Available in PaperCut NG and PaperCut MF.

Quick install: Apple Mac

IMPORTANT

This guide assumes that you are installing on Mac OS X (either server or workstation) hosting and sharing printers. This guide refers to this system as the 'server'. This represents the role of the system rather than the 'edition' of the operating system. PaperCut NG/MF equally supports both the server and workstation versions of Mac OS. If you're upgrading from a previous PaperCut NG/MF version, refer to the directions outlined in Upgrade from a previous version.

The following section assumes knowledge of general Mac OS X server management. Although the installation process is graphical, it would be an advantage to have knowledge of the command-line, creating users, editing configuration files and an understanding file permissions.

Step 1: System requirements

Before proceeding with the installation the SysAdmin should take a few moments to verify system requirements. Is the operating system version supported and are patches up-to-date? (see PaperCut MF System Requirements).

Step 2: Print queue setup

Most small to medium Mac networks configure their workstations to print directly to the physical printers. This method of printing is not supported by PaperCut NG/MF and instead administrators must set up global server hosted print queues. Some administrators are familiar with server queues, while others might need to invest some time into understanding Mac printing in more detail. The topic of Mac printing is complex and is deserves its own chapter! Read the first section of Mac printing in detail and ensure your organization's printers are set up as required.

Administrators should ensure that the server based print queues are set up and working as expected before attempting to install PaperCut NG/MF.

Step 3: Download and install PaperCut NG/MF

PaperCut NG/MF is supplied as a standard disk image containing the installer. Log on as an admin level account. Download and double-click Mac installer. Double-click the installer package named PaperCut NG/MF Standard Installation.pkg. Follow the directions on the screen. The installation process takes between two and five minutes depending on the speed of the system. A system restart is not required but administrators are advised to perform installation on live production systems during periods of low activity - for example, not during backup operations or other administration activities.

The default install location is /Applications/PaperCut NG/MF

IMPORTANT

Make sure you're installing the correct package. The similarly named PaperCut NG/MF secondary serverA PaperCut secondary server is a system that directly hosts a printer, that is, a print server with a Print Provider installed. A secondary server can be a server style system hosting many printers, a desktop style system hosting printer(s) also shared to other network users, or a desktop style system with the printer used only for local users (not shared). Installation.pkg installs only part of the application and is designed for more advanced networks.

Step 4: Run the Configuration Wizard

After you install PaperCut NG/MF, a web browser is displayed with the PaperCut NG/MF Configuration Wizard Welcome screen.

NOTE

If the Configuration Wizard Welcome screen is not displayed, you can access it by going to the following URL:

  • http://localhost:9191/admin
TIP

If the installer doesn't work, while the installer is open check the log file by pressing the
⌘ (Command) + L keys.

Administrative password

  1. Complete the following fields:

    • Password—enter the master password for the main in-built admin account. This password is independent of the operating system or domain passwords. The password must be at least six characters.

      TIP

      Keep this password secure. If you forget your password, you can reset it. For more information, see Resetting the Admin Password.

    • Verify password—re-enter the password.

    • Location—select the system's physical location and language.

  2. Click Next.

Organization type

The Organization type screen is displayed.

This selection determines which system defaults are used. For example, in a Professional (Client Billing) organization, where it is useful to charge-back printing to customers, an advanced client popup is provided with additional features useful for dealing with large numbers of client (shared) accounts. You can change these default settings chosen for an organization type after installation.

  1. Select your organization type.

  2. Click Next.

Default cost for printing

The Default costs for printing screen is displayed.

IMPORTANT

For an education implementation, where users are charged for their printing, leave these values as zero during the implementation stage, otherwise, students will not be able to print as they cannot yet add credit to their account.

If required, you can change this setting after installation.

  1. Complete the following fields:

    • Color (cost per page)—enter the default cost per page for color printing on all printers.

    • Grayscale (cost per page)—enter the default cost per page for grayscale printing on all printers.

  2. Click Next.

Initial user credit (Education organization type only)

If you selected Education as the organization type, the Initial user credit screen is displayed.

If you selected Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) or Corporate) or Professional (Client Billing) as the organization type, go to step 5.

