Defining Passthrough printer objects

Passthrough printer objects represent printers that can print jobs in formats such as PCL, PostScript, and PDF. Jobs are assigned to Passthrough printers using these scheduling properties: Customer name, Job size, Location, Media, Output bin, Output format, Punch, Folding, Binding, and Staple. The AFP Support feature adds Class, Destination, and Form to the scheduling properties. Other scheduling properties may be defined in a configuration file. For Passthrough printers, RICOH ProcessDirector runs a command that is defined for the printer. RICOH ProcessDirector monitors the response to the command, but cannot report status of the job that it sent.
To define a Passthrough printer object:
  1. Click the Administration tab.
  2. In the left pane, click Devices ⇒ Printers.
  3. Click Add ⇒ Passthrough Printer.
  4. On the General tab, fill in values for all the required fields.
      Note:
    • The value of the Printer command property depends on the print commands that are available on your system.
    • Because Passthrough printers cannot automatically determine the values of job properties, you must pass them to the printer. You can pass the values of job properties in either of these ways:
      • By using symbols or RICOH ProcessDirector methods in the value of the required Printer command property, or in a script named in that value
      • In a file that you specify as the value of the optional Control file template property, only if the printer command uses a control file.
  5. On the Scheduling tab, enter the values that you want RICOH ProcessDirector to use to assign jobs to this printer. Leave the values blank or Not set for any properties that should not be used for scheduling. Those values match any values specified by the corresponding job scheduling properties.
    If you want to schedule jobs to a printer based on media, keep these items in mind when you set the Media supported property:
    • If you choose specific media, only jobs that use that media can be scheduled to this printer.
    • If you choose Ready media objects, only jobs that require the media that is currently loaded in the printer can be scheduled to the printer.
    • If you choose All media, all jobs can be scheduled to the printer, regardless of what media is loaded.
  6. Click OK.
  7. The first time you define a Passthrough printer:
    On a Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 primary computer, make sure that an LPR client is installed on that computer.
    1. Look in C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ for a file called lpr.exe. If you find it, stop.
    2. Look in C:\Windows\System32\ for lpr.exe.
      If you find it, continue with step .
    3. If you do not find lpr.exe, install the LPR Port Monitor feature. Use one of these methods:
      1. In the Control Panel, click Programs ⇒ Turn Windows features on or off.
      2. In Before You Begin, click Next.
      3. In Installation Type, select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.
      4. In Server Selection, select the current server from the Server Pool list and click Next.
      5. In Server Roles, select the Print and Document Services check box.
      6. In the Add Roles and Features Wizard pop-up window, click Add Features.
      7. Click Next.
      8. In Features, select the LPR Port Monitor check box and click Next.
      9. In Print and Document Services, click Next.
      10. In Role Services, select the Print Server check box and click Next.
      11. In Confirmation, click Install.
      12. In Results, click Close.
    4. Copy these files from C:\Windows\System32\ to C:\Windows\SysWOW64:
      • lpr.exe
      • lprhelp.dll
      • lprmon.dll
      • lprmonui.dll

Examples of the Printer command property

You can set the Printer command property of a Passthrough printer to a command like this command. The command uses the getCurrentFile method to return the file name and path of the file in the job spool directory that is in the specified data format. Substitute the name of the printer for printerName and the IP address of the printer for printer_IP_address. 

lpr -P printerName -S printer_IP_address ${getCurrentFile(pdf)}

If the requested data format is PDF, and if the spool ID for the job is 1000006, the file name resolves to C:\aiw\aiw1\spool\default\1000006\1000006.print.pdf. If the name of the printer is officeprinter and the printer IP address is 1.23.456.7, the printer command resolves to:

lpr -P officeprinter -S 1.23.456.7 C:\aiw\aiw1\spool\default\1000006\1000006.print.pdf
    Note:
  • Printers support different lpr options, so the printer might not honor all options requested.

Related information:

Adding or removing scheduling properties
Database property names
RICOH ProcessDirector symbol notation
Syntax for RICOH ProcessDirector control files
Configuring to send jobs to a printer that uses RICOH TotalFlow Print server
Parent topic: Defining printer objects