Testing a printer's compatibility without the physical printer

Because there are so many printer/driver/OS combination out there on the market, and that model numbers change from world-region to region, we’re not able to offer a definitive list of devices. Instead we endeavor to support as wide arrange as possible and note exceptions where found (exceptions here).

Test steps

PaperCut works by intercepting the print job as it passes through the server’s print queue. In most cases it is possible to test compatibility with PaperCut with only the driver (no need for the physical printer itself). Use the following procedure:

1. Download the latest driver for your desired printer from the manufacturer’s website. Where possible we recommend using the Postscript driver if a choice is available.

2. Install the driver on the same system as your current PaperCut install (i.e. the print server). Set up the printer as a Local Printer pointing to an “empty” port such as the LPT port, or a Standard TCP/IP Port pointing to an unused IP address.

3. Use a local application (e.g. the web browser on the server itself) to do some testing. The jobs will just hold in the queue and eventually error (because the printer is not really there), but the jobs should still report in PaperCut.

4. Confirm that the page count is correct and PaperCut does not list any warning or error messages under the App. Log event log. Take some time to check different combinations of printer settings such as color, or duplex as appropriate.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 after changing the Enable Advanced Printing Features option.

6. Note results. If you find any issues, please report them to our Support team.

7. Uninstall the driver.

Testing notes and supporting information

• Also see Supported Print Drivers for NG and MF

• Most printer manufactures offer driver downloads on their website. If your manufacturer does not offer this, ask them to confirm that the printer is PCL or Postscript compatible or ask for prior access to the driver.

• PaperCut supports 90% of printers out-of-the-box, however from time to time driver updates can cause issues with PaperCut. If you do experience any problems while testing, please bring them to the attention of our support team. You may have downloaded a recent driver update and have found a few bugs/problems that we’d like to fix.

keywords:driver testing, drivers, device compatibility