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Configure print quotas and restrictions

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Contents

📖 For an overview and descriptions of everything to do with printing cost controls and limits, take a look at About print quotas and restrictions .

Generic implementation scenarios

This scenario suits a small to medium-sized organization.

  1. Configure users accounts .
  2. Set up Cost Tracking .
  3. Give users a starting balance and set print restrictions .
    If you want users to be able to keep printing when their balance reaches zero ($0), set an overdraft as part of the restrictions.
  4. [COMING SOON] If you want users to see balance and costs details in the User Portal, configure user interface settings.

This scenario suits a larger organization.

  1. Before inviting all users to print, preconfigure the initial user balance and any restrictions you want to apply to all new users added to PaperCut Hive or Pocket.
  2. Set up Cost Tracking .
  3. [COMING SOON] If you want users to see balance and costs in the User Portal, configure user interface settings.
  4. Onboard your users .

Step 1 — Before you start — what to do before setting print quotas

  1. Enable Cost Tracking and set up job costs and job profiles.

    • For an overview of Cost Tracking, see the About Cost Tracking page.
    • In the User List on the Users page, the Balance column and Restricted column are now functional. Previously you could see them but the columns didn’t contain any information.

  2. If you want to set up scheduled quotas, first set the time zone for scheduled tasks:

    1. At the top right of the admin console, click your name > Settings. The Settings page is displayed.
    2. In the Regional settings section, click Set time zone.
    3. Select the time zone from the dropdown list and click Save. The time zone is now set and will apply when you set up print quotas scheduling.

    This doesn’t affect the Job Log or any other timestamps in the admin console; those timestamps are based on the user’s logged-in time zone.

Step 2 — Update users’ account balance and printing restrictions status

By default, all users’ balances are zero and there are no printing restrictions.

There are various ways to update the balance. Choose which of the following suits your organization:

Updating a single user’s balance at any time

To update a single user’s balance:

  1. On the Users page, select a user.
  2. Click the Accounts tab.
  3. In the Balance row, click Adjust.
  4. Click the Adjustment dropdown and select one of the following:
    • Set to: the balance will be set to the value you type.
    • Add: the value you type in the Amount box will be added to the users’ existing balance,
    • Subtract: the value you type in the Amount box will be subtracted from the user’s existing balance.
  5. In the Amount box, type the required amount, then click Save. The Users page is displayed, showing the updated balance.

Updating a single user’s account restriction status

To update a single user’s account restriction status:

  1. On the Users page, select a user.
  2. Click the Accounts tab.
  3. In the Restrictions row, click Change.
  4. Select if you want the account to be unrestricted or restricted.
    • Unrestricted: lets users accumulate a negative balance for print and copy jobs. Print jobs always release and copy jobs always print.
    • Restricted:
      • Print jobs that cost more than the available account credit or overdraft limit cannot be released.
      • Copy job restrictions vary by printer brand. For details, see Copy jobs .
    • The Edit overdraft toggle is displayed for setting an overdraft limit.
  5. If you selected Restricted and want to set an overdraft limit , click the Overdraft dropdown and select:
    • Default overdraft: this is $0.
    • Individual overdraft, then in the Overdraft limit box type the amount this account is allowed to go into negative.
      Example: If you set $5, print jobs can be released until this account reaches -$5.
  6. Click Save.

Bulk updating multiple or all user balances and restrictions

Use the bulk actions function to update multiple balances. A bulk action lets you apply settings to multiple users at the same time.

  1. In the admin console, click Users.
  2. Select the users whose balances you want to bulk edit in one of following ways:
    • Select them manually using the checkboxes.
    • Click on the top-left checkbox to select all users.
    • Use the search box to find the user(s), then select the checkboxes.
    • Use the Status filter, then select the users.
  3. At the top of the Users list click Bulk actions and select Adjust balances. The Bulk adjust balances popup is displayed.
  4. Click the Adjustment dropdown and select one of the following:
    • Set to: the balance will be set to the value you input.
    • Add: the value you input here will be added to the users’ existing balance.
      Subtract: the value you input here will be subtracted to the users’ existing balance.
  5. If you selected Add but want to set a balance ceiling for how much is added to each account, select Allow accumulation up to and type the amount in the Amount box.
    Example:
    • User A has $95 balance
    • User B has $30 balance
    • You Add $50
    • You set $100 in the Only allow accumulation up to
    • User A updated balance will be $100: $5 was added
    • User B updated balance will be $80: $30 was added
  6. If you selected Subtract, but want to set a balance floor, select Only allow reduction down to and type the amount in the Amount box.
    Example:
    • User A has $95 balance
    • User B has $30 balance
    • You Subtract $50
    • You set $5 in Only allow accumulation up to
    • User A updated balance will be $45: $50 was subtracted
    • User B updated balance will be $5: $25 was subtracted
  7. [COMING SOON] (Optional) Type a comment. This will appear as a transaction comment in the:
    • [COMING SOON] Reports > Transaction Logs report
    • [COMING SOON] User’s Details tab in Users > User name > Accounts > Recent Transactions table.
  8. Click Save.

Bulk changing multiple users’ account restriction status, including overdrafts

Use the bulk actions function to update restrictions on multiple user accounts at the same time. You can change if the accounts are restricted or unrestricted , and also set an overdraft limit .

