What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

[kidjake28]

I work for a real estate company that has six remote offices. Each office has various Ricoh copiers. These offices are connected to our head office via private tunnel.
Each office has their own local server which is tied into the corporate domain.

There are approximately ten workstations at each office that agents share.


We want to be able to do the following:

1) Keep track of all the agents print jobs.
2) We don't want to have to set up individual login profiles. It would be nice if the print driver would simply as for the pin code no matter which profile they are logged in under.
3) Stop agents from being able to print from their own computers.


We have been told to use Print Director however the main problem is that we are required to set up individual profiles.

Is there an easier better way to achieve what we want?

Any help appreciated.

thank you

[Eric1968]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Setup user codes in the adress book and give every user the appropiate rights. You can fill in the code in the printer driver. You can print out a list of the print volume of each user.

[kidjake28]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Is there a centrally managed way of doing this? If not I would have to load 200 users into 20 copiers. Can I use LDAP?

From my understanding if an agent where to set up a printer driver he can circumvent the asking of the codes when printing? Is this correct?

What about polling the information, would this mean that I would have to log into each copier?

[Eric1968]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Depending on what Ricoh machines you're having, the LDAP-function can automatically program all users in the adress book.

You can limit every function on these machines (Copy/Document Server/Printer/Scanner). You can program the machine so that printing is prohibited at all times, unless the user fills in his user code in the printer driver. If you fill in the user code in the printer driver on the server, users can only print if they're using the printer driver on the server. You can also lock the menu settings on the machine, so that users can not alter settings.

[KenB]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

It sounds like you are looking for a pop-up for the user to enter at the time of printing.

Am I correct in assuming that?

If so, some of the drivers can be customized to accommodate this, but typically they are chargeable.

Which model(s) of Ricoh do you have?

If you don't want the users to be able to print from their own computers, most machines have the ability to restrict print based on the IP address of the computer sending the job, but that can get a bit tricky, especially if DHCP is changing IP addresses frequently. That is where Print Director (or similar) would come into play.

[teebee1234]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

It sounds like you are looking for a pop-up for the user to enter at the time of printing.

Am I correct in assuming that?

If so, some of the drivers can be customized to accommodate this, but typically they are chargeable.

Which model(s) of Ricoh do you have?

If you don't want the users to be able to print from their own computers, most machines have the ability to restrict print based on the IP address of the computer sending the job, but that can get a bit tricky, especially if DHCP is changing IP addresses frequently. That is where Print Director (or similar) would come into play.

I agree a popup driver may be what you need, it will request the users code everytime a print job is initiated no matter who is logged in.The driver editor itself is free but there may be a charge to have a Ricoh tech customize one for you (depends on the account and what you can work out with your sales rep). You can lock in or out certain functions so they cannot be changed (2 sided printing only, b/w printing only on a color mfp, lock print to store the job on the mfp until the user retrieves it - can be set to auto delete those jobs after x number of days).

Here is the link > Ricoh Printer Driver Editor

[alp]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Centralized reporting or Printing and Copying, from all remote offices to a central database, and no workarounds. This is PCS director embedded. As long as all copiers have the full-size display (desktop models can use a external device) The client will need to be loaded on the 10 shared computers, which will ask for a PIN, and can have an informational pop-up, with cost and quotas. No client, no print. Tracks not only the number, but what was printed and when, so less arguments.

LDAP will enter all users, but they must use a UserName/Password combination, not just a pin code, and ties in with Group Policy.

The Pop-up driver (easily configured with Print Driver Editor and the Universal Driver) and a .csv of user codes is the cheap way. Just requires a periodic pushing of codes to the devices, and using Excel to total them up.

Hope this helps.

[kidjake28]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

So let me get this straight.

If I want to do central reporting then PCS is the only way to go.

If I want to add users to LDAP then I can centrally have the copiers search that for access however each user would have to log into their own accounts/profile.

The cheap way is to use the print driver editor to ask for codes and limit usage however each printer would have to be polled to get the print job counts.

What if I have Africia 4100 printers? I don't believe they have accounting features built in. How do I track printing on these?

[kidjake28]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Yes but do they have to log onto the computers with their own profiles or can we simply get the drive to ask for their username/password and pin code.

Depending on what Ricoh machines you're having, the LDAP-function can automatically program all users in the adress book.

You can limit every function on these machines (Copy/Document Server/Printer/Scanner). You can program the machine so that printing is prohibited at all times, unless the user fills in his user code in the printer driver. If you fill in the user code in the printer driver on the server, users can only print if they're using the printer driver on the server. You can also lock the menu settings on the machine, so that users can not alter settings.

[kidjake28]

Re: What is the best way to set up Pin Code access

Most of the copiers/printers are C2500's however there are 2-3 4100 laser printers that would also need to be tracked.

It sounds like you are looking for a pop-up for the user to enter at the time of printing.

Am I correct in assuming that?

If so, some of the drivers can be customized to accommodate this, but typically they are chargeable.

Which model(s) of Ricoh do you have?

If you don't want the users to be able to print from their own computers, most machines have the ability to restrict print based on the IP address of the computer sending the job, but that can get a bit tricky, especially if DHCP is changing IP addresses frequently. That is where Print Director (or similar) would come into play.