Manage Print Scouts

Discover > Print Scout lists every Print Scout registered with HP Insights, with its health, activity, version and support status. Use it to check the health of your Print Scouts, find ones that are outdated or inactive, collect logs, archive Print Scouts you no longer use, and export the list for reporting.

Columns

You can show, hide, sort, filter and group by any column. See Using tables.

Column	Description
Machine Name	The network name of the computer.
Domain	The computer's domain.
Hostname	The computer's DNS host name.
IP Address	The computer's IP address.
Operating System	The computer's operating system.
Product	The Print Scout software installed, with its version number.
Scout Type	Windows or Mac.
Print Scout Version	The version of Print Scout installed.
Collection Rules Version	The version of the SNMP rules Print Scout uses to collect print information.
Deployment	Workstation or Print Server.
Site Key	The Site Encryption Key the Print Scout is registered with. Use it to check that the Print Scout belongs to the right site.
Settings Updated	When the Print Scout last received a settings update.
Health Updated	When the Print Scout last sent its health status. By default, it reports once a day.
Last Job	When the last tracked print job was received from this Print Scout.
Scout Health	The Print Scout's current state. See Scout Health.
Active in Last 30 Days	Whether a workstation Print Scout has reported any activity in the last 30 days. Print Scouts showing No are candidates for review or archiving.
Support Level	Current, Extended or Retired, based on the installed version. See Support Level.
Install Date	When Print Scout was installed on the computer.
Description	Any comments on the Print Scout record. Usually empty.

Scout Health

Check Scout Health first when you investigate a problem.

State	What it means	What to do
OK	The Print Scout has contacted HP Insights and is working correctly.	Nothing.
Requires Attention	The Print Scout is running, but there's an issue. An error message gives details.	Open the record for the error message. See If something's wrong and Print Scout shows Requires Attention.
Reboot Required	HP Insights has updated the Print Scout, and the computer needs a restart to apply the update.	Restart the computer at the next opportunity.
Disabled	The Print Scout has been disabled and isn't collecting data.	Enable it again if you need its data. See Disable or enable.
Uninstalled	Print Scout has been uninstalled and isn't collecting data.	If the computer is still in use, reinstall Print Scout. If it's been decommissioned, archive the record.

Support Level

Support Level shows where each Print Scout is in its support lifecycle, based on its installed version, so you know what to do without interpreting version numbers. Each Print Scout reports its version, which is compared with the version bands for the current HP Insights release. The bands move with each release: when a new version becomes Current, older versions move to Extended, and the oldest move to Retired.

Support Level	What it means	What to do
Current	Fully supported, on the latest version.	Nothing.
Extended	Supported, but no longer the current release, so it may miss recent fixes.	Plan an upgrade for the next maintenance window.
Retired	No longer supported. It won't receive fixes or compatibility updates.	Act now: upgrade it if the computer is in use, or archive it if the computer has been decommissioned.

Note: Support Level doesn't affect data collection: a Retired Print Scout still works. Because it no longer receives fixes or compatibility updates, the risk grows over time.

Combine Support Level with other columns to decide what to do:

Goal	Filter by	Then
Find Print Scouts that need action now	Support Level = Retired	Upgrade or archive
Plan upgrades	Support Level = Extended	Schedule them for the next maintenance window
Clean up inactive Print Scouts	Support Level = Retired, and Active in Last 30 Days = No	Archive them. The computers have probably been decommissioned.
Share a plan with another team	Support Level = Retired or Extended	Export to CSV and share
Check health after an upgrade	Support Level = Current	Confirm all active Print Scouts are Current

Actions

Select one or more Print Scouts, then select the action on the toolbar.

Disable or enable

Disable stops a Print Scout collecting print job data and reporting to HP Insights, for example to pause collection from one computer. It doesn't uninstall the software, and the Print Scout stays registered and in the list. Select Enable to start collecting again.

Download

Select Download, enter the Site Encryption Key, and choose the installer for Windows or Mac. Deploy it with your usual method, such as a manual install, Group Policy, Intune or Jamf. Always download the installer from the web console, so you get the latest supported version. See Download Print Scout.

