What is Point & Print?

You can now install pdfMachine by connecting to a network printer. This can typically be done from a "regular" user account, unlike a stand alone install that requires an Administrator account. Another advantage of a point & print install is it makes upgrading to a newer version a breeze, as pdfMachine automatically detects when an upgrade is required at logon time. The user is then asked if they wish to upgrade or not.

Point and print server installation

To enable point Point and Print a machine needs to be designated the "print server". This machine needs to be running either WinNT, Win 2000 or Win XP. It is important that this server machine have enough Microsoft Client Access Licenses for each user that wants to connect. A normal stand alone installation is performed on this machine, with the "share this printer on the network" checkbox ticked in the setup program dialog box.

Point and print client installation methods

There are many ways to do a client point & print install:

Add Printer wizard

Under the "printers & faxes" or "printers" in settings or control panel you will notice a "Add Printer" icon. This launches a wizard that allows you to connect to a pdfMachine printer that has been installed as network shareable.

Right click and "connect" to the printer from within Explorer

Start Explorer up, find the "print server" machine, then look in the "printers" folder. Right click on the pdfMachine printer and select "connect".

From the start menu, run "\\servername\pdfMachn"

This is perhaps the easiest way. Click on the "Start" menu, then select the "run" icon. Then enter in the printer share name. e.g. if the server is called "bigserver" then you would enter \\bigserver\pdfmachn

Web server install

If Microsoft IIS is installed, pdfMachine can be installed over a web browser.e.g. type in the browser the address http://servername/printers and select the pdfMachine printer. pdfMachine will then be installed.

Easy upgrading

When a new version of pdfMachine is released, just install it on the print server. The clients will be prompted to install the new version when the users next logon.