🔎 Admin console: Easy Print & Scan > Print Tracking
Print Tracking is collecting details about who prints what, where, and when. The details are stored in the Job Log. Printing can be tracked:
- on any computer or device that has the PaperCut Pocket or Hive app installed
- from any printer, either in or out of the office (for example, a home printer) that’s connected to those computers and devices.
Benefits of print tracking
With Print Tracking you can:
- use the data to create reports to track users’ printing at home. Great for calculating costs for reimbursement
- gain full visibility of your company’s printing by tracking all of your users’ printing
- improve security to see what sensitive documents were printed by who, on what printer, and when.
All print jobs sent to printers in the Printers list on the Printers page are tracked. Any printers in the Ignored list or Newly discovered list are not tracked.
To learn how to set up printer tracking, see Configure print tracking .
What types of print queues are tracked
RAW 9100, IPP, IPPS, LPR, and USB.
Windows: All print queues (RAW 9100, LPR, and USB) are tracked except IPP print queues and server print queues (print queues that are linked from a print server).
macOS/Linux (CUPS): All print queues are tracked. Limitations might arise that are driver specific.
About Direct Printing and tracking
Print jobs are sent directly from the user’s computer (Windows & Mac) to any printer that doesn’t use the PaperCut Printer. By default, direct print jobs are not tracked; you have to enable Print Tracking .
Tracking direct print jobs is perfect for organizations that:
- want secure print release with a few exceptions, for example, don’t track the accountant or the CEO who needs to print directly to a printer without securely releasing the documents
- require complete print visibility regardless of print method
- want to track work-related printing in homes.
To track direct print jobs, you need to enable the Print Tracking feature in PaperCut Hive or Pocket. The feature is off by default.
Users install the computer app by clicking the link in their invitation email. The app then tracks and monitors all of the print queues on the user’s computer. When it detects a print job, it scans it and reports job details back to the cloud.
PaperCut Hive and Pocket capture the job details into the Job log , where you can view the job and, optionally, create reports .
Direct printing tracking limitations
These features that are typically seen in Secure Print Release will not work for direct print tracking:
- Promote black & white
- Promote 2-sided
- Auto 2-sided
- Auto black & white
- Watermarking
- Digital Signatures
- Safety Net
- Windows and Mac only
If you’d like to use these features or allow users to print on more platforms, consider using Secure Print Release.
About Secure Print Release and tracking
Print jobs are sent using the PaperCut Printer and released securely using the Mobile app, access card, QR code or another secure method. This tracking works on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and mobile (iOS and Android) devices. All secure print release jobs are automatically tracked; you can’t turn this off.
Tracking Secure Print Release jobs is enabled by default.
After users install the computer app, a new print queue called PaperCut Printer is installed on their computer. This is PaperCut Hive or Pocket’s version of the Find-Me print queue.
While users print to only one queue - the PaperCut Printer - they can release the print job at any available physical printer.
PaperCut Hive or Pocket capture the job details into the Job log . After the user releases the job at a printer, this information is also reported, alongside any action they took to change their print settings. We also track if they didn’t print the job at all, which is a saving of paper itself!
Tracking printing on newly installed printers
To track printing on a newly installed printer, PaperCut Pocket or Hive first needs to discover the printer , and add it in the Printers list on the Printers page.
If the new printer doesn’t need its printing to be tracked, or doesn’t need Secure Print Release, add the printer to the Ignored list .
Print tracking and the Job Log
Print tracking details are logged in the Job Log. Print Tracking captures:
- status (for example, completed)
- when, which printer
- the user
- total pages (separate count for color and black & white pates)
- pages in the doc
- copies
- sides (single or 2-sided)
- paper size
- color or black & white
- secure printer release or direct print
- watermarking (secure release only)
- digital signatures (secure release only)
To learn more, see Job logs and print reporting .
Scenarios for using Direct Print tracking vs Secure Print Release
Now that you know how Print Tracking works, here are some scenarios to help you decide when to use direct print tracking versus secure release.
| SCENARIO | DIRECT PRINT | SECURE PRINT RELEASE |
|---|---|---|
| The receptionist has the printer next to them and just wants to print | Yes | Maybe It may be a good idea to enforce secure release depending on what jobs they are printing. |
| Warehouse employee that needs to print dockets | Yes | No |
| A working-from-home user who has a personal printer | Maybe Only track printing if they're looking to recoup printing costs for work-related printing. | No |
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