  1. Complete the following fields:

    • Initial user credit—enter the amount of credit each/quota each user will receive when the system is first enabled. You can change these settings after setup.

    • Deny access when users run out of credit/quota—select this check box to prevent users from printing when they run out of credit/quota.

      TIP

      If you are evaluating PaperCut NG/MF it might be appropriate not to disable printing when a users funds run out. This way you can be assured that user printing is not disrupted during the evaluation.

  2. Click Next.

User/group synchonization

The User/group synchronization screen is displayed.

PaperCut NG/MF extracts user information out of the system or domain.

TIP

To speed up the installation, you can click Skip this step and synchronize the users/groups later.

  1. In User source, select the source of user account data:

  2. Select one of the following options:

    • Import all users—import all domain user accounts.

    • Import users from selected groups—import a subset of users from a given group. This is useful when only a subset of users will use the printers.

  3. Click Next.

    • For Samba, LDAP, and Azure AD Secure LDAP, the Server Details page is displayed.

    • For Samba, LDAP, and Azure AD Secure LDAP, the Server Details page is displayed.

  4. Complete the following as required:

    ClosedSamba

    1. Complete the following fields:

      • Domain Server—The name of the Windows domain server.

      • Admin username—The username of the user who has permission to connect to and query the domain server. The username/password you specify here is an Admin user on your Windows domain that has permission to add machines to the domain.

      • Admin password—The password for the above user.

    2. Click Test Samba Settings to test and confirm your settings before continuing.

    3. Click Next.

    ClosedLDAP

    1. Complete the following fields:

    2. Click Test LDAP settings to test and confirm your settings before continuing.

    3. Click Next.

    ClosedAzure AD Secure LDAP

    1. Complete the following fields as required:

      • Accept self-signed certificate—Select this check box if you are using a self-signed certificate that does not need to be validated. If you are using a certificate signed by a trusted authority, clear this check box.

      • Azure LDAP External Address—Your LDAP external address copied above from Azure AD Secure LDAP.

      • Base DN—Your Azure DNS Domain Name. This is the equivalent of the "suffix" config setting of the OpenLDAP server. For example, if the domain hosted by the LDAP server is "domain.com", then the Base DN might be DC=domain,DC=com. The format of the Base DN can differ significantly depending on configuration. Some examples:

        DC=myschool,DC=edu,DC=au,DC=myorganization,DC=com OU=OrgUnit,DC=domain,DC=com,DC=local

      • AAD DC Administrator username—The Azure Active Directory DC administrator username. For example, admin@papercut.com.

      • Admin password—The password for the above user.

    2. Click Test Settings to test and confirm your settings before continuing.

    3. Click Next.

    ClosedGoogle Cloud Directory
    NOTE

    Remember, this functionality is available for organizations using G Suite Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, G Suite Enterprise, and Cloud Identity Premium.

    IMPORTANT

    Before you start, make sure you can log in to Google as a Super Admin.

    1. Log in to admin.google.com using your Super Admin user login details. The Google Admin console is displayed.

    2. Click the Apps tile. The Apps screen is displayed.

    3. Click the LDAP tile. The LDAP screen is displayed.

    4. Click ADD CLIENT.

    5. Type a name for the LDAP client connection you’ll be configuring to use for PaperCut NG/MF (for example, "PaperCut MF"), and optionally type a description; then click CONTINUE. The Access permissions screen is displayed.

      6. NOTE

      This adds PaperCut NG/MF to the list of permitted LDAP clients. You can find more information about configuring access permissions from Google.

    6. In the Verify user credentials section, select either:

      • Entire domain <domain name>

      • Selected organizational units; then click Add and select the units from the list. (Use this to limit syncing to users in a subset of groups.)

    7. In the Read user information section, select either

      • Entire domain <domain name>

      • Selected organizational units; then either click Copy from Verify user credentials or click Add and select the units from the list. (Use this to limit syncing to users in a subset of groups.)

      • Depending on your organizational policies, tick all boxes for System attributes, Public custom attributes, and Private custom attributes as this will allow PaperCut to sync primary number and secondary number from custom fields of your choice stored under individual users as per your organization's schema on Google Cloud Directory. More details on this in Quick install: Apple Mac.

