Crunchy_Bob
asked on
Controlling Color Printing on Ricoh Multifunction Machines
I am about to deploy 265 Ricoh Multifunction machines, 7 different models all with the ability to print color.
We want to centrally manage the ability to print color without using 3rd party software, multiple shares, user codes, or having to enter authentication information everytime a user prints. We have created an AD group for color printing, users authorized to print in color will be added to that group, here is what we are looking for in a perfect world:
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
Our Ricoh tech is not sure how to do this, Is this possible?
We want to centrally manage the ability to print color without using 3rd party software, multiple shares, user codes, or having to enter authentication information everytime a user prints. We have created an AD group for color printing, users authorized to print in color will be added to that group, here is what we are looking for in a perfect world:
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
Our Ricoh tech is not sure how to do this, Is this possible?
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Rodney Barnhardt
I would agree with Michael-Best, what you are requesting is not possible. The way we do it is to create a different share with the color configured on, then assign a group permission to print to that printer. Without some other 3rd party software, codes, etc, you are asking the impossible.
Just to echo the previous comments, you have excluded all of the possible solutions.
I can recommend the Papercut software solution, it can do what you want plus much more in the way of tracking quotas, driverless web printing, etc.
www.papercut.com
I can recommend the Papercut software solution, it can do what you want plus much more in the way of tracking quotas, driverless web printing, etc.
www.papercut.com
ASKER
working for a bank it's very hard to introduce new software, there is a lengthy testing/approval process and my deployment starts in a couple of weeks, I'll be going with multiple shares at this point, not at all what i wanted but not much i can do about it.
ASKER
I've requested that this question be closed as follows:
Accepted answer: 0 points for Crunchy_Bob's comment #a38422667
for the following reason:
3rd party software is not viable at this time and user codes are cumbersome, people don't want to have to log in/enter codes everytime they print/copy. multiple shares are a nightmare for management with 265 machines but at this point it's my only option.
Accepted answer: 0 points for Crunchy_Bob's comment #a38422667
for the following reason:
3rd party software is not viable at this time and user codes are cumbersome, people don't want to have to log in/enter codes everytime they print/copy. multiple shares are a nightmare for management with 265 machines but at this point it's my only option.
Actually, the question was "is this possible"
Three people said "no, it is not possible"
So the question was answered, and the question should be closed by accepting the first correct answer.
The points should go to Michael-Best, who answered first.
Three people said "no, it is not possible"
So the question was answered, and the question should be closed by accepting the first correct answer.
The points should go to Michael-Best, who answered first.
Actually, the question was "is this possible"
Three people said "no, it is not possible"
So the question was answered, and the question should be closed by accepting the first correct answer.
The points should go to Michael-Best, who answered first.
Three people said "no, it is not possible"
So the question was answered, and the question should be closed by accepting the first correct answer.
The points should go to Michael-Best, who answered first.
ASKER
the question is not "is this possible" the question is:
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
Our Ricoh tech is not sure how to do this, Is this possible?
which no one posed a solution to which is why I awarded no points.
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
Our Ricoh tech is not sure how to do this, Is this possible?
which no one posed a solution to which is why I awarded no points.
Our Ricoh tech is not sure how to do this, Is this possible?
Even if the answer is "no this is not possible", it is still the correct answer.
I have to agree. If something is not possible. That is the correct answer.
You may note that neither of us are interested in the points for ourselves.
ASKER
neither of you may be interested in the points but that seems to be the driving force behind this website. once again you are nitpicking semantics, if i had removed the last line of the ENTIRE question that you are choosing to ignore to just read:
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
and then reading the responses of "not possible" which means "we don't have a solution for you", where would you suggest i send those points?
User sends a color print job, print server receives that job and checks to see if that user is in the color AD group, if no then it prints that job in B/W, if yes then it prints in color. Again we want to do this using 1 printer share 1 universal print driver and no user codes.
and then reading the responses of "not possible" which means "we don't have a solution for you", where would you suggest i send those points?
I would still say "not possible" is an answer. That has been accepted as a solution in other cases where what someone wanted was not possible, because if a question is asked that is not possible, that is the answer. People spend a lot of their own time on here responding, answering, and researching questions basically for free.
ASKER
fine then i will give my points for a no solutions answer but i don't agree with it because what's to keep people from just answering every question with I don't know, give me my points.
The moderators, and the community.
3 independent experts, with a lot of experience between them gave you the same answer.
You asked a question and applied conditions to it that made it impossible to answer in any other way.
If there had been another solution, and we could advise you to use it, you would not have needed to give points for an answer you did not like.
By the same token, if you ask "is it possible?" and the answer is "no" if you do not award points, you get an answer for free.
"no, it is not possible" is a very different answer from "I don't Know"
I can't speak for others, but I have been working on Print solutions for over 15 years, and the solution that you asked for does not exist as part of the Windows OS.
As for the points, nobody should want them awarded unfairly.
3 independent experts, with a lot of experience between them gave you the same answer.
You asked a question and applied conditions to it that made it impossible to answer in any other way.
If there had been another solution, and we could advise you to use it, you would not have needed to give points for an answer you did not like.
By the same token, if you ask "is it possible?" and the answer is "no" if you do not award points, you get an answer for free.
"no, it is not possible" is a very different answer from "I don't Know"
I can't speak for others, but I have been working on Print solutions for over 15 years, and the solution that you asked for does not exist as part of the Windows OS.
As for the points, nobody should want them awarded unfairly.
Michael-Best should get the points, as he has answered the question correctly, and this was confirmed by two other experts.
The questioner phrased the question in such a way that they were asking for a non-existent solution.
Effectively the answer was "no, given the parameters you have imposed, that is not possible".
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/27864036/Controlling-Color-Printing-on-Ricoh-Multifunction-Machines.html?anchorAnswerId=38398286#a38398286
The questioner seems to think that answers should be solutions, even if no solution exists.
The questioner phrased the question in such a way that they were asking for a non-existent solution.
Effectively the answer was "no, given the parameters you have imposed, that is not possible".
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/27864036/Controlling-Color-Printing-on-Ricoh-Multifunction-Machines.html?anchorAnswerId=38398286#a38398286
The questioner seems to think that answers should be solutions, even if no solution exists.
ASKER
specifically stated no 3rd party software, and the answer given was 3rd party software.