  1. In the admin console, click Users.
  2. Select the users you want to bulk edit their balances in one of the following ways:
    • Select them manually using the checkboxes.
    • Click on the top-left checkbox to select all users.
    • Use the search box to find the user(s), then select the checkboxes.
    • Use the Status filter, then select the users.
  3. At the top of the Users list click Bulk actions, then select Change account restrictions. The Bulk change account restrictions popup is displayed.
  4. Select if you want the accounts to be unrestricted or restricted.
    • Unrestricted: lets users accumulate a negative balance for print and copy jobs. Print jobs always release and copy jobs always print.
    • Restricted:
      • Print jobs that cost more than the available account credit or overdraft limit cannot be released.
      • Copy job restrictions vary by printer brand. For details, see Copy jobs .
      • The Edit overdraft toggle is displayed to use if you want to set an overdraft limit. The overdraft applies to all selected users.
      • If you leave the Edit overdraft toggle turned off, you can change the account to either Unrestricted or Restricted and any different overdraft amounts from the different users you selected won’t be affected.
  5. If you want to set an overdraft for restricted accounts:
    1. Switch the Edit overdraft toggle to on (green). The Overdraft dropdown is displayed.
    2. Click the dropdown and select:
      • Default overdraft: this is $0.
      • Individual overdraft, then in the Overdraft limit box type the amount this account is allowed to go into negative.
        Example: If you set $5, print jobs can be released until this account reaches -$5.

Bulk changing balances and user account restrictions for all users in a group

Use the [All Users] group three-dot menu ⋮ for running bulk actions on the users of the group. You can access this menu from 2 places:

  1. On the admin console, go to Users.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Find the row for the group, then at the right side of the row, click the three-dot menu ⋮ .
    • Find and click on a row for a group. On the side panel that is displayed, on the top right corner, click the three-dot menu ⋮

    Either way, the menu options are:

    • Send invite email
    • Adjust balances
    • Change account restrictions

  3. Select to adjust the account balances or restrictions.

  4. Make the adjustments.

    • For adjusting balances, follow the same steps as for Updating a single user’s balance at any time.
    • For account restrictions, follow the same steps as for Bulk changing user accounts restriction status, including overdrafts.

  5. Click Save. The changes are made in bulk for all users of that group.

Configuring automatic setup of quotas and restrictions for new users

You can set an amount of monetary/credit (quota) to be automatically added into user accounts as soon as they are added as a User in PaperCut Hive or Pocket. You can also set their restricted status and (optionally) overdraft limit. This is done by using the [All Users] group.

Any new users you add to PaperCut Hive or Pocket are automatically added into the [All Users] group.

  1. In the admin console, go to Users.
  2. Click the Groups tab.
  3. Click [All Users]. The [All Users] panel displays. This is where you’ll define what their initial balance is when they become part of this group, and their account restriction status.
  4. In the Starting balance box, type the monetary value for a new user’s initial balance.
  5. Select if you want the accounts to be unrestricted or restricted.
    • Unrestricted: lets users accumulate a negative balance for print and copy jobs. Print jobs always release and copy jobs always print.
    • Restricted:
      • Print jobs that cost more than the available account credit or overdraft limit cannot be released.
      • Copy job restrictions vary by printer brand. For details, see Copy jobs .
  6. If you selected Restricted and want to set an Overdraft: define the amount this account is allowed to go into negative from the cost of print job releases. For example, if you set $5, print jobs can be released until this account reaches -$5.
  7. Click Save changes.

Step 3 — (Optional) Schedule a recurring quota for a user group

You can schedule an amount of monetary/credit (quota) to be regularly, automatically adjusted in user accounts. The adjustments are: set to an amount, add to, or subtract from. You can also set their restricted status and (optionally) overdraft limit.

  1. In the admin console, go to Users.
  2. Click the Groups tab, [All Users] group. The [All Users] panel displays.
  3. Click Quotas/Automations.
  4. Switch the Default quota toggle to on (green).
  5. Select the quota frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly.
    The quota will run in a time window between 12 am and 5 am of the chosen time zone.
  6. Click the Adjustment dropdown and select one of the following:
    • Set to: the balance will be set to the value you input.
    • Add: the value you input here will be added to the users’ existing balance.
    • Subtract: the value you input here will be subtracted to the users’ existing balance.
  7. If you selected Add but want to set a balance ceiling for how much is added to each account, select Allow accumulation up to.
    Example:
    1. User A has $95 balance
    2. User B has $30 balance
    3. You Add $50
    4. You set $100 in the Only allow accumulation up to
    5. User A updated balance will be $100: $5 was added
    6. User B updated balance will be $80: $30 was added
  8. If you selected Subtract, but want to set a balance floor, select Only allow reduction down to and type the amount in the Amount box.
    Example:
    1. User A has $95 balance
    2. User B has $30 balance
    3. You Subtract $50
    4. You set $5 in Only allow accumulation up to
    5. User A updated balance will be $45: $50 was subtracted
    6. User B updated balance will be $5: $25 was subtracted
  9. [COMING SOON] (Optional) Type a comment. This will appear as a transaction comment in the:
    • [COMING SOON] Reports > Transaction Logs report.
    • [COMING SOON] User’s Details tab in Users > User name > Accounts > Recent Transactions table.
  10. Click Save.

COMING SOON Hiding job costs and user balance from end-user interfaces

 

COMING SOON Viewing recent transactions

 

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