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Configuring Printers for Server-Based Batch Printing

When a user invokes server-based batch printing on a correspondence document, a request is sent to the DocServer component. This request contains the values for the Default Printer and Printer Driver preferences the user has selected in the Siebel Correspondence User Preferences screen. After receiving the request, Document Server uses Microsoft Word to convert the document into a PostScript file. The style of PostScript generated is determined by the value for the Printer Driver user preference. This parameter specifies the name of a network printer. The PostScript file generated by Microsoft Word is suitable for this printer and all other printers of the same model. After the PostScript file is generated, Document Server sends the file to the printer specified in the Default Printer user preference.

As an administrator, you need to complete the following tasks to support server-based batch printing.

1. Identify the printer models within your enterprise that will be used for server-based batch printing.
2. For each model, select one network printer and add a printer connection to it on the Document Server machine.
3. Designate one configured printer as the default printer for the Document Server machine.
4. Provide the list of configured printers to end users, who will use this list to select a Printer Driver in User Preferences.

For example, an organization has five Xerox Model A printers, named xrx001 to xrx005, and five Canon Model B printers, named cnn001 to cnn005. A printer server named hqsrvr is used to route requests to all of the printers. The administrator decides to use xrx005 to represent the Xerox Model A printers and cnn005 to represent the Canon Model B printers, then adds printer connections on the Document Server machine for each. The xrx005 printer is chosen as the default printer. These connections are used by the DocServer component to generate PostScript files. Only one printer for each model is actually configured on the Document Server machine. After creating the printer connections, the administrator notifies the end users of the network names of the configured printers (in this case: \\hqsrvr\xrx005 and \\hqsrvr\cnn005).

Continuing the example, a user now wants to use the cnn003 printer for personal batch printing requests. To do this, the user navigates to the User Preferences screen > Correspondence View and enters \\hqsrvr\cnn003 in the Default Printer field and \\hqsrvr\cnn005 in the Printer Driver field. All subsequent batch printing requests the user submits are sent to the cnn003 printer.

NOTE:  If a user does not specify a default printer in the User Preferences screen > Correspondence view, then batch printing requests (submitted by that user) are sent to the Document Server's default printer. In this case, printing is directly through Microsoft Word; no intermediate PostScript file is created.

To add a printer connection to the Document Server machine

1. Login to the Document Server machine using the same User ID used by the Windows Service running the Siebel Server.
2. Select Start > Settings > Printers.
3. Double-click the Add Printer icon.
4. On the Welcome screen, click Next.
5. On the Local or Network Printer screen, select Network Printer and click Next.
6. On the Locate Your Printer screen, select Network Printer and click Next.
7. On the Default Printer screen, select either Yes or No and click Next.
8. Click Finish.

To change the default printer

1. Login to the Document Server machine using the same User ID used by the Windows Service running the Siebel Server.
2. Navigate to Start > Settings > Printers.
3. In the printer list, right-click the desired printer and choose Set as Default.