Basic Printing Service

Any printer that supports PCL, attaches to the network and supports LPR printing can be used with this service. (LPR is an acronym for Line PrinteR which is part of the TCP/IP protocol. There are a number of protocols by which a printer can receive prints from the network:  TCP/IP, Apple Talk, DLC/LLC, NetWare etc.   TCP/IP - LPR is the protocol AIS uses to send reports to remote printers.)

It is possible to configure a printer that is only attached to a PC to use this service. Software is available that allows reports be sent to your PC and redirected to a local printer. This software is called RPM (Remote Print Manager) and can be found at http://www.remoteprintmanager.net. Contact the AIS Help & Support Center at (517) 353-4420 ext. 311 or by e-mail at AIS311@msu.edu if you have questions about using this software.

Premium Printing Service

Printers for this service must support Postscript, attach to the network and support LPR printing.

The software that converts mainframe reports into Postscript does not support all Postscript printers. The files it produces are specific to each printer that it sends to. The service supports resource matching at the printer, calling the correct paper from one of its trays.

Many of the special forms that can be printed via the premium service require the printer be able to print ¼ inch from the paper’s edge (edge-to-edge printing).  Careful review of which forms are going to be printed is required so that the appropriate printer is used for this service:  all printers do not support printing this close to the paper's edge.

Current printers that are supported: