Touchless Printing for Mobile Devices

Pharos is pleased to announce our latest solution for secure touchless printing in Uniprint and Blueprint Enterprise environments. With our recent updates to both platforms, users can now submit and release print jobs by using the updated Pharos Print mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

Users can now submit print jobs, manage the jobs in their queue, and release their print jobs securely.  Administrators post QR code labels on printers, and users can scan the code with the Pharos Print app to immediately release their documents at the chosen printer. Alternately, users can select a destination printer from the Pharos Print app. Both workflows make it easy for users to manage their prints and release their documents without having to touch the printer control panel. 

Requirements to Enable Touchless Secure Printing (QR Code Release)

Secure touchless printing via the Pharos Print app is available with Uniprint 9.1 SP3 and Print Center v4.11.3 and Blueprint Enterprise 5.3 Update 3. For both platforms, MobilePrint 2.4 is recommended for full functionality. In addition: 

• Your site must be using Pharos Print Center Web service.

• Your Print Center web site must be accessible to mobile devices.

• Mobile Devices must have Pharos Print app installed (iOS 13 or higher and Android 4.4 or higher).

• QR codes must be affixed to your printers. (A simple QR code template is provided in the Pharos Print Center web interface.)

• Authentication and billing must be configured to allow print release as if from Print Center. If card ID is used, it must be in the Uniprint database for users, or it must be retrievable via external sources. 

Simple Administration 

1. Log into Print Center as an administrator.

2. On the Admin > QR Codes tab, you'll see the following screen: 

   From top to bottom, you can: 

• Enable / disable the QR Code feature.

• Set the label orientation. 

• Upload a custom logo (optional). 

• Select the information you want to show on the label (e.g. Description, Model, Make, etc.) 

When you have configured your QR labels, click the Download button. This will generate a PDF file of QR codes for all of your printers. Simply choose which printers to include in the secure print workflow and affix labels to them. The PDF file is a 2x10 label format. Avery offers label sheets like this, typically 8.5” x 11” with labels in 2x10 configuration, 2”x 4” per label.  A4 has a similar format.

Simple User Experience 

After you have configured your environment for touchless secure printing, the users in your environment can begin using the Pharos Print app to submit and release print jobs. First, a simple one-time app configuration:  

1. Users enter your Print Center web address.	2. Users enter their login credentials.

The user can edit print job properties, preview the jobs in the queue, review the cost of each print (in Uniprint environments), and select jobs to release. When the user is ready to release print jobs via QR Code:  

Then press Confirm. All selected documents will print automatically. There is no need to touch the printer control panel to release the documents.

Key Points

• The Pharos Print app experience is the same on iOS and Android devices. 

• You can use QR Codes to ensure document confidentiality via user proximity. 

• The “Select a Printer” option is still available if enabled. 

• Both print release methods are optional. 

• Upgrading to MobilePrint 2.4 provides the best experience for touchless printing options.