Can I print to a network printer?
SmartPrint works with network printers; please note that all printing still happens through a running instance of the SmartPrint Client.
Therefore, your network printer needs to be installed on a computer that is running the SmartPrint Client.
Can I see whether Smartprint is installed as a network service or as a local
application?
If you go to My Connection in the Printer tab on my.transsmart.com, you'll see a drop-down menu of the available connections Smartprint finds on your machine. Observing the way the connection is named, tells you whether Smartprint is installed as a Windows service or locally. When the value shows 'computername$@computername', this signifies that Smartprint is installed as a service. If the value shows username@computername, Smartprint is installed locally.
Do I need any special drivers or third-party software?
No. If your printer works with another program, such as Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word, then it will work with the SmartPrint Client too.
The SmartPrint Client is available for Windows, Linux (including Raspbian) and macOS / OS X.
What type of files can I print?
SmartPrint supports PDF files and ZPL (via RAW printing). If you're sure that your configuration is correct but you still cannot print the right filetype, it is possible that some additional configuration in the Transsmart back-end is necessary. Please contact our support desk for this through this link.
Does SmartPrint automatically discover printers on my network?
SmartPrint can print to any printer configured on a computer on which you have installed the SmartPrint Client software.
The SmartPrint Client automatically detects printers on the computer on which it is running, but it doesn't search your network for printers.
The SmartPrint Client's list of printers will be the same as what is reported by the operating system. On Windows you can view it by looking at Devices and Printers.
On mac OS / OS X and Linux you can view it by running lpstat -p on the command line or via the CUPS web interface at https://localhost:631.
The list of printers the SmartPrint Client has detected is visible on the Printers tab in the SmartPrint Client's UI.
After adding a printer it takes around three seconds to be detected on Windows and three to ten seconds on macOS / OS X and Linux.
Should I run SmartPrint as a desktop application or a Windows service?
Running SmartPrint as a Windows Service comes with the following benefits:
- Only one instance of the SmartPrint Client runs regardless of how many active user sessions there are on a given machine (this helps avoid certain issues, such as duplicate prints).
- The end user does not have access to the desktop app interface, which makes them less likely to break something.
Running the SmartPrint Client as a Windows Service has the following drawbacks:
- The SmartPrint Client runs as the LocalSystem account, so it doesn't use the default printer settings of regular users.
- The end user does not have access to the desktop app interface, which makes it more difficult to provide support if something goes wrong.
We usually recommend installing the SmartPrint Client as a desktop application.
For multi-tenant machines, we recommend installing and running the SmartPrint Client as a Windows Service, to avoid duplicate prints.
How can I access the Smartprint UI when it's installed on a printserver?
Using the URL http://anprintpg1001:8888/, you can access the UI of the Smartprint client on a printserver if it was installed on one. This can come in handy when troubleshooting print issues. Possibly, there is no valid connection with valid credentials made on the UI. Using http://localhost:8888/ might also work.
I can't log in to the Smartprint program with my username and password. I keep getting a time-out.
This could occur if your network environment needs a proxy. Contact your IT manager to find out if you need to input a proxy through the button 'Network Settings' below the log-in screen.
I can see my network printer in Windows Devices and Printers but Smartprint does not recognise the printer. How do I connect it?
If you have installed Smartprint as a Windows Service but cannot connect the network printer to Smartprint, your issue might be caused because you've installed Smartprint on a host in your network that does not also have the printer you're trying to connect to installed. You should be able to solve this by installing the Smartprint program on the same host as the printer.
It is also possible that you need to install the desired printer as a local Administrator on the specific pc you're trying to connect to the printer. In that case, you should be able to print a demo-page from the machine to the printer, but the printer will not show up in the Smartprint - Printers tab nor is it possible to select it in MyTranssmart - My Printers. For this to work, you need to install the desired printer on the machine as an Administrator. For a how-to see https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/2423-windows-install-network-printer-for-all-users-on-the-pc
In addition to this it might be necessary to also install (as an administrator) the desired printer's drivers locally from the printer's configuration/installation disc.
