Various organizations use different methods of optimizing printer fleet management, budget planning, and reducing print-related costs.
Print Manager – centralized printer manager software
One example of print management software with cloud integration aimed at reducing costs, cutting waste, and control over print infrastructure is Print Manager Plus. Print Manager is a web-based printing solution offering greater transparency, control, compliance, and security. It provides tracking, auditing, reporting on print jobs, printing controls (rules set on printers or users), mobile and cloud integration, and more. It has a web printing and release station, allowing users to upload, start, resume, and delete print jobs.
PrintVisor – printer monitoring software
PrintVisor is a printer monitoring software that allows you to centrally watch print jobs and check the state of all printers in an office. It displays info on all completed print jobs:
- number of pages;
- number of documents;
- waiting time;
- printing time;
- name of documents (full names are hidden);
- author (username).
This way, PrintVisor provides data of who, when, and how much is being printed. Besides, it shows how much ink is left in every ink cartridge of a printer and indicates possible errors like paper jams, out of paper, etc.
PrintVisor is a less “controlling” tool since it doesn’t require users to print through it. What it does is monitor:
- printer use and printer fleet health – for reducing the load on heavily loaded devices and using idle machines more often, thus increasing printer efficiency;
- watching ink levels – for reducing costs and accurate budgeting for supplies;
- document printing statistics – for understanding how many docs and pages are printed daily, weekly, and monthly
- security – identifying and preventing attempts to use office printers for personal needs.
PrintVisor is intuitive and has a simple setup. It doesn’t require a database engine (SQL Server) and is installed like a regular Windows app. It can be installed manually or deployed remotely on multiple PCs via the command line. Like Print Manager Plus, PrintVisor also has a web-based dashboard with detailed statistics on printed documents: time of printing, username, paper use, etc., that can be accessed from any Internet-connected device.
PrintVisor vs Print Manager
Both solutions have common features, but PrintVisor focuses more on ink levels monitoring and printer use. They have similar statistical parameters but different approaches to evaluating printing costs. Print Manager offers to set the price of a page printout and use the statistics to estimate the cost. PrintVisor’s approach is to show the actual ink levels of any printer in the current moment.
Print Manager looks like a more diverse and comprehensive all-in-one print managing system for document-intensive workflows. PrintVisor is a tool that (yet!) lacks logging, tracking, billing, rule setting, and other features that are often associated with a Print Management System (PMS).
However, if you don’t need all the bells & whistles that come with a “heavy” print management software, you may find PrintVisor a more accessible and easy-to-use alternative for your needs.