Offline Print Administrator Guide
What is Offline Print?
Offline Print (also referred to as
Offline Print is designed as a resilience and failover mechanism, not a replacement for normal cloud-based printing. It allows Print Scout to temporarily switch to Offline Print for continued printing during service outages or connectivity issues.
Offline Print behaviour is automatic and controlled by cloud health signals and connectivity checks; administrators do not manually enable or disable Offline Print on individual Print Scouts.
Requirements for Offline Print Activation
Before Offline Print can be activated, the following conditions must be met:
- Print Scout is installed on user workstations.
- The workstation must have successfully connected to HP Insights at least once. A workstation with no cached settings from a prior successful connection cannot use Offline Print.
Note: A workstation that has never connected to HP Insights cannot use Offline Print under any circumstances. Ensure all new workstations complete a successful first connection before deployment.
How Offline Print is Activated
Print Scout activates Offline Print in one of two ways:
-
Automatic Failover: Print Scout switches to Offline Print when it cannot reach HP Insights due to network issues, firewall blocks, timeouts, or certificate errors. This process is automatic and based on health checks.
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Manual Failover: An administrator can force all workstations into Offline Print using the Switch all users to offline print setting in the HP Insights web console. This is typically used during planned maintenance or known outages.
Both modes result in Offline Print being active. However, the timing and detection path may differ, automatic failover depends on health-check results, while manual failover is picked up when the workstation next communicates with the cloud.
How Quickly Does Offline Print Activate?
The time it takes for a workstation to enter Offline Print depends on how the problem is detected.
Network or Connectivity Failure (Automatic Failover)
Temporary network interruptions do not trigger an immediate transition to Offline Print. This prevents transient issues from causing false failovers.
When a connectivity issue occurs:
- The HP Print Scout Spooler Service performs a health check before every user action such as printing, viewing jobs, or opening the HP Secure Print desktop app.
- It then attempts to reach HP Insights, allowing up to two retry attempts, each with a 30-second timeout.
- If both attempts fail, the workstation transitions to Offline Print immediately.
| Scenario | Detection Time |
|---|---|
| Common scenarios (DNS failure, firewall block, refused connection) | Seconds |
| Worst-case scenario (full timeout on both retry attempts) | Up to approximately 3 minutes (2-minute cache delay plus two 30-second attempts) |
Note: The result of each health check is cached for approximately 2 minutes. During this window, the workstation may still appear online even though connectivity has been lost. This is expected behaviour.
Administrator Forces Offline Print (Manual Failover)
When an administrator enables the Switch all users to offline print setting in the web console, Offline Print is triggered explicitly from the cloud.
When a user interacts with the HP Secure Print desktop app (such as opening it or submitting a print job), the system detects that the workstation has been forced offline and automatically switches to Offline Print.
Behavior When Offline
When a workstation loses connectivity to the cloud, Print Scout automatically transitions to Offline Print so users can continue printing. This section explains what users and administrators can expect during the transition.
Print Job Visibility
- Print jobs submitted while Offline Print is active appear in the Document List tab of the HP Secure Print desktop app, similar to
- Once an offline job is released, it is removed from the Offline Print list immediately. There is no need to close and reopen the HP Secure Print desktop app.
- Online and offline job lists are kept separate. Unreleased online jobs do not appear in the Offline Print view, and offline jobs do not appear in the
Existing
Printing While Offline
When a user prints while Offline Print is active:
- The user is notified that Offline Print is active via the HP Secure Print desktop app.
- The user selects a printer from their locally cached printer list in the HP Secure Print desktop app.
- The job is sent directly to the selected printer.
- If no printer is selected, the Offline Print job remains stored locally and stays visible in the HP Secure Print desktop app for later release while the workstation is in Offline Print mode.
Print Scout bypasses the Windows Print Spooler entirely during Offline Print. Jobs are delivered directly to the printer. Windows spooler status indicators and error codes are not relevant to this delivery path.
