Managing the printers can seem like a lot of work, but Windows 10 helps make it easy. Companies looking for a lightweight, convenient solution to keeping their printers up and running can take advantage of the numerous built-in printer fleet management tools in Windows 10.
The current Microsoft operating system is used on 51 percent of the world’s computers, and for good reason. Microsoft has been committed to creating agile, intuitive software that drives productivity and achievement. Unlike previous editions of the operating system, Windows 10 comes loaded with many useful features for an office environment not found in previous Windows versions. Among those are advanced printer fleet controls to truly customize the office’s workflow and digital environment.
Need a quick, easy printer fleet management solution? Try out the native Windows 10 tools. Here are six tips and tricks to get the most out of a print environment while still enjoying cost savings.
6 Tricks for Printer Fleet Management in Windows 10
The average multifunction printer is a sophisticated, versatile device designed to support the office with all of its document processes. Whether printing, photocopying, scanning, or faxing, office workers can accomplish whatever they need from the convenience of a single workstation.
However, to truly unlock the efficiency-driving power of these devices, a business must first configure them. Windows 10 makes that easy to do.
1. Quickly Add or Remove Printers
When it comes to adding or removing printers from the network, Windows 10 does all the heavy lifting with its Wizard. Simply go into the Settings tab (the gear in the Start Menu) and type “Printers” into the search box. Select Printers & scanners to quickly add a device. To remove one, select the device from the list and select Remove device. In both cases, Windows will do the rest.
2. Customize Printing Preferences
Printing preferences refer to the way that all jobs are printed from a particular computer regardless of the printer. These need to be set on every device in the office and are useful when multiple computers or users print different jobs. From Printers & scanners, find the device on the list. Then click Manage. From here, there will display an option to adjust the Printing preferences. (Choose the Advanced tab for more specific choices such as document options).
3. Adjust Printer Settings
In contrast to printing preferences, printer settings affect all computers printing to a specific printer. To access the printer settings, navigate again to the Manage pane. Select Printer properties or Device settings. This window enables users to change things like the printer’s name, whether or not duplex printing is automatic, things like color management, and security settings for the device.
4. Manage the Print Queue
The list of jobs that have been scheduled to print constitutes the print queue. It’s where the computer sends jobs when the printer is busy to prevent the printer from becoming overwhelmed by commands (thereby causing it to freeze). Accessing the print queue can be helpful in many cases. If a job has been sent to the wrong device, or the wrong job sent to print, deleting it from the print queue prevents it from printing.
Each printer has its own print queue. From Printers & scanners, select the device to which the print job was sent. Click Open queue to see a list of documents sent to print, including who printed it, how many pages, and what the file size is. To pause, delete, or resume the print queue, use the options under the Document tab.
5. Set Printing Availability Times
A print fleet management feature new to Windows 10 involves the ability to enable or block access to printers from computers during certain times. This is useful for preventing unauthorized printing in the office. To set the printer’s availability, navigate to Printers & scanners. Then, choose Printer properties. Availability times are found under the Advanced tab.
If the Advanced tab is grayed out, return to the General tab. Select Change Properties, then navigate to the Advanced tab and change the availability settings. Click Apply, not OK when done.
6. Assign User Printing Permissions
Windows allows administrators to set user-specific document permissions, including whether or not a specific account can print. This is a valuable feature for controlling access to printers and documents alike. It’s possible to set permissions for individual printers under the Security tab of Printer properties.
However, to manage user permissions for all printers, log into the computer as the administrator. Click the Start Button then type “run” into search. Select the Run app and type “spool.” In the folder that appears, right-click on PRINTERS. Under the Security tab, choose Advanced. Set individual user permissions here.
Printer Fleet Management with a Smile
Printer fleet management doesn’t need to be complicated – with the native tools of Windows 10; it’s not. Windows 10 offers offices everything they need to manage their printer fleets without blowing the IT budget.
Whether setting printer permissions or configuring settings, offices can enjoy the full potential of their multifunction devices with a lightweight, easy-to-use management solution. That’s just one of the many benefits that this operating system offers to keep a business running.
Are you not running Windows 10 yet? All previous Microsoft operating systems are now obsolete. Contact a specialist at Smile to update to Windows 10 today.
