It's the Internet!

The rapidly expanding growth of CD-ROM and Internet accessible, full text and image based information has created demand for more printed documents than ever before. Students, business travelers, and visitors to libraries and other public research areas all require a convenient, easy to use and inexpensive method of remote printing.

Unconcerned about printing costs and more concerned with convenience these users print entire web sites and research databases for their assignments or research, or for fun. Most of this is wasted and gets thrown away before the user leaves the library! The large blue recycle containers next to the network printers, which are filled with discarded printer paper, are a constant and visual reminder of the enormous waste and cost.

Yes.

We use specific suppliers who produce CPU's and monitors to our specifications. We know through experience that all systems, while technically compatible, are not 100% the same in all respects. By installing our own computer equipment we reduce the possibility of technical conflicts, eliminate a possible cause or problem, and improve the speed of problem solving.

Our Servers are equipped with very fast Pentium processors and dual, redundant large hard drives for near fault-tolerant operation. In the unlikely event of a hard disk failure, just reboot the system on the D drive and the system will be 100% operational as before. Prices are also very competitive with other brands.

Our PayStations utilize ultra compact CPUs with a small footprint. In the event of a hardware problem, you can redirect print jobs to another PayStation and send the unit back to us while we send you a replacement unit by overnight carrier. That's it! No opening computers on your floor or waiting for someone to come to your site. Just reconnect the power, monitor and network cables and your new, already configured PayStation is fully operational.

Yes.

We will give you the correct configuration for each unit should you decide to use your own hardware.

Yes. The software consists of four separate installation programs to give you the maximum in flexibility and great economies of scale. Mix and match your print server, data storage, PayStation, and Report computers however you like, or you can even install everything on a single system.

This is one of the new great lies. We have never lost an installation for price. We'll match or beat any competitive offer.

• Consider this. Since we don't put our software on any of your workstations or file servers, GoPrint only charges for what you buy from us, not for the number of workstations and file servers you have in your network.

In addition, nothing even compares to our Over-The-Top support program.

• Consider this. GoPrint will perform even the simplest configuration changes for you if you'd like us to do the work, at no charge. Other products require that you do more, be more responsible, and they are more difficult to use and manage.

Here are the TOP 10 Reasons for choosing The GoPrint Solution.

1.  Nothing else is easier to use. Nothing!

2.  It's network friendly.

• No software is installed on the customer's workstations or servers, eliminating contamination and conflict.
• Problem resolution is minimized - no finger pointing, no contamination.

3. Best pricing and Scalable.

• Customer is charged only for the Print Servers and PayStations they purchase not for the number of workstations on the network.
• Stepped and scaled implementation - customer can start with software basics and add options like touchscreens, kiosks, and more PayStations later with ease.

4. Over-The-Top preventive maintenance and support.

• First year support and preventive maintenance included.
• Frequent remote dial ins to the system to inspect and fix any problems before they are discovered.
• Email notifications to administrator following every inspection with report of findings and actions.
• Automatic remote software updates so customer is always on current version.
• Remote configuration changes at customer request.
• Overnight replacements of components.

5.  Works with any debit card system and cash acceptor.

• Works independently or simultaneously.
• Freedom to choose any card or cash system without being locked in.

6.  Professional onsite "turnkey" installation, testing and training.

7. Exceptional reports, instantly and easily accessible.

8. Robust features.

• Timed auto deletion of unpaid print jobs.
• Selective and variable free printing.
• Selective and variable printing rates by job type or URL.
• Variable free first pages with each print job.
• Simple management controls.

9.  18 years of network printing software development experience.

• We are focused on this product, not divided among many others.
• Optimized for Windows 2000/2003.
• Supports other network operating systems including Linux, MAC OSX, Novell and Sun Solaris.

10.  Custom user interface with customer logo and bulletin board, nothing is easier to use!

No, we also work with a standard SVGA monitor and mouse. The choice is yours but we recommend the touchscreen and kiosk for maximum security and ease of use.

Yes! Our system has been developed with CITRIX METAFRAME and WINFRAME in mind, as well as MICROSOFT TERMINAL SERVER. We also work with LINUX TERMINAL SERVERS. Our team is well versed in thin client deployment and integration.

The software development and customer support centers employ 12 professionals. In addition, we use contract-programming services as needed. Our staff includes Microsoft and Novell-certified engineers.