    8. In the Read group information section, click the switch to set it to On; then click ADD LDAP CLIENT. Google displays a confirmation message and information about downloading the certificate.

    9. On the same screen, click Download certificate; then save the downloaded certificate (which is a PDF file) in a secure location.

    10. Click CONTINUE TO CLIENT DETAILS. The Settings for <LDAP client name> screen is displayed.

      11. NOTE

      The service status, displayed at the top right of the screen, is initially set to OFF.

    11. Click anywhere in the Service Status box. The Service Status screen is displayed.

    12. Select On for everyone. The service status is updated for everyone.

    13. Click SAVE.

      NOTE

      Depending on the size of your organization, it can take up to 24 hours for Google Cloud Directory changes to apply.

User Client options (Professional Client Billing organization type only)

If you selected Professional (Client Billing), as the organization type, the User client options screen is displayed.

If you selected Education or Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) or Corporate, go to Confirm Setup steps.

Every print job must be charged to an account via the process of Account Selection. This may or not require user interaction and is configured at the user level.

In environments where user interaction for Account Selection is required and the user has both options - User ClientThe User Client tool is an add-on that resides on a user's desktop. It allows users to view their current account balance via a popup window, provides users with the opportunity to confirm what they are about to print, allows users to select shared accounts via a popup, if administrators have granted access to this feature, and displays system messages, such as the "low credit" warning message or print policy popups. and printing device - running the User Client may be optional. Hence, deploying it immediately is also optional. If you choose not to deploy it now, you can still deploy it in the future. However, in environments where user interaction for Account Selection is required and can only be done via the User Client (and cannot be done at the printing device), running the User Client is mandatory. Hence, deploying it immediately is also mandatory. If not, the user is unable to carry out the configured user interaction for Account Selection, and the job remains paused in the print queueA print queue displays information about documents that are waiting to be printed, such as the printing status, document owner, and number of pages to print. You can use the print queue to view, pause, resume, restart, and cancel print jobs. and does not appear on the printing device. The User Client can be deployed directly from a network share (which is automatically configured on Windows). There is also the option to install the software locally on each workstation, however, this is not usually recommended because it makes the process of updating the User Client more complicated. For more information about the Account Selection options with and without user interaction (via the User Client or printing device), see Shared accounts, User Client, and Allocating accounts to print jobs at the device.

  1. Depending on the Account Selection configuration for users (whether or not user interaction is required and whether or not your environment caters for this on the User Client AND on the printing device), select an appropriate User Client deployment strategy:

    • Immediate implementation (Enable for all users)—the Account Selection option requiring user interaction is enabled only for all users. If you have configured your users with Account Selection that requires user interaction, and this can only be done on the User Client (and cannot be done on the printing device), then you must install the User Client on all user desktops immediately to prevent disruption of user printing services. If in doubt, select the minimal impact strategy. This ensures the impact is isolated to only the nominated test account.

    • Minimal impact (Initial single user testing)—the Account Selection option requiring user interaction is enabled only for a single user for testing purposes. You need to nominate the testing account; this can be an existing system/domain account used for testing purposes or your own user account. The username should be in the format used to log in to the domain/system (usually the short form). Depending on the environment, you can test the user interaction for Account Selection either on the User Client or on the printing device. The minimal impact strategy allows you to test Account Selection with user interaction using the nominated test system/domain user account, after which you can configure other users with similar Account Selection options.

  3. Click Next.

Confirm setup options

The Confirm setup options screen is displayed.

  1. Check the settings you have entered. If you want to change anything, you can return to any of the configuration screens to alter the options.

  2. Click Confirm.

    3. The Initial user import screen is displayed.

  3. Click Close.

Setup complete

After completing the configuration wizard you are presented with a user synchronization status screen, showing the progress and results of the setup.

  1. Click Login to access the Admin web interface and begin familiarizing yourself with the options and features available. Take some time to explore, and refer back to the relevant sections of this manual as required.

