Print Scout (Discover Tab)

The Print Scout tracks printing activity in your environment. You can install a Print Scout on employee workstations and print servers to collect detailed information about each print job, including who submitted it, when it was submitted, from what application, and so on. This information is sent to HP Insights for analysis and reporting.

The Print Scout tab in the Discover tab is used to monitor, manage, and maintain Print Scouts deployed across user workstations and print servers. From this page, administrators can see where Print Scouts are installed, assess their health and activity, and take management actions to keep the environment clean and supported.

What administrators can do on the Print Scout tab

The Print Scout tab allows administrators to:

View deployed Print Scouts and their associated machines
Monitor Print Scout health and status (such as whether the scout is running correctly)
See recent activity, including whether a workstation-based Print Scout has been active in the last 30 days
Identify unsupported or outdated versions using the Support Level column
Archive inactive or obsolete Print Scouts to reduce clutter
Export Print Scout data to CSV for reporting or remediation planning
Collect diagnostic logs from selected Print Scouts for troubleshooting and support

Print Scout Columns

The following table lists the columns (fields) that you can display on the Discover > Print Scout page. You can filter, sort, and group the Print Scout data table as described in Using Tables.

Field Name	Field Description
Machine Name	The network name of the machine on which the Print Scout is installed.
Domain	The machine’s domain name.
Hostname	The machine’s DNS host name.
IP Address	The machine’s IP address.
Operating System	The operating system in use on the machine.
Product	The Print Scout software that is installed, including its version.
Description	This field corresponds to the comments on the Print Scout. This field is typically empty.
Scout Type	Indicates the type of Print Scout installed. Windows Mac
Print Scout Version	The version of the Print Scout software installed on the machine.
Collection Rules Version	The SNMP rules version that the Print Scout uses to capture print information.
Deployment	The type of machine on which the Print Scout is installed. (Workstation or Print Server.)
Site Key	Identifies the site-level encryption key that the Print Scout is registered with. This value helps verify correct site association and is mainly used for troubleshooting and support.
Settings Updated	The date and time when the Print Scout software last received an update from HP Insights.
Health Updated	The date and time the Print Scout last sent its health status to the server. By default, the Print Scout sends its status to the server daily.
Last Job	The date and time the last tracked print job data was received from the Print Scout.
Scout Health	The health status of the Print Scout. It can be one of the following: OK – This indicates that the machine has contacted the HP Insights server and is functioning correctly. Uninstalled – This indicates that the Print Scout has been uninstalled and is therefore not collecting print job data. Requires attention – This indicates that the Print Scout is running, but there is an issue that needs attention. An error message provides more information about the status of the Print Scout. For more information on this state, please see Print Scout State of "Requires Attention". Disabled – This indicates that the Print Scout has been disabled and is not collecting data. A Disabled Print Scout can be re-enabled if desired. Reboot Required – This indicates that the HP Insights server has updated the machine with the latest version of the Print Scout software. The machine should be rebooted to apply the latest version.
Active in the Last 30 days	Shows whether a workstation-based Print Scout has reported any activity within the last 30 days. Scouts that have not reported recent activity may be inactive or no longer in use and are good candidates for review or archiving.
Support Level	Indicates the support status of a Print Scout based on its installed version and the HP product support lifecycle. Support levels include: Current – Fully supported Extended – Supported but no longer current Retired – No longer supported The Support Level column helps administrators quickly identify outdated Print Scouts and prioritize upgrades or cleanup actions
Install Date	The date and time that the Print Scout software was installed on the machine.

Print Scout Actions

The following actions are available from the Print Scout tab toolbar. Select one or more scouts before clicking an action.

Disable/Enable Print Scout

Clicking the 'Disable' button will stop data collection at the Print Scout for reporting to Print Analytics, but it will not delete or uninstall the Print Scout.

The Enable button appears in place of the Disable button when a Print Scout has been previously disabled. Clicking the Enable button will resume data collection at the Print Scout for reporting to Print Analytics, but it will not reinstall or recreate the Print Scout.