Which default printing backend do I need to choose in the Smartprint settings?
Either Engine4 or 6 should work. Should you have any problems, try changing this engine as a problem-solving measure.
Does SmartPrint works with Apple MAC?
Yes, you can download the MAC client via manage account and then the printer section within MyTranssmart. The installation can be a little bit more difficult because for a ZEBRA printer you need to do some additional driver and printer configuration. If you have a Zebra, we have tested with the model GK420d, you need to perform the following steps:
Additional steps:
Step 1: INSTALL CUPS DRIVER FOR ZEBRA PRINTER IN MAC OS
Step 2: Setting Up RAW Printing for macOS / OS X
What is RAW Printing?
RAW printing is sending a string of commands to a printer directly in its native language. Many printers that are popular with Transsmart users support this. RAW printing bypasses the printer's drivers, making it very fast and reliable. It is perfect for printing receipts, barcodes and text-based labels.
If you have a printer that supports RAW printing installed on your Windows machine, you are already ready to start RAW printing with SmartPrint. If you are using macOS / OS X, you will need to take extra steps before printing. Please follow the additional steps that can be found on this page. Search for "SmartPrint Apple MAC"
I have changed the computer name but the change is not reflected in the connection name in Smartprint/MyTS. How do I change this?
Generally completely de-installing and re-installing the Smartprint program should solve this if the option to delete all previous settings is selected.
If this doesn't help, the machine name (laptop/pc) is stored in the configuration file for the Smartprint program. Before changing this file, please log-out of the Smartprint program entirely and then Quit the program as well. The configuration file is available on the user's machine through a form of the following URL: C:\Users\(Windowsusername)\.printnode\transsmart\11 and is called 'configuration'. This file is editable through Notepad and contains the string:
"computer": {
"name": XXX
with XXX being the machine name. You can edit this name yourself to the correct one and then Save this file. Logging into the Smartprint program again should then show that the new machine name is used. The Printer settings in the my.transsmart.com portal should then also reflect the change and printing should be possible again. If it isn't, please contact our support desk via this portal and clearly state the old and new machine name. It is possible some remaining configuration containing the old machine name on our end needs to be removed by our IT.
Is my printer compatible with Smartprint?
Below link shows the compatible printers with our Smartprint program.
https://www.printnode.com/en/docs/supported-printers
I am getting the following error message in Smartprint logs: HTTP 302 redirect to https://api.printnode.com.x.ac74096900e33042910bcb208764a255fcf2.9270fc50.id.opendns.com/s/api.printnode.com/webapp/locker/a098358e-44c5-443c-a55e-b462d7d53181?X-OpenDNS-Session=_ac74096900e33042910bcb208764a255fcf29270fc50_h4YncKCG_ is not being followed.
This can be due to a network system on the customer's side blocking access to the domain api.printnode.com. When you whitelist this domain (look at this link for the addresses), the problem should be solved.
Smartprint as a service is not processing the print/label request quickly enough; there is a significant delay between triggering the print and getting it printed on the physical printer.
We see a lot of customers who install the Smartprint program as a service on one print server machine. This issue can be caused by network delays or for instance a printer queue that is still busy with other requests.
When Smartprint is installed as a Windows Service you should be able to open the Edit Smartprint Service application from the Windows start button on the machine that the Smartprint program is installed on. This opens up an interface in which you can click Process -> Priority and then change the dropdown value to 'Realtime'. This could solve this delay issue.
I have another issue that is not mentioned here
Try checking the troubleshooting guide here for more information:
https://www.printnode.com/en/docs/troubleshooting
We've also seen certain security software updates on customers' systems causing a malfunction so that Smartprint no longer functions. Please always investigate any interfering software as a possible cause for your Smartprint issues therefore.