Yes. We provide complete on-site installation, testing, training and QA to minimize your staff involvement and provide the easiest Self-Service experience for your users.

Online help is available from the moment you insert the GoPrint CD-ROM. Equipped with feature topics and helpful guides, installers and administrators will have no problem understanding the GoPrint software.

Online help is available on each PayStation.

Additionally, when you purchase the GS-4 Solution you will receive an Admin Pak which includes the Software CD and Software Manual.

The GS-4 comes with a full year of Over-The-Top support and software updates. This includes email (our preferred method), telephone, fax, our dial-in preventive and remedial support process, and no-charge onsite visits when necessary. For the benefit of some grant and budget requirements, you may purchase up to 5 years of support with your original purchase. This insulates you from annual cost of service increases that could be reflected in annual renewals.

Yes. You can easily configure a printer's rates to allow for one or more free pages.

Yes. In fact, you have virtually total control over your print rates. You can set printing prices (from free to whatever …) differently based on user type, document type, campus location, day of the week and/or time of day.

The primary screen only displays buttons that are named for the workstation that originated the pending print jobs. No workstation button will appear unless there are print jobs pending. The print jobs are accessed after touching the button for your workstation.

No. The GS-4 provides custom security to avoid circumvention of the print management system controls. Microsoft 2000/2003 security, a touchscreen, and security enclosure kiosk offers added protection.

The GoPrint GS-4 Reporting Module allows administrators to manage all of the information related to each Printer, user workstation, PayStation, or Print Server. This information allows administrators to closely manage their resources, including adding workstations, PayStations, or printers.

Each print job's data is logged to a central database, so no matter how many Print Servers, workstations, or PayStations you have installed, reporting is always very simple.

The reports have flexible grouping options and include:

• Summary reports show total print jobs, pages, and average pages, grouped by user, workstation, Print Queue, PayStation, or Print Server. Total pages is broken down into counts for pages printed and pages deleted as well.
• Detail reports show dates submitted and processed, total pages, cost, and amount paid, sorted by user, workstation, Print Queue, PayStation, or Print Server.
• Financial reports are similar to the summary reports except they show operating and total costs as well as operating profit/loss and average amount paid per user, and can be grouped by user, workstation, Print Queue, PayStation, or Print Server.

These reports provide an overall view of the installation. Administrative decisions can be made based on the amount of printing. Budgeting for supplies such as paper and toner, as well as budgeting for new equipment, can be accurately calculated with these reports.

Sample Reports

• Summary Report - Grouped By: PayStation

The GS-4 Solution supports multiple server platforms including Windows, Linux, MAC OSX, Novell and Sun Solaris. GoPrint is the only Print Management software solution with this type of extensive technology.

Yes! We support MAC OS 9.2 and higher.

Yes GoPrint is 100% web enabled and server based. Administrators can access the software through any desktop with internet access. Examples of this flexible feature include: running reports, adjusting price sheets, and managing all print queues from anywhere.

GoPrint is a certified partner of Blackboard, and CBORD, as well as Diebold compatible and supporting NuVision and Monitor. GoPrint also supports most off-line payment systems including: ITC, Debitek, ACDI, XCP, Jamex, and many others.

No. The GS-4 solution can be configured to release print jobs from workstations with our non-resident PC, MAC and Linux pop-ups, in conjunction with Release Stations or without Release Stations. The pop-up is non-resident meaning no software is ever installed on your workstations.

The GoPrint database runs on a variant of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. This means you can access the GoPrint database just like any other database, by setting up an ODBC Data Source for it. You can also access the database via SQL Server 7 tools like SQL Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer, if you want to do some advanced programming using the data that GoPrint has collected for you.

Security is a very important aspect of maintaining a network computing environment and requires on-going vigilance. GoPrint respects your need for a secure environment; GoPrints integrates seamlessly with the security already provided by your environment and has a number of built-in features toward this end. Please refer to your User Guide for specifics, but a few examples are:

• GoPrint passwords are encrypted using a modified Triple-DES alogorithm, then base64 encoded for storage
• The GoPrint Station communicates with the GoPrint Agent whenever a print job is being printed or deleted by a user's action at the Station. This communication takes place using the DCOM protocol and is authenticated by the Agent using either pass-through (workgroup) security or domain security.
• The GoPrint Agent integrates with the existing Windows Spooler service, so there is no potential for security holes in the Agent since it does not listen for network requests.
• The GoPrint Reports is a web application that is hosted using Internet Information Services (IIS), the standard web server that comes with the Windows 2000/2003 products. It is recommended that you run the IIS Lockdown tool available from Microsoft's web site for an added layer of protection.
• The GoPrint installation program reminds you to change its default passwords to ones of your chosing.

