Setting up the Printers

Features other than just regular printing, e.g. paid printing, as well as limiting print jobs require a specific printer setup. This setup is necessary because otherwise monitoring and charging for print jobs will not be possible.

Due to the large number of different printers and system configurations, we cannot guarantee that printer monitoring or paid printing will work flawlessly on your particular system. Thus, please make sure to test these features on your system using the trial version of SiteKiosk before purchasing any licenses.

 

Installing printers

SiteKiosk always uses the printer set up as the default printer of your Windows system.

If you set up your printer after installing SiteKiosk, launch the System Security Wizard and set it to "Unprotected".
Proceed by launching the System Security Wizard again and reset the SiteKiosk user to "Protected" to ensure that the changes to the Windows printer settings will also be applied to the SiteKiosk user.

Installation information for local printers
Install the printer as any other printer under Windows and make sure that the printer is set up as the default printer of your Windows system.
If this option is not already checked, turn on "Display print button" in the SiteKiosk printer configuration file. If you want to charge your users for printing, configure your payment devices (requires Payment Bundle) and enable printer monitoring.

Installation procedure for network printers

Network printers may NOT be set up as any regular network printer but must be configured as local printer on each of the individual clients.

A. Procedure if the printer is provided through one PC in the network:

I. On the server (the computer to which the printer is connected provided the printer is no independent network printer – see below).
Perform a regular Windows installation of your printer and turn printer sharing on.
To do so, proceed as follows:

1. Go to START - CONTROL PANEL - PRINTERS - ADD A PRINTER (Wizard opens)
2. Next
3. Check: Local printer attached to this computer
4. Uncheck: Automatically detect and ...
5. Next
6. Check: Create a new port
7. Choose type or port: Local Port
8. Next
9. In the field "Enter a port name", enter the name of the network printer as follows: \\Computer\release name, e.g. \\MAJESTIX\BROTHER
10. Click OK
11. Select the correct driver
12. Next
13. Enter printer name and set as default (if desired)
14. Next
15. Print test page
16. Finish

This may not seem to make a lot of sense, as there will be two printers installed on the server. However, this is necessary to allow SiteKiosk to monitor the printer.
Important:
1. Make sure to set the simulated Local Port network printer as the default Windows printer.
2. Open the SiteKiosk configuration file on this computer, and turn off printer monitoring for the non-simulated printer (the "real" printer). However, leave printer monitoring enabled for "All installed printers."
To do so, open the SiteKiosk configuration file and add and edit this printer as a standalone printer. Click on Add and select the "real" printer. Now, select this printer and click on Edit. Uncheck the option "Monitor printer and make available through SiteKiosk Object Model".

II. On the clients:

1. Go to START - CONTROL PANEL - PRINTERS - ADD A PRINTER (Wizard opens)
2. Next
3. Check: Local printer attached to this computer
4. Uncheck: Automatically detect and ...
5. Next
6. Check: Create a new port
7. Choose type or port: Local Port
8. Next
9. In the field "Enter a port name", enter the name of the network printer as follows: \\Computer\release name, e.g. \\MAJESTIX\BROTHER
10. Click OK
11. Select the correct driver
12. Next
13. Enter printer name and set as default (if desired)
14. Next
15. Print test page
16. Finish

Repeat these steps for all clients.

B. Procedure for a network printer or print server:

1. Go to START - CONTROL PANEL - PRINTERS - ADD A PRINTER (Wizard opens)
2. Next
3. Check: Local printer attached to this computer
4. Uncheck: Automatically detect and ...
5. Next
6. Check: Create a new port
7. Choose type or port: Standard TCP/IP Port
8. Next
9. The following dialog box will appear: "Enter the Printer Name or IP address, and a port name for the desired device." Enter IP address or the Name/URL of the network printer as follows: 192.168.10.40 or yourprintername.domain.com
10. Click OK
11. Select the correct driver
12. Next
13. Enter printer name and set as default (if desired)
14. Next
15. Print test page
16. Finish

Repeat these steps for all clients.

 
Problem: only administrators (initial start) will be able to print:
Some printer drivers require full access rights to function properly. Thus, you might want to grant all user accounts on the network full access to the corresponding printer (Full Control/Everyone). Make sure that each client computer is able to control (e.g. stop) all print jobs processed by the printer.
If selected under a limited SiteKiosk user account, this option does not represent an immediate security risk when used in combination with the SiteKiosk print dialog box or direct printing.

 

Linux server with attached network printer

Establish a connection between, for example, LPT2 and the network printer on all clients (e.g. by startup script). Simply enter 'net use lpt2: \\<print server>\printer /persistent:yes' (without the quotes!). You can now set up a workstation printer (local) which is connected to LPT2 and can be controlled and used for paid printing by the computer and SiteKiosk.

 

Restricted User Accounts under 2000/XP/Vista/7

SiteKiosk User Account
If you set up SiteKiosk user account automatically, the security manager will assign all required printer access rights. If you run into any problems, simply execute the security manager application one more time.

other restricted user accounts
If you have set up a USER with limited access rights, make sure to also grant this user the correspüonding printer access rights. For the necessary settings, go to Printer Properties under the tab Security. Select the user and assign the corresponding access rights.
Under XP, you may have to turn on the checkbox Use simple file sharing under Folder Options, View to display the Security tab.

If you operate in administered networks which require you to set up the access rights on the server, you will have to register a user account called "SiteKiosk Privileged Call Dispatcher Service", which possesses the necessary access rights, under Properties (right-click) under the "Register" tab. If you are not sure what to do, ask your system administrator.

1. As long as SiteKiosk runs, printer monitoring will usually also work in conjunction with other applications.
2. Since all print dialog boxes are written in HTML, they can be modified to meet your requirements.
3. Using Acrobat Reader, SiteKiosk can display .pdf files directly inside the browser. You can also print these documents from within the Reader. However, you will then NOT be able to prevent the application from displaying the regular Acrobat Reader print dialog box. Nevertheless, you will still be able to prevent a user from printing too many pages by limiting the number of print jobs and pages.