Papercut - authorise via code/pin

[timbo343]

We have papercut and i have had the question asked, is there a way to enable a popup which asks for a code/pin to stop students from printing of allsorts on these inkjet printers. There are 2 in this department and it's costing them a small fortune. Around the school we have a few MFDs and i know these allow you to put a code in to authenticate as it is set on the printer its self. I can see this being OK in the short term but in the long term this PIN will just be passed round but i want to see if its doable.

 

I know that papercut has the print release station which requires the teacher(s) to release jobs but i'm thinking if the teacher isn't around to print.

[Edu-IT]

Where will they get the code from? Or, are you saying you want to stop them using them altogether?

[timbo343]

The code will come from the teacher. The teacher wants to cut down on how much printing is done to these printers so wants to know if its possible to authenticate via a code.

[localzuk]

If the teacher gives them the code, then the teacher is around to print? If the teacher isn't around, the kids can't be given a code.

 

So, the release station should do it shouldn't it?

[timbo343]

Yeah, i have put that to the teacher which i too would have thought would have been the most sensible option. The teacher asked if we have anyway allowing printing via a pin system as this is what they were used to in their previous school. Not sure how the printing was setup there.

 

Here is the request.. I was wondering if the computers in the room have the facility to be set up to print via a code on the teachers computer. I had this in a previous school and it blocked any un-neccessary printing.

 

The only thing i can think of here is the printers were shared via the teachers machine to the other computers in the room :S

[fiza]

Sounds very much like a release station.

 

You can do pin codes on the individual computers if you use the client software. You could set the printer up as an unauthenticated printer - forcing authentication and then set users up with a pin code.

There is also the advanced option under users "Allow this user to release jobs printed by others (Delegated print release)" might also be an option for you.

[gbtb]

PaperCut has a built in script which allows you to enable a popup asking the user for a request code, so longs the user client is installed on the workstations it will prompt and ask you to enter the code which you can define in the script.

 

If you select the printer in PaperCut and click the Scripting tab you can add it from one of the existing recipes.

 

"Require approval code

Users are required to enter a valid approval code to print their job. Approval codes are pre-defined and known only by privileged users, e.g. teachers. Users who do not enter a valid approval code will have their jobs cancelled."

[MatthewL]

What @gbtb said. Does work very well.