PCounter from Altman

[MatthewL]

Do you use it and what are your views on it?

 

Do you have it integrated with any MFPs?

 

It is something we are looking at and is a lot more cheaper than some of the other bits of software we have looked at, just after your views on it.

[djm968]

Have used it in the past and it worked very well.

[imiddleton25]

we use it now on Sharp MFD works well would recommend it

[dhicks]

Do you use it

 

No.

 

what are your views on it?

 

Print accounting system turn out to be easier to write than you'd think - I have a Linux-based server that counts the pages of all print jobs sent to it, converts them to PDF and send them on to a Windows server for printing.

 

Do you have it integrated with any MFPs?

 

I wrote a rather snazzy touch-compatible onscreen-keyboard for my system above - if we actually had a touch screen computer around I could set it up to retain jobs sent to the printer until a username and password is entered on the touchscreen.

 

--

David Hicks

[Jake]

Yup we use it, its pretty good. We have over 100 printers on it and it handles them fairly well. The reporting facilities arent too bad, you can get all the usual stuff on it (pages printed by user/printer/dept etc) so you can hold that pesky dept to account when they print out 200 copies of something on a colour laser instead of popping down to the Reprographics dept and getting it photocopied.

[broc]

We have been using it for several years now, on a network with around 50 printers (no MFPs). It works well for us.

[Sylv3r]

We've used it for 2 or 3 years now. Mainly just on our photocopiers rather than our networked printers. Eventually we will look at redirecting jobs etc.

[tech_guy]

We use it with Sharp MFPs and it is very good. I like the reporting side of it.

[GrumbleDook]

Best thing I found about PCounter was turning on the max number of copies which could be printed. Stopped teachers sending large print runs to laser printers (or inkjets) instead of photocopying things. For some reason I was not popular.

[plexer]

No.

 

 

 

Print accounting system turn out to be easier to write than you'd think - I have a Linux-based server that counts the pages of all print jobs sent to it, converts them to PDF and send them on to a Windows server for printing.

 

 

 

I wrote a rather snazzy touch-compatible onscreen-keyboard for my system above - if we actually had a touch screen computer around I could set it up to retain jobs sent to the printer until a username and password is entered on the touchscreen.

 

--

David Hicks

 

Sounds good any more details on your system?

 

Ben

[MatthewL]

Cheers for all the positive replies, we would be looking to install it along side Sharp MFPs.

[dhicks]

Sounds good any more details on your system?

 

I simply have a basic Debian VM set up running Samba with System-V style printing. That shares out a bunch of printers, each of which prints to a PDF document in a folder shared out from the Windows print server. A script on the Windows server periodically (every 10 seconds or so) checks the contents of that folder for new files and prints what it finds. That's about it - there's a couple of screen's worth of scripts to stick it all together and record who prints what, but that's about it.

 

--

David Hicks

[cismconn]

Matthew,

 

you can probably get a demo at Altman's HQ in Leeds.. not that far from you potentially?

 

we did this 4 years ago when evaluating... its a good product.

 

I'd find out the costs for the embedded devices & card readers if you're going that way also... can be expensive depending on the product.

 

Pharos Uniprint used to be done by ITS also in Middlesex so not too far also.. or via webex.

 

 

could always visit us in Liverpool if interested in Equitrac route but not from a reseller.

 

our licenses were probably a little bit cheaper with educational discount if you're a business?

[jimmy_2k]

PCounters quite good, intergrates nicely with AD. If you want to add credit to multiple users, simply create a group in AD and add the specified ammount. Don't forget to remove the users afterwards or they will be getting more print credits everytime you add more users!

 

One thing i've found though is if the XPR Reports database gets to around 600Mb the XPR service doesn't come back on reboot. You need to archive off the PCounter data each year.

[MatthewL]

Cheers for the advice so far, looks like we may go that route. Time will tell.

[adamski]

Unauthorised Advertising Removed Edited July 30, 2010 by john

[MatthewL]

I would like to hope so Adam, have been emailing you and Nick all week!!

 

I will be in touch with yourself or Nick early next to get it all pulled together.

[adamski]

Unbelievable...!! What a small world..!!

[MatthewL]

Tell me about it. Have a good weekend and I will speak to you next week. By the way welcome to here, its a useful site, one reason why I joined.