Note: The notification message shown to users in the HP Secure Print desktop app should be verified in your environment before go-live. Test the offline flow prior to deployment.
What Users See When Printing to an Unreachable Printer
When a user selects a printer that is physically unreachable (powered off, disconnected, or otherwise unavailable on the network), Print Scout attempts delivery and the user sees the following:
| Phase | What the User Sees | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print initiated | "Printing…" dialog appears | Immediate | User has selected a printer and triggered release. |
| Delivery in progress | "Printing…" dialog remains visible | Up to 2–3 minutes (worst case) | Print Scout tries IPP, then falls back to raw TCP if IPP fails. |
| Delivery fails | Error notification displayed; dialog closes | Immediate after retries exhausted | Notification appears in the HP Secure Print desktop app and as a Windows desktop notification. |
| After failure | Job remains in the Offline Print job list | Job retained for up to 2 days (configurable) | User can select the same or a different printer and attempt release again. |
Note: The worst-case 2–3 minute delay occurs only when the printer is completely unreachable and all connection attempts must fully time out. In most scenarios (printer powered off, network cable disconnected), the OS returns a connection-refused or host-unreachable response well before the full timeout, resulting in a faster error.
Note: Failed jobs are not automatically retried. The user must manually initiate another release attempt from the HP Secure Print desktop app. This is by design: it prevents repeated failed delivery attempts to an unreachable printer.
Printer Error State Differentiation
In Offline Print mode, Print Scout does not perform a pre-flight health check on the printer before attempting delivery. There is no SNMP or WSD status query. The system attempts delivery directly and relies on the outcome of that attempt.
As a result, both consumable errors and network unavailability produce a similar experience for the user: a generic error notification after the delivery attempt fails.
| Printer Condition | What Happens | User Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Out of paper or toner (printer reachable on network) | Printer accepts the connection but returns an error status. Print Scout retries if the printer reports "busy" (up to 6 retries). For other error states, delivery fails immediately. | Generic error notification (e.g. "unable to send document") |
| Printer busy or warming up (printer reachable) | Printer reports a temporary busy state. Print Scout retries up to 6 times with a 5-second interval between attempts. | Error notification if still busy after all retries |
| Printer powered off or disconnected from network | All connection attempts fail (connection refused or timed out). Print Scout exhausts IPP and raw TCP retries. | Same generic error notification after retries exhausted (up to 2–3 minutes) |
| Printer decommissioned or IP address changed | Same as powered off: connection cannot be established at the cached address. | Same generic error notification |
Note: The HP Secure Print desktop app does not display live printer health status during Offline Print. The printer list reflects cached data only, with no real-time online/offline/error indicators. All cached printers are displayed regardless of their current network or operational status.
Release Targets and Printer Availability While Offline
During Offline Print, the printers shown to users are derived directly from the user's cached release targets. A release target is a locally cached record of one of the three most recently used printers that a user has successfully released a print job to while the workstation was online.
Release targets have the following characteristics:
- Associated with the user and cached locally on each workstation
- Up to 3 most recently used printers are displayed to the user in the HP Secure Print desktop app during Offline Print (the full history is stored locally but only the top 3 are shown)
- Refreshed approximately every 24 hours; this refresh interval is driven by Print Scout and is local to each workstation
- Required for printers to appear during Offline Print
Release targets represent cached data only; they are not live printer assignments or real-time printer discovery.
How Printer Availability Works While Offline
When Offline Print is active:
- The HP Secure Print desktop app displays printers derived from the user's cached release targets.
- No new printers are discovered or synchronized while Offline Print is active.
- Printer availability reflects the most recent successful sync while the workstation was online.
Printer availability during Offline Print depends entirely on whether release targets were cached for the user before Offline Print was triggered.
| Situation | What the User Sees While Offline |
|---|---|
| Workstation synced recently while online | Most recent printer list (up to 3 printers) |
| Workstation not synced in over 24 hours | Printer list may be outdated |
| First-time user on this workstation | No printers shown (no release targets cached) |
| Workstation was already offline at last sync | Sync was skipped; cached release targets unchanged |
Note: Printer availability offline depends entirely on whether the workstation was online and synced before Offline Print was triggered. Ensure workstations complete a full sync after each new user's first print action.
