Hey everyone! I'm reaching out to fellow system admins for some advice. We're nearing the end of our support with Canon and I'm on the hunt for a new printing solution. Honestly, I'm not too familiar with what's out there these days. I want to know if printer manufacturers still restrict access to their operating systems, which would limit software manufacturers from directly integrating with multi-functional devices? Are we still relying on manufacturer-licensed software? Also, are there any open standards for these types of devices that we should consider? Here's a bit about our current setup:
- We're a large office with around 500 employees.
- We use Follow-Me printing with RFID or PIN.
- Current devices include some Canon MFD iRs and we're utilizing NTware Uniflow.
**Mandatory Features:**
- Secure pull printing (whether you call it Follow-Me or something else is fine)
- Works with PIN or RFID
- Encrypted scan-to-mail (encryption through a gateway is an option)
**Desirable Features:**
- On-prem solutions would be preferred
- MFD integration for better user convenience
- Self-service installation of printers and drivers (MDM rollout is okay too)
- Open-source options would be appreciated as we enjoy supporting good projects financially.
**Not Needed:**
- Cost tracking capabilities
I've been doing some research and have found options like Savapage (which is open-source but lacks MFD integration), Papercut, and Vasion (formerly known as Printerlogic and Uniflow). What are some other alternatives or solutions you think I should explore? Looking forward to your suggestions!
2 Answers
If you're already on Intune, consider using Print Anywhere. It matches your use case even though it isn’t on-prem, plus it won’t add software costs. You may need to forgo RFID/PIN though, as users would send print jobs to one printer and scan a QR code to release them from their phones.
I've heard a lot about PaperCut—it seems to be widely used and is solid! As for scanning to email, it should meet most of your criteria, though I've always found it odd that a product's name can also be a painful experience. Considering outsourcing printer management could save you a ton of time since handling it in-house isn't usually worth it unless you're dealing with fewer than ten printers.
I think you're right; for less than ten printers, managing them internally might not be efficient. But just to clarify, the focus here is on scan-to-mail solutions, not mail-to-print, to keep things simple!