Question:

I am a senior staff member of an internal print shop in a local government (outside the US). I also manage the printers in our building that are used by end users. I only handle user and hardware maintenance, while IT setup is done by our IT department and our printer supplier.

We recently migrated from UNIflow to Printix due to our old equipment being outdated and the government tender process. I cannot change this decision.

We are remodeling our building and we will host other organisations that will also use our printers. We thought this would be easy with guest users, but we encountered a problem that seems unsolvable. I want to do a last check before I inform management that it is impossible.

The problem is that some of our guest organisations already have Printix in their own organisation. They cannot use our printers because their Printix Clients are configured for their own system and not ours. They claim that they can print at another host organisation, but I found out that they share the same Printix supplier and tenant, so they are actually using the same system. Our supplier and tenant are different, so this causes a problem.

Is there any way to bypass this problem? I would be happy with Mail2Print, but Printix does not support it, unlike UNIflow. Does anyone have any idea if what we need is feasible in another way? The system implementation has been rough and this problem just came up. Multi tenant use was a requirement in our tender, but it is met by adding non-Printix users to our system. I am stuck with Printix for the next few years.

Answer:

How to solve the Printix multi tenant problem for guest organisations

If you are a print shop manager in a local government that uses Printix, you may have faced a problem when trying to share your printers with guest organisations that also use Printix. This article will explain why this problem occurs and how you can try to solve it.

Printix is a cloud-based print management solution that allows you to manage your printers from any device and location. It also enables you to create guest users who can print from your printers without installing any software or drivers on their devices.

However, there is a catch. Printix works by creating a tenant for each organisation that uses it. A tenant is a separate instance of Printix that has its own settings, users, printers, and policies. Each tenant is linked to a specific Printix supplier, who provides the hardware and software for the organisation.

The problem arises when you want to share your printers with guest organisations that already have their own Printix tenant. Since each tenant is configured for a specific system and supplier, they cannot access printers from another tenant. This means that guest organisations that use Printix cannot print from your printers, and vice versa.

This is a frustrating situation, especially if you are remodeling your building and hosting other organisations that will also use your printers. You may have thought that this would be easy with guest users, but it turns out that it is impossible. You may have also heard that some guest organisations can print at another host organisation, but that is only because they share the same Printix supplier and tenant, so they are actually using the same system. Your supplier and tenant are different, so this causes a problem.

How to solve it?

Unfortunately, there is no easy or straightforward solution to this problem. Printix does not support Mail2Print, which is a feature that allows you to print by sending an email to a printer. This feature was available in UNIflow, which was the previous print management solution that you used before migrating to Printix due to your old equipment being outdated and the government tender process.

However, there are some possible workarounds that you can try to bypass this problem. Here are some suggestions:

• Use a third-party service: You can use a third-party service that allows you to print from any device and location, such as Google Cloud Print, HP ePrint, or PrinterOn. These services work by sending your print jobs to a cloud server, which then sends them to the printer of your choice. You will need to register your printers with the service and share them with your guest organisations. Your guest organisations will also need to sign up for the service and install the app or extension on their devices. This way, they can print from your printers without using Printix. However, this solution may have some drawbacks, such as security, privacy, cost, and compatibility issues.
• Use a USB drive: You can ask your guest organisations to save their documents on a USB drive and plug it into your printers. Most modern printers have a USB port that allows you to print directly from a USB drive without using a computer or a network. This way, they can print from your printers without using Printix. However, this solution may have some drawbacks, such as inconvenience, time, and quality issues.
• Use a shared computer: You can set up a shared computer that is connected to your printers and your network. You can create a guest account on the computer and allow your guest organisations to access it. They can then use the computer to print from your printers without using Printix. However, this solution may have some drawbacks, such as security, privacy, and maintenance issues.

Conclusion

The Printix multi tenant problem is a challenging one that has no simple or ideal solution. You may have to compromise on some aspects, such as convenience, security, or quality, depending on the workaround that you choose. You may also have to inform your management that what you need is not feasible in another way. The system implementation has been rough and this problem just came up. Multi tenant use was a requirement in your tender, but it is met by adding non-Printix users to your system. You are stuck with Printix for the next few years.

Hopefully,

this article has given you some insights and options on how to solve the Printix multi tenant problem for guest organisations. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for reading.