Managing users — overview

🔎 Admin interface: Manage > Users

Setting up your users to print using PaperCut Hive or Pocket is a simple process. This guide provides an overview of the three main stages of user management:

• Adding or syncing users: getting users into the system.
• Inviting, onboarding, and installing the client software: getting users ready to print.
• Managing existing users: day-to-day tasks and user maintenance.

Adding and inviting users: understand the core concepts

Before you start, it’s important to understand the difference between adding a user and inviting a user.

Adding a user means getting them added to your organization’s Users list in the PaperCut admin console. Users must be added to PaperCut before you can invite them to use PaperCut for printing. There are multiple ways to add users:

• Automatically syncing users from Microsoft Entra ID
• Automatically syncing users from Google Workspace
• Import users from a CSV or TSV file (helpful for bulk updating data, or migrating users from an existing system like PaperCut NG or MF).
• Add users manually via email address (mostly used for adding a new employee, a single guest user, or a small batch of users)
• Allow users to scan a QR code at the printer to request access via Team Signup (includes optional domain-based auto-approval)

Inviting a user means notifying them that they have access to PaperCut Hive or Pocket. The invitation email (or invite link) gives them the instructions and links they need to authenticate and complete their printing setup. There are two types of invitations:

• User Portal invitation (recommended): This links the user to a self-service portal where they can download the client software (and, optionally, mobile app), view their access code, learn how to print, and more. Users find out about the User Portal via an email invitation. To give User Portal access without sending an invitation, you can also share a link (for example, included in an organization’s onboarding pack, or shared via Microsoft Teams or Slack).
• Classic invitation: This links the user to a 3-step webpage for downloading the client software and, optionally, the mobile app.

Most of the time, you’ll add and invite a user at the same time.

If you’re testing a setup, that is, staging users before giving them access to PaperCut Hive or Pocket, you might want to decouple adding and inviting by first adding the users, then inviting them later.

If you are using mobile device management software (MDM) to bulk deploy the client software to users, it is also possible to avoid sending an invitation at all.

After a user is both added and invited, they can:

• download the client software (unless it is bulk deployed to them via MDM)
• log into the User Portal (if in use)
• link the client software and start printing!

Methods to add your users: imported user data comparison

The best method for adding your users depends on your organization’s needs. Two key considerations are: how and where your user data is stored; and whether you want to manually or automatically manage users.

To help you choose, let’s look at what user attributes (user data types) can be added to PaperCut Hive or Pocket with each method:

 

Configuration scenarios for adding and/or inviting users

Before you choose your settings, it’s important to think about how you want to manage your users. Some questions to consider include the following:

• Will you be automatically syncing users from an identity provider or adding them manually?
• Do you want your users to manage their own printing software, or will you manage it for them?
• What’s your expected ratio of permanent users versus guest users?
• Do you want your users releasing print jobs with mobile apps?
• Does your organization use email, or is a messaging app more common for communication?

After you’ve thought about these questions, it’s likely that your organization will be able to use one of these four main ways to configure onboarding your users:

Onboarding users and installing the client software

After users have been added to PaperCut Hive or Pocket, the next step is to get them ready to print. This stage has two sub-stages:

1. Installing the client software on end-user devices. There are three ways to download and install the client software:
   • Users can download the client themselves from the User Portal. (Note: administrators can remove the download option in Easy Print & Scan > User Portal > User client download options.)
   • Users can download the client themselves from the web by following the steps in the Classic Invitation.
   • Administrators can bulk deploy the client to users via a mobile device management (MDM) tool.
2. Linking the client software to users in PaperCut Hive or Pocket. Users can self-link the client by following the instructions in the User Portal or Classic Invitation. In an MDM bulk deployment environment, users are given different instructions on how to get started:
   • User Portal: If you bulk deploy the client, when the user first prints, they’ll be prompted to authenticate (log in). Once they’ve successfully logged in, the client will automatically link to the user. For the first print only, the user will be prompted to re-print their job. For all subsequent jobs, the user can print normally.
   • Classic Invitation: If you bulk deploy the client, users need to click the Get Started button in their invitation email to link their account. They can then start printing.

Learn more about authentication for client linking.

Managing existing users

After your users have finished their setup in PaperCut Hive or Pocket, you will have day-to-day user management tasks. These tasks include:

• Managing user details
• Adding, updating, and deleting user access codes
• Adding, updating, and deleting user access cards (swipe cards)
• Re-inviting users
• Deleting users

Administrator management

You can also manage who has administrative access to the PaperCut admin console.

Learn more in Adding and deleting administrators

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Can I sync my users from Microsoft Entra ID or Google Workspace?

Yes, you can sync users from identity providers. Most organizations sync via the built-in User and group sync feature, but some may choose a supported user sync Add-on.

Can I use Single Sign-on (SSO) for my users?

Yes, you can configure SSO (SAML 2.0) for user authentication (log in). Alternative user authentication options include OAuth (Sign in with Microsoft and Sign in with Google) and email/password. Note that setting up SSO and setting up user sync from an identity provider are separate.

Do my users need to have access to the User Portal?

No, you users don’t need to have access to the User Portal to use PaperCut Hive or Pocket. You can choose between giving them access via the full, self-service User Portal or the simple Classic Invitation webpage.

Can I bulk add, import, or update users with a CSV file?

Yes, you can use the user data import tool to add new users to PaperCut Hive or Pocket or update the details of existing users, such as their access codes and access card numbers.

Can a user print with PaperCut Hive or Pocket from multiple computers?

Yes. Users can re-use their invitation to set up multiple devices.

How do I make a user an administrator?

You can invite a new administrator via Settings. Note that their administrator profile is separate from their print user (end-user) profile.

Can I delete multiple users at once?

Yes, you can delete multiple users at once via the user data import tool (CSV or TSV file import). It’s also possible to delete users during a sync, if you have a connected identity provider.

Can I change a user’s email address in PaperCut Hive or Pocket?

No, it's not possible to change a user's email address in PaperCut Hive or Pocket. Email addresses are unique to each user. If you need to change a user’s email address, create a new user account for that user.

Can I change a user's name in PaperCut Hive or Pocket?

You can change a user's name in PaperCut Hive or Pocket using one of the following methods:

• Change the name in your identity provider (like Entra ID or Google Workspace), and it will be updated in PaperCut on the next sync.

• Change the name manually in a CSV/TSV file and import it.

Can I use multiple methods to add users?

Yes, but there are some limitations you need to know. If you have user syncing from an identity provider set up, each sync will overwrite any existing user data in your PaperCut Hive or Pocket organization. For example:

1. You used a CSV import to bring your users into your organization (or, alternatively, manually added your users).

2. Then you set up an automatic sync from an identity provider.

3. On next sync, if there are any user data conflicts/differences between the existing imported data and the synced data, the synced data will overwrite the imported data.

Do user invitations expire?

Yes, the Classic invitation expires after 14 days. If still required, re-invite the user. (If a user clicks the expired email, they are also able to automatically self-request a new invitation email.) The User Portal invitation does not expire.

Can a user use the same invite to set up multiple devices?

Yes. A user can go back to their email invitation and click the link again to download the installer on a second or third machine etc. It is not a one-time-use link.