Security is a very important process in every computing environment, and is not just a task you do one day and are done with. In order to maintain a secure environment you need to know about every package you are running, so here's what you need to know about GoPrint.

The GoPrint database is hosted by a Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 data engine that runs on network port 1433. The GoPrint database can reside on any computer attached to your network, but is usually installed on the main print server. If you install the GoPrint system yourself you should change the "sa" password on this database as part of your setup routines. The DataServer utility reminds you of this when you create the GoPrint database; do not forget to do it. It is also important to apply Microsoft SQL Server service packs to the server the database is installed on. When doing so you should not enable Windows-only authentication. You need to leave it set for standard SQL Server authentication because that is how the Agent and Station components connect to the database.

The Agent, Station, and Reports components of the GoPrint system communicate with the database using settings that you provide via the GoPrint DataServer Configuration utility. This allows GoPrint Agent and Station computers to be distributed on separate computers from the database if necessary for scalability, functionality, or security. The GoPrint DataServer Configuration utility is a program that gets installed on every machine when you install any GoPrint software on that machine. This utility captures the connection information for the GoPrint database, including the user name and password, and stores it to the local Windows registry. The password is encrypted using a modified Triple-DES algorithm, and then Base64 encoded for storage as text in the registry.

The GoPrint Reports is a web application that is hosted using Internet Information Services (IIS), the standard web server that comes with the Windows 2000/2003 products. Many security patches for Windows 2000/2003 and IIS have been released in the past few years, and you probably already know to keep all your Windows machines up to date with these patches. It is recommended that you run the IIS Lockdown tool available from Microsoft's web site for an added layer of protection. You need to leave Active Server Pages unlocked when using this tool, but all other features can be locked down where GoPrint Reports is concerned.

The GoPrint Station communicates with the GoPrint Agent whenever a print job is being printed or deleted by a user's action at the Station. This communication takes place using the DCOM protocol, and is authenticated by the Agent using either pass-through (workgroup) security or domain security. This means you should have the GoPrint Station computers login as a unique user. You should not use a standard user login that everyone else operates under, and you do not need to grant special privileges on the network to the station login accounts. The simplest way to implement this is to create a local user account on each print server for the stations to use, and then create the same account locally on the stations and have the stations auto-login using that account. This prevents you from having to create a domain account and lets the Station and Agent components authenticate using pass-through security with local user accounts that have no privileges on your network.

A fresh install of Windows 2000/2003 Server will have secure DCOM settings, and if installing the software yourself you will need to run DCOMCNFG on the server to set the Default Security Access Permissions (setting them to match the Launch Permissions is usually appropriate). You will need to add the GoPrint Station user(s) to the permissions as well, or create a group for the station users and add that group to DCOMCNFG's permission lists. If you wish to customize the DCOM network protocol beyond its default settings you can do so using the Protocols tab in the DCOMCNFG utility. Remember to configure protocols to match on both stations and print servers if you attempt this.

The GoPrint Agent uses less overhead on your system than the Windows Spooler, and is regularly tested in our labs at around 400 dense pages per minute. In very busy production environments we have seen rates as high as 3000 pages per day, which is much lower than our benchmarks indicate the Agent can handle.

The fact is, the bottleneck in a network printing environment is a) network traffic and b) disk I/O. You will find that your network becomes saturated or that disk speed is slowing the system down long before the Agent is unable to handle the load.

In very high-capacity printing environments, where high-capacity means very large print jobs rather than a large number of print jobs, you will find that a 100Mbps network card becomes the first bottleneck in the system. You can work around this by having multiple print servers, or by using multiple and dual-ported network cards in your print servers. Using multiple cards also leads into an effective way to secure your printers and increase printing capacity by creating separate subnet and routing classes, although very few institutions should ever need this type of configuration.