If it weren’t for network printer mapping, print management would probably be a whole lot easier. There wouldn’t be the need to mess with the intricacies of group policy objects (GPOs) and roll your own custom network printer mapping script. There wouldn’t be users calling the support desk to say that they need a printer installed or that they accidentally mapped the wrong one themselves. There would be fewer printing errors (and support tickets) when network printers fail to map automatically.
That’s a pipe dream, of course. Wherever you have network printers, you’re going to have to map them to clients.
But imagine what life would be like if you could just simplify network printer mapping and make it more reliable. If you could deliver printers to users without GPOs and network printer mapping scripts. If you could plug into Active Directory (AD) to automate and target your deployment of network printers to specific users based on group, organizational unit (OU), container or even subnet and IP address. And if you could empower your end users to map printers themselves with a simple-to-use self-service installation portal.
You can. With PrinterLogic.
Network printing and mapping printers with traditional methods
Typically, admins have two options with automatic network printer mapping. They can either use GPOs, which impose a rigid hierarchy on deployments and are susceptible to rights management conflicts that are hard to troubleshoot. Or they can use a network printer mapping script, which is a custom-coded way of delivering printers to specific users.
Scripts can be a bit more finely tuned than GPOs, but they prolong logon times and can even cause serious logon issues. They also need to be updated and redeployed when a particular variable, such as a local printer, changes. In short, neither is ideal for automated deployments that are precise, reliable and efficient.
Network printing and mapping printers with PrinterLogic
The ideal method for mapping network printers would be to hand-deliver every printer as each user logs on. Ideal, but impractical.
The preferable—and far more feasible—alternative would be to automate deployments using detailed AD criteria. That provides granular control over which clients are targeted and dynamically delivers the right network printers to the right users, even in an environment that’s in constant flux. And configuring those deployments across the entire organization should be as easy as making a few clicks in a centralized administration console.
That’s exactly what our next-generation print management solution allows you to do. No GPOs, no network printer mapping script, no convoluted configuration process. It’s a quick, easy and permanent fix to the huge list of long standing problems when mapping network printers.
PrinterLogic’s unique platform also empowers your end users and support staff when it comes to network printing and mapping printers without admin rights. Our popular self-service installation portal lets end users identify and install nearby printers with a single click. The absence of rights management means that support staff on the service desk can safely deploy printers to users who need them.
Enterprise-scale network printing and mapping printers is a tough job when you don’t have the right tools. PrinterLogic’s on-premises and its new cloud-based SaaS solution make print management of network printers exponentially easier and more cost-effective.