Release Target Refresh Behavior and Limitations
Release targets are refreshed on a 24-hour cadence while the workstation is online. This refresh:
- Is not triggered by user sign-in
- Does not update immediately after each print or release
- Occurs only while the workstation is online during the refresh window
Limitation
Because of this refresh schedule, new or updated printer assignments may not appear for up to 24 hours, and there is no way to manually force a refresh. This can result in outdated printer lists during Offline Print, especially for mobile or shared users.
Note: There is no time-based expiry on individual cached printers. A printer does not age out based on how long ago it was last used. The only mechanism that removes or updates cached printers is a successful cloud sync, which fully overwrites the stored list. If a workstation remains continuously offline, the cache persists indefinitely.
The January Printer Scenario
If a user printed to a printer once in January, whether that printer still appears and routes correctly months later depends on the following:
| Scenario | Expected Behaviour | Outcome for User |
|---|---|---|
| User has NOT printed to 3 or more other printers since January; workstation has been syncing normally | The January printer remains in the cached release target list and continues to appear in the HP Secure Print desktop app during Offline Print. | Printer is visible. Whether it prints successfully depends on whether it is still reachable on the network. |
| January printer has been decommissioned in Pharos Cloud | On the next successful sync (within 24 hours), the local cache is overwritten and the decommissioned printer is removed. | Printer no longer appears during Offline Print after the next successful sync. |
| Workstation has been continuously offline since January | All sync cycles have been skipped. The January printer remains in the cache indefinitely. | Printer still appears. Attempting to print follows the error flow described in What Users See When Printing to an Unreachable Printer if the printer is no longer reachable. |
| User has printed to 3 or more other printers since January | The January printer may no longer be in the top 3 displayed printers, depending on the ordering returned by Pharos Cloud. | Printer may not be visible in the Offline Print tab, even if it still exists in the local cache file. |
Note: There is no pre-check to validate whether a cached printer is still network-reachable before displaying it. All cached printers are always shown. If a user selects a stale or unreachable printer, they will receive an error notification after approximately 2–3 minutes, and the job will be retained locally for manual re-release.
Admin Guidance
- Ensure users complete at least one successful print and release while online to establish release targets.
- For shared or newly deployed workstations, allow time for release targets to be cached before relying on Offline Print.
- Missing or outdated printers shown during Offline Print typically indicate a release target sync issue, not a failure of Offline Print itself.
Returning to Online Mode
Recovery from Offline Print is automatic. Users do not need to take any action to restore normal operation. The HP Secure Print desktop app periodically checks for cloud connectivity and returns the workstation to online mode as soon as a successful connection is detected. This re-check occurs under several conditions:
| Recovery Trigger | How It Activates | Typical Time |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic background check | The HP Secure Print desktop app checks status in the background every 4 minutes while offline. | Up to 4 minutes |
| User action | Opening the HP Secure Print desktop app, listing jobs or printers, or performing a print action triggers an immediate connectivity re-check. | Seconds |
| Service restart | Admin restarts the Pharos Systems Print Scout Spooler Service. Forces an immediate health check during startup. Most reliable step after resolving firewall, proxy, DNS, or TLS issues. Requires admin privileges. | Seconds after restart |
| Workstation reboot | User or admin reboots the workstation. Forces an immediate health check on startup. | Seconds after boot |
| Background settings sync | Automatic, approximately every 24 hours. | Up to 24 hours |
Note: For the fastest recovery, especially after resolving network, firewall, or configuration issues, restart the Pharos Systems Print Scout Spooler Service (requires admin privileges). In environments with active users, asking the user to submit a test print is equally effective.
Common Offline Scenarios
The following scenarios describe common and expected Offline Print situations in enterprise environments and explain the resulting system behaviour.
