The Internet revolution is gradually making everything connected. With printers, it has gone even further: for more than 4 years now, not a single printer has been manufactured that is not connected to a LAN network. However, there are still printers connected directly to the PC via USB cable: would it be possible to monitor them as well?
Connecting to a LAN network multiplies the advantages of printing equipment from multiple points of view. On the one hand, the user can enjoy printing on the same machine from multiple devices: from any PC installed on the network, or even from smartphones and tablets, all efficiently and easily.
Equipment maintenance is also improved, as it is easy for the technician to connect to the machine to make the necessary adjustments.
In addition, there are different ways of contracting the printer, which are only possible when it is connected to a LAN network. Among these services is automatic cartridge replacement, where the user does not have to worry about ink or toner because he knows that his printer is always ready to print.
For all these reasons, one would expect the gradual extinction of printers connected directly to a PC via the traditional USB cable. But reality has proved to be very stubborn and there are still many groups that, although they buy their printer with WIFI or LAN card, connect it directly to the PC via the USB port.
As with the village populated by the unyielding Gauls of our well-known Asterix, some niche markets are reluctant to connect their printer to the LAN network. No doubt they have their reasons, but this has prevented them from benefiting from the services that most print equipment distributors have added to their portfolio: services such as automatic consumables replenishment are only possible when the printers are being monitored, and this is not possible when the printer is connected via USB. But to be correct, we should say that it has not been possible until now….
Nubeprint has just announced that it has upgraded its CPM data collector agent and can now monitor USB-connected equipment. The solution uses Nubeprint’s unique Machine Learning (ML) technology to measure the consumption of the different inputs of the printing equipment.
As a result, with Nubeprint’s new CPM data collection agent, a service provider with any of Nubeprint’s MPS products can monitor USB printers (in addition to those connected by LAN), obtaining consumable levels, alerts to send when reaching the chosen threshold in days or the selected percentage level remaining, and even bill their customer for the pages printed.
Nubeprint’s MPS Zero and Enterprise-Q solutions now allow you to monitor USB-connected printers. The technology, unique to Nubeprint, automatically discovers the equipment connected to the PC and displays the evolution of the levels of the different consumables and the pages being printed. The same Nubeprint CPM data collector also allows one to identify and monitor printers in NETWORK, making installation in customers with mixed USB and LAN printer fleets very efficient.
