Restricting Network Printing

Soldato
Joined
11 Jul 2004
Posts
16,036
Location
Neptune
Does anything exist that would allow me to restrict users to printing in mono unless they enter a password? I work in a school, and as you can imagine all sorts of crap is being printed off..simply because they can! I'm new to this game and was hoping someone here could suggest a product for me to look in to?

I started less than two months ago, and oddly they have an OKI printer in the school ICT room...for those that don't know these are very expensive and very high maintance printers...and probably more suited to a printer company than for kids! The new printer i'm looking in to getting to replace this OKI (and to put the restrictions on) is the Epson Aculaser c2600n.

Thanks
 
Associate
Joined
28 Sep 2005
Posts
1,282
Location
London
yes, if you set the printer to default to mono, then you should need to be an administrator to adjust printer properties. If this isn't the case i'm sure you can do it in GPedit.msc
 
Associate
Joined
28 Sep 2005
Posts
1,282
Location
London
i'm sure you can set it on the printer that it allows levels access to different User groups on a domain. (if the printer is server shared, local IP printers wont work like this)
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,965
Location
Swindon
Ok then how about all teachers are in one security group, students in a second
Teachers secuity group has manage printer rights to the printer, students dont. then set the printer to default to black and white, and the students cannot change it. the teachers group can, but it will still default to black and white unless a teacher changes it.

Or buy a second printer B&W only. Let the students use it, unless they have to print in colour, and then add them to the OKI printer group
 
Associate
Joined
28 Sep 2005
Posts
1,282
Location
London
DustyMiller said:
Ok then how about all teachers are in one security group, students in a second
Teachers secuity group has manage printer rights to the printer, students dont. then set the printer to default to black and white, and the students cannot change it. the teachers group can, but it will still default to black and white unless a teacher changes it.

Or buy a second printer B&W only. Let the students use it, unless they have to print in colour, and then add them to the OKI printer group

Which is exactly what i said :p
 
Associate
Joined
28 Sep 2005
Posts
1,282
Location
London
hmm you could always do the old skool (excuse the pun) thing of setting print balances. you have set credit updated regularly (eg half termly) and each time you print the balance goes down. What they did at my old school cos they used inkjet printers and the ink ran out every 5 mins. They made b/w cost 10p credit and colour 50p then put it up to £1. That way you won't get people using the colour printer excessively, which is what you want i assume.
 
Associate
Joined
11 Sep 2005
Posts
1,883
Location
Southport
I used to use something called 'PCounter' I think this could limit users to print off on only certain printers etc.. not too sure though. Also I don't think it's free software.
 

pax

pax

Associate
Joined
1 Jan 2003
Posts
972
Location
Employed.Surrey.UK
You could have the printer installed twice. On it you default to B&W and the students have access to it. Through security settings you only let them print to it. The printer is installed again, under a different name, and has access to the colour printing and assign that to the staff group, so they can print B&W or colour.

Pax
 
Back
Top Bottom