Configure

Configure opens the Print Scout Package Configuration dialog, where you choose what data the Print Scout collects. You can turn off Automatic Directory Service Collection, so it doesn't query Active Directory automatically, and choose which employee information fields it collects. Changes apply to the selected Print Scouts at their next check-in. See Print Scout Configuration.

Collect (print user information)

Collect makes a Print Scout the print user information collector, which adds user and organization details to print data for reporting. It's available only for Print Scouts in Print Server mode. See Print User Info Scheduler.

Method	How it works
Directory Service: lookup when printed	The default. User information is looked up in Active Directory when someone prints, so only people who print are collected.
Directory Service: scheduled import	User information is imported from Active Directory on a schedule, for everyone in scope, not just people who print.
Monitored Folder: CSV import	User information is imported from a CSV file in a monitored folder. Useful when Active Directory isn't available, or user data comes from an HR system.

Collect logs

Collect Logs collects diagnostic logs from the selected Print Scouts, for troubleshooting or a support case. Collect Log Status shows Collecting while logs are gathered, then Emailed when a download link has been sent to your administrator email address. See Collect logs for Scouts.

Note: Collect Logs is available only for Print Scouts that are OK, Reboot Required or Requires Attention. If Health Updated isn't current, the Print Scout may not receive the request.

Archive and restore

Archiving removes a Print Scout from the main list without deleting it, so the list isn't cluttered with decommissioned or inactive computers.

• To archive: select the Print Scouts, select Archive, and confirm. They move to the Archived Print Scouts view, which shows when each was archived.
• To restore: in the Archived Print Scouts view, select the Print Scouts, select Unarchive, and confirm. They return to the main list.

Note: Archiving doesn't uninstall Print Scout. If the computer is still in use, the Print Scout keeps running and may reappear in the list at its next check-in.

CSV export

Filter the list first, for example to Support Level = Retired or Active in Last 30 Days = No, then select CSV Export. The file contains the list as it is at the time, including machine name, domain, hostname and IP address, Scout Health, Support Level, Active in Last 30 Days, Print Scout version, install date, and the other visible columns.

Routine checks

When	Check
Weekly	Sort by Scout Health. Resolve Requires Attention errors and schedule restarts for Reboot Required. Look for workstation Print Scouts whose Health Updated is more than 24 hours old.
Monthly	Filter by Support Level = Retired. Archive the ones that show No for Active in Last 30 Days, and schedule upgrades for the rest. Add Extended Print Scouts to the next maintenance window. Export the list if your desktop or deployment team does the upgrades.
After a HP Insights release	Restart computers showing Reboot Required. Check for Print Scouts that have moved from Extended to Retired. Confirm test computers show Current.
Quarterly	Filter by Active in Last 30 Days = No, confirm with IT whether each computer is still in use, and archive decommissioned ones. Export the full list for your records, and check that earlier Requires Attention issues are resolved.

See also the Routine maintenance checklist.

If something's wrong

Problem	What to do
Print Scout can't reach the cloud, or Health Updated is old	The Print Scout isn't checking in. Check that the computer is on and online, that the HP Print Scout Service is running, and that the HP Insights service addresses are allowed through the firewall.
Site Key mismatch	Print Scout was installed with a different Site Encryption Key from the current one. Reinstall it with the correct key.
Configuration error	Check the settings with Configure, change them if needed, and wait for the Print Scout to check in.
Print Scout doesn't appear after installation	Allow up to 15 minutes for it to register. If it still doesn't appear, check the computer can reach the cloud service and that the correct Site Encryption Key was used.
More than one entry for the same computer	This happens when a computer is re-imaged or renamed without uninstalling Print Scout first. Archive the old entries.
Collect Logs is unavailable	Logs can be collected only from Print Scouts that are OK, Reboot Required or Requires Attention.
Collect Log Status stays at Collecting	The computer may be offline, or the Print Scout isn't checking in. Check Health Updated.
Support Level shows Retired after a new install	The installer may not be the latest version. Download the current installer from Discover > Print Scout > Download and reinstall.
An archived Print Scout reappears	The computer is still in use and Print Scout is still running. Uninstall Print Scout from the computer if it shouldn't be active.
Disable isn't visible	It needs a custom role with the Delete privilege for Print Scout.
Print Scout doesn't update automatically	Automatic updates need a successful check-in, so check the computer's internet access. If needed, download and deploy the latest version yourself.