How Shared Workstation Mode works

Shared Workstation Mode is a Print Scout option for Windows workstations that are shared by many users, such as those in hospitals, manufacturing sites, libraries, and computer labs. It allows users to print without registering or signing in to Print Scout, while Secure Print Direct queues continue to be deployed and managed centrally.

Why use Shared Workstation Mode?

In a standard Print Scout deployment, users may be prompted to register or sign in when they first print from a workstation. On a shared workstation, where different users may use the same computer throughout the day, these prompts can interrupt their work.

Shared Workstation Mode removes these prompts, allowing users to move between shared workstations and print immediately from the Secure Print Direct queues available on each workstation.

What changes for users?

On a shared workstation, jobs print directly to the printer and only Secure Print Direct queues are available, so Secure Print isn’t available. Print activity is still reported to HP Insights.

How queues reach the workstation

Shared Workstation Mode uses Secure Print Direct queues. Print Scout does not install the HP Secure Printer queue on these workstations.

Because there is no signed-in user, deploy queues based on the workstation rather than the user or group. With computer name-based deployment, Print Scout reports the workstation’s computer name and installs the Secure Print Direct queues whose Computer Name Match rules apply to that workstation.

See How computer name-based deployment works.

Users can also add other available Secure Print Direct queues from the workstation location page in Print Scout.

Using Shared Workstation Mode alongside standard workstations

Shared Workstation Mode applies only to the workstations where it is enabled. Other workstations in the same HP Insights environment continue to use their standard Print Scout settings.

This allows shared and standard workstations to coexist in the same environment. You can use workstation-based queue deployment for shared workstations and user- or group-based deployment for workstations where user identity is available.

Requirements

• Windows only. Mac Print Scout does not support Shared Workstation Mode.
• Windows Print Scout 8.5 or later.
• Shared Workstation Mode is off by default. Enable it in the Print Scout deployment settings before deploying Print Scout. See Turn on Shared Workstation Mode.