Bulk deploy print queues using CSV

Creating one or a few print queues via the admin console is quick, but doing that manually for a hundred or even thousands of print queues can lead to frustration, to put it mildly.

This is where the power of CSV bulk imports comes in. This is an alternative method of adding print queues to PaperCut Hive and Pocket, and allows you to:

• export your existing Direct print queues
• edit, create and/or deploy print queues in a CSV file
• upload print queues in bulk (rather than one at a time).

Sounds good? Here’s how to do it.

1. Prepare your print queue environment for CSV export

When you export a print queues CSV from PaperCut Hive or Pocket, it contains information about all your discovered printers and existing Direct print queues. You can copy/paste this information to edit or create more print queues.

This information is only available if printers have already been discovered, and some initial print queues have been added.

a. Check all printers are discovered

1. In the admin console, go to Printers. The Printers list is displayed.
2. Review the Printers list, and check that all printers you want to create print queues for are listed.
3. If some printers are missing:
   1. Select Discover a printer and follow the steps.
   2. Check the Newly discovered printers list, then add it to the Printers list.
   3. Check the Ignored printers list, and restore any relevant previously-ignored printers.

b. Create initial print queues

If you don’t have any existing print queues, it’s important to set some up so their information pre-populates the CSV. When creating these initial print queues, consider what types of information you want available to bulk-create more print queues. This information might include:

• Manufacturer drivers with your preferred default settings and finishing options. For example, you might want to deploy a default black-and-white print queue to one set of users, and a default color print queue to another set. In this case, you’ll create two print queues, each using a different imported driver with the pre-set configuration. For more information, see Preparing a print queue and printer driver .
• Deployment rules. For example, you might want to create a print queue with a specific deployment rule for each branch or campus. For each deployment rule, use an appropriate name (so you can recognize it in the CSV file), IP range, and an optional gateway MAC address. See Determine who to deploy the print queue to (create deployment rules) .

To create initial print queues, in the admin console go to Print Queues > Create print queue and follow the steps.

2. Export the CSV

After your initial print queue environment is prepared, export the CSV.

In the admin console, go to Print Queues > Bulk Actions dropdown > Manage via CSV modal > Download CSV.

This exports a Print Queue Deployment CSV template that includes your organization’s existing print queues and printers in PaperCut Hive or Pocket. The file name of the download includes your organization’s ID and the date and time.

3. Edit the CSV

In your downloads, locate the exported CSV file, then open it. It’s time to create and/or edit your Direct print queues!

Understand the CSV columns

There are two types of columns in the CSV: “required” and “READ ONLY”.

When creating or editing a print queue:

• all “required” columns must contain information
• “READ ONLY” columns don’t need to be filled out; they exist to help you recognize the existing print queue information.

Example:
A Printer ID column might say “printer-OOcDdiEBZozqAPcSoxkW” but the Printer Name (READ ONLY) next to it might say “Reception-printer”. The printer name helps you recognize that printer-OOcDdiEBZozqAPcSoxkW is your organization’s reception desk printer.

To learn more about the CSV columns, select the accordions below.

Required CSV columns

“READ ONLY” CSV columns

General CSV file format guidelines

Create a new Direct print queue by editing CSV

To create a new print queue for a printer:

1. Open the CSV file.

2. In the Printer ID column, locate the Printer ID that you want to create a print queue for.
   

    

3. In the printer’s row, enter information into all required cells:

   • Print queue name: provide an appropriate name to display to end-users. Note: if a print queue already exists for this printer, then this cell will already contain a name. To change this name, update the cell.
   • Windows x64 driver ID: copy and paste a correct driver from another queue’s Windows x64 driver ID cell.
   • Windows ARM64 driver ID: copy and paste a correct driver from another queue’s Windows ARM64 driver ID cell.
   • macOS driver ID: copy and paste a correct driver from another queue’s macOS driver ID cell.
   • Deployment rules: copy any relevant deployment rules from other print queues’ cells. To deploy a print queue to all users, enter “[Default] All Users” in the cell.
   • Deployed: enter one of the following values in the cell:
     • “TRUE” - once uploaded, the print queue will be deployed to users.
     • “FALSE” - once uploaded, the print queue will be saved as draft/not deployed. It can be deployed any time via the admin console, Print Queues, or by editing this cell again in a future CSV file upload.

4. Save the edited CSV file.

Edit a Direct print queue by editing the CSV

1. Open the CSV file.
2. In the Printer queue name column, locate the print queue you want to edit.
3. Amend the values in the print queue’s row’s cells as necessary.
4. Save the edited CSV file.

4. Upload the CSV

Importing the CSV file

It’s time to upload your CSV file using the CSV import tool.

1. In the admin console, find the CSV import tool in one of the following ways:
   Print Queues > Manage via CSV
   Print Queues > Bulk Actions dropdown > Manage via CSV
2. Locate step 4 Import CSV file.
3. Drag & Drop your saved CSV file containing your print queue edits (or Browse to your saved CSV file containing your print queue edits).
4. Select Import.

Depending on the size of the CSV, it could take a while to process it and create/configure all print queues. Once processed, it will take 5 to 10 minutes before end-user clients receive the updated print queues.

Tracking the CSV import process and handling errors

To track the progress of the CSV file import, go to the Activity Log. Information available in the Activity Log includes when the CSV import:

• commenced
• completed, including a summary of rows successfully imported and a list of any rows that failed (with a reason for that failure).

Common errors include:

• Invalid Driver ID or Printer ID
• Missing required column (see Required columns)
• The deployment rule referenced doesn’t exist
• Invalid file format or character encoding

When encountering an error in a row, PaperCut Hive or Pocket will ignore the row and continue to process other rows.

To fix an error, you can edit the affected row and safely import the entire CSV again. No duplicate entries will be created. You could also choose to import a CSV with only the one print queue row you fixed. Both approaches will result in the same outcome.