. the print server). Set up the printer as a Local Printer pointing to an "empty" port such as the LPT port, or a Standard TCP/IP Port pointing to an unused IP address.
3. Use a local application (e.g. the web browser on the server itself) to do some testing. The jobs will just hold in the queue and eventually error (because the printer is not really there), but the job should still report in PaperCut.
4. Confirm that the page count is correct and PaperCut does not list any warning or error messages under the App. Log event log. Take some time to audit different combinations of printer settings such as color, or duplex as appropriate.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 after changing the Enable Advanced Printing Features option.
6. Uninstall the driver.

Notes:

  • Also see Supported Printers
  • Most manufactures offer driver downloads on their website. If your manufacture does not offer this, ask them to confirm that the printer is PCL or Postscript compatible or ask for prior access to the driver.
  • PaperCut supports 90% of printers out-of-the-box, however driver updates from time to time can cause issues with PaperCut. If you do experience any problems while testing, bring the problems to the attention of the PaperCut developers. You may have downloaded a recent driver update and have found a few bug/problem.

Categories: Printers

Page last modified on July 06, 2008, at 08:09 PM