Environment
Novell iPrint Appliance
Situation
This document lists options to implement when PDF print jobs submitted by a mobile device (iOS, Android, email) are not rendered correctly. "Not rendered correctly" could mean a blank page, garbage characters, PCL or PostScript language, missing images, or the job being canceled at the printer.
NOTE: Any print job submitted through the iOS AirPrint path is sent as a PDF document, regardless of the original file format or application.
NOTE: Any print job submitted through the iOS AirPrint path is sent as a PDF document, regardless of the original file format or application.
Resolution
The iPrint Appliance provides three PDF rendering options to choose from:
- LibreOffice
- Adobe Acrobat
- in-built PDF renderer (available with iPrint Appliance 1.0.1 Patch rev a)
Additional Information
Advantages and disadvantages to each rendering option:
LibreOffice
Note: Requires the iPrint Appliance 1.0.1 Patch rev a
Prior to configuring the iPrint Appliance Microsoft Renderer ("iPrntRendCmd -c" command, see the documentation), review the rendering formats and options within the c:\NDPS\Renderer\conf\iPrintRenderer.conf.
To use the in-built PDF renderer as the rendering engine, place a # in front of "Adobe=pdf".
To use Adobe Acrobat as the rendering engine, place a # in front of "inBuiltPDFRenderer=pdf".
The placement of the # symbol will determine which PDF renderer is used. If Adobe Acrobat is chosen as the rendering engine, Adobe Acrobat Pro or Adobe Acrobat Standard must be installed prior to configuring the renderer.
How to change the printer driver with the in-Built PDF renderer or Adobe Acrobat configuration:
After running the iPrntCmdRend -c command, you are presented with a dialog to choose a printer driver. The iPrint Appliance documentation recommends the HP Universal Print Driver PostScript. However, any printer driver may be chosen. When troubleshooting rendering quality, testing a different printer driver can be a good strategy. After the renderer is configured, you can change the printer driver by:
LibreOffice
Advantages:Adobe AcrobatDisadvantages:
- no need to configure a Windows external renderer
- note: by not configuring an external Windows renderer, the LibreOffice iPrint Appliance internal renderer is being used.
- option to assign a different Linux printer driver to each printer agent (see KB 7013074)
- no additional licensing cost
- rendering is not always accurate
Advantages:in-Built PDF rendererDisadvantages:
- good performance
- high rendering accuracy
- requires a Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8, or Windows 2012 R2 workstation to render the print jobs
- additional cost: Adobe Acrobat Pro or Adobe Acrobat Standard license
Note: Requires the iPrint Appliance 1.0.1 Patch rev a
Advantages:How to configure the Windows renderer to use the in-Built renderer or Adobe Acrobat:Disadvantages:
- No additional licensing cost
- good rendering accuracy
- requires a Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8, or Windows 2012 R2 workstation to render the print jobs
Prior to configuring the iPrint Appliance Microsoft Renderer ("iPrntRendCmd -c" command, see the documentation), review the rendering formats and options within the c:\NDPS\Renderer\conf\iPrintRenderer.conf.
To use the in-built PDF renderer as the rendering engine, place a # in front of "Adobe=pdf".
To use Adobe Acrobat as the rendering engine, place a # in front of "inBuiltPDFRenderer=pdf".
The placement of the # symbol will determine which PDF renderer is used. If Adobe Acrobat is chosen as the rendering engine, Adobe Acrobat Pro or Adobe Acrobat Standard must be installed prior to configuring the renderer.
How to change the printer driver with the in-Built PDF renderer or Adobe Acrobat configuration:
After running the iPrntCmdRend -c command, you are presented with a dialog to choose a printer driver. The iPrint Appliance documentation recommends the HP Universal Print Driver PostScript. However, any printer driver may be chosen. When troubleshooting rendering quality, testing a different printer driver can be a good strategy. After the renderer is configured, you can change the printer driver by:
- Go to the Devices and Printers window
- Right-click the iPrintRenderer printer and choose Printer Properties
- Choose the Advanced tab
- Select the desired driver from the drop down box for the "Driver:" selection
- This requires the driver to be installed to the system
- Click OK