Step 5: Check the printer configuration

When you install PaperCut NG/MF, your networked printers are automatically added to the system. Any new printers added to your network are also automatically added to PaperCut NG/MF. You can, however, change the configuration so that new printers are not automatically added. You will need to do this if you have printers you do not want monitored by PaperCut NG/MF. For more information, see Add and remove/delete/ignore printers.

The monitored printers are listed on the Printer List page. If the printers are not displayed, try printing a document. The first job triggers registration.

Step 6: Sharing the User Client software

The PaperCut NG/MF client software is located in the directory /Applications/PaperCut NG/MF/client. You can share this directory over the network so workstations can access/install the client application. If you're running Mac OS X Server, use Server Admin to add a read-only file share called PCClient. Sharing with Protocols AFP for Mac clients, and SMB for Windows clients is recommended.

Users can have the client software start automatically using the OS X "Open at Login" feature. Manually start the PaperCut NG/MF client software, command-click the dock icon, select options and the Open at Login" from the small pop up menu.

Step 7: Deployment for a Professional (Client Billing) installation

Every print job must be charged to an account via the process of Account Selection. This may or not require user interaction and is configured at the user level. When Account Selection requires user interaction, then depending on your environment, the user can do so either on the User Client or on the printing device.

The User Client

In environments where user interaction for Account Selection is required and the user has both options - User Client and printing device - running the User Client may be optional. Hence, deploying it immediately is also optional. If you choose not to deploy it now, you can still deploy it in the future. However, in environments where user interaction for Account Selection is required and can only be done via the User Client (and cannot be done at the printing device), running the User Client is mandatory. Hence, deploying it immediately is also mandatory. If not, the user is unable to carry out the configured user interaction for Account Selection, and the job remains paused in the print queue and does not appear on the printing device. The User Client can be deployed directly from a network share (which is automatically configured on Windows). There is also the option to install the software locally on each workstation, however, this is not usually recommended because it makes the process of updating the User Client more complicated. For more information about the Account Selection options with and without user interaction (via the User Client or printing device), see Shared accounts, User Client, and Allocating accounts to print jobs at the device.

Account Selection

After deploying the User Client on user workstations (if required), you can configure users with the required Account Selection option (whether or not user interaction is required). For example, in a Professional (Client Billing) installation, users who print jobs for clients are often given the Advanced Account Selection option, however, other Account Selection options might be better suited for some users based on their job function.

You can configure the required Account Selection option on one user at a time or update for all users in bulk.

Use the User Details page to configure the required Account Selection option for a single user.

To configure the required Account Selection option for all users in bulk:

  1. Click the Users tab.

    The User List page is displayed.

  2. In the Actions menu, click Bulk user actions.

    The Bulk User Operations page is displayed.

    3. TIP

    By default the action is applied to all users (the special [All Users] group). To apply the action to a subset of users (a user group), select that group from the list.

  3. In the Change settings area, select the Change account selection setting check box; then select Show advanced account selection from the list.

  4. If you do not want to allow users to charge printing to their personal account (i.e. they must select a shared accountA shared account is an account that is shared by multiple users. For example, in business, shared accounts can be used to track printing costs by business unit, project, or client. Organizations like legal firms, engineering firms, or accounting offices often have long lists of accounts, projects, clients, or matters. In a school or university, shared accounts can be used to track printing by departments, classes, or subjects.) then clear the Allow user to charge to their personal account check box.

  5. Click OK.

    6. A confirmation window is displayed.

  6. Click OK.

    7. Once completed, the configured Account Selection option is enabled for the selected users. If you have configured users with an Account Selection option that requires user interaction, then it is recommended that you test this from the User Client on a desktop or on the printing device (if applicable). Ensure that user interaction provided is as per the configured Account Selection option. Once the interaction is completed, ensure that the job is printed, logged and appropriate account charged.

Step 8: Testing

Following a fresh installation, it is highly recommended to test core features of the system. For further details, see Testing the installation.

What next?

Take some time to explore the features of PaperCut NG/MF before continuing reading at Implementation by example or Tour. Business users might be interested in trying the popup client software as covered in Client software. If desired, the client software should also be deployed to other workstations. This procedure is detailed in User Client.