Scenario 1: Workstation Starting Up With No Network Access
When Print Scout starts while no network connectivity is available, it attempts to reach Pharos Cloud for a period to allow the network to become available during startup.
Offline Print cannot activate until the workstation has successfully connected to Pharos Cloud at least once. This initial connection is required to download and initialise the configuration needed for Offline Print to operate.
Scenario 2: Workstation Previously Connected, Now Starting Offline
This is the most common Offline Print scenario.
- Print Scout checks in with Pharos Cloud on startup. If the cloud cannot be reached and the workstation has previously connected successfully, Print Scout automatically switches to Offline Print.
- Users can continue to print using the locally available Offline Print workflow.
Note: The workstation returns online automatically once cloud connectivity is restored.
Scenario 3: VPN Drops or Reconnects During a User Session
Offline Print behaviour during VPN changes depends on timing:
| Situation | Expected Behaviour |
|---|---|
| VPN drops while workstation is online | Short VPN drops or temporary fluctuations do not cause the workstation to switch modes if no user action occurs. User actions such as printing or opening the HP Secure Print desktop app can trigger a transition to Offline Print mode. |
| VPN reconnects while workstation is offline | Workstation returns online on the next connectivity check. |
Note: Brief VPN fluctuations will not immediately change the displayed status.
Scenario 5: User on a Shared Workstation Sees No Printers During Offline Print
This is a sync timing issue, not a system fault. The user's printer assignments were not downloaded to the workstation before it went offline. Other users on the same workstation whose assignments were synced earlier may still see their printers.
Note: Ensure workstations complete a full cloud sync after each new user's first print action. The best prevention is keeping workstations online and fully synced during initial setup and after any user is newly provisioned.
Scenario 6: Offline Jobs Queued but Not Released
- A user prints while the workstation is operating in offline mode.
- When prompted, the user dismisses the printer selection dialog instead of choosing a printer.
- The print jobs are stored locally and encrypted as offline jobs on the workstation.
If the workstation later returns online before the user selects a printer and releases the jobs, these offline jobs do not reappear in the HP Secure Print desktop app for release. The jobs remain stored locally and are subject to local cleanup policies.
Note: Offline jobs require explicit user action to select a printer while the workstation is offline. If no printer is selected, those jobs cannot be automatically recovered or released after the workstation returns online.
Admin Quick Reference
| Behaviour | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| First cloud connection | Required: Offline Print is unavailable without it |
| Automatic failover | No admin action needed; triggered by health-check failure |
| Status update lag | Up to a few minutes after connectivity changes |
| Printer availability offline | Depends on the last successful sync, per user (up to 3 printers shown) |
| Printer error state differentiation | Not available: consumable errors and network unavailability produce the same generic error notification |
| Printer aging / TTL | No time-based expiry; printers persist in cache until next successful cloud sync |
| Unreachable printer timeout | Up to 2–3 minutes before error notification is shown; job is retained locally |
| Recovery | Automatic, or restart the Pharos Systems Print Scout Spooler Service to force it (admin privileges required) |
FAQs
Why do some users have recently used printers and others don't?
Recently used printers are associated with the user, not the workstation. A user will see recently used printers only if they have previously released a print job while connected to Pharos Cloud. If a user is new and has not yet successfully printed while connected to Pharos Cloud, they will not see any recently used printers until connectivity is restored and they complete their first successful print.
Can Offline Print work on a workstation that has never been online?
No. At least one successful cloud connection is required before Offline Print can ever activate.
How do I manually enable Offline Print for all users?
Use the Switch all users to offline printer setting in the Offline Print section of the Pharos Cloud web console. Workstations will transition automatically within a few minutes.
How long does an offline printer remain available before aging out?
Cached printers do not age out. There is no time-to-live (TTL) or expiry on individual entries. A printer from January will still appear in the Offline Print list months later, provided the user has not printed to 3 or more other printers since (which would push it out of the top 3 shown) and provided the printer has not been decommissioned in Pharos Cloud.
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