Note: The Disable button is only available to users with custom roles that include the appropriate permissions. It is not visible to users assigned global roles. To access this button, a user must have the Delete privilege on the Print Scout. If you need a custom system user role, please coordinate with Cloud Ops, as these roles are rarely used and require careful handling.

Download Print Scout

Click Download to download the Print Scout installer files for Windows or Mac.

Go to Discover > Print Scout.
Click the Download button to start the download process.

See Download Print Scout for more information.

Configure

The Print Scout Package Configuration dialog allows you to turn off Automatic Directory Service Collection and / or edit the employee information that the Print Scout collects. Refer to the Print Scout Configure document for more information.

Collect

Use the Collect action button to designate one Print Scout as the Print User Info Collector and configure how print user information is gathered for your environment. Print User Info Collection enriches print data by associating print activity with user and organizational details, which are then used for reporting and analytics.

Note: The Collect option applies only to Print Scouts deployed in "Print Server" mode only.

The selected Print Scout automatically performs Print User Info Collection using one of the following methods:

Directory Service – lookup when printed

User information is retrieved from the directory service at the time a user prints. This is the default method and collects information only for users who generate print jobs.
Directory Service – scheduled import

User information is periodically imported from the directory service based on a configured schedule. At each scheduled run, the Print Scout queries the directory service and uploads user metadata to HP Insights.

For more information, refer to Scheduled Import from a Directory Service

Monitored Folder – import CSV file

User information is imported from a CSV file placed in a monitored folder. When an updated CSV file is detected, the Print Scout uploads the data to HP Insights for use within the application.

For more information, refer to Automatic Import from an Existing CSV File

Collect Logs

The Collect Logs feature allows administrators to collect diagnostic log files from multiple scouts from a single location in the web console. Logs are collected from the machines where the Print Scouts and Device Scouts are installed and made available for download via email.

Enable admins to easily collect logs from as many scouts as required from one central place.
Support troubleshooting by providing log bundles from affected Print Scouts and Device Scouts.

Collect Log Status shows the current state of a log collection request that was triggered using the Collect Logs button for a Print Scout.

While logs are still being gathered, the status shows “Collecting”.
Once the email with the log-download link has been sent, the status changes to “Emailed”.

Note: The Collect Logs feature is supported only for scouts with a status of "OK", "Reboot Required", or "Needs Attention. "Logs cannot be collected from inactive, uninstalled, or unregistered scouts. When a scout is uninstalled or unregistered, the Collect Logs action button is unavailable (greyed out). The "Health Updated" column indicates whether a scout is actively communicating with the system. If the health information is not current, the scout may not receive the log collection request even if its status supports log collection.

See Collect Logs for Scouts documentation for more information.

Archive

How to archive Print Scouts

Archiving Print Scouts helps keep the Print Scout list clean and easier to manage by hiding old or inactive scouts without deleting them. Archived scouts can be restored at any time.

Go to Discover > Print Scout in the web console.
Select one or more Print Scouts you want to archive.
Click Archive.
When prompted, confirm the action to archive the selected Print Scouts.
A confirmation message appears indicating the selected Print Scouts have been archived. Click OK to close the message.

After confirmation:

The selected Print Scouts are removed from the main Print Scout grid.
They appear in the Archived Print Scouts view.
The date the scout was archived is recorded.

How to view archived Print Scouts

Archived Print Scouts are hidden from the main list but remain available in a separate view so administrators can review or restore them if needed.

Go to Discover > Print Scout.
Switch to the Archived Print Scouts view.

In the Archived Print Scouts view, you can:

See all Print Scouts that have been archived
View the date each scout was archived
Filter and sort archived scouts, just like active ones
Select scouts to restore them to the main Print Scout list

How to restore (unarchive) a Print Scout

Select one or more archived scouts, choose Unarchive, and confirm. The scouts will reappear in the main Print Scout grid.

How to use CSV Export for Print Scouts

The CSV Export feature allows administrators to export Print Scout data from the Print Scout tab into a CSV file for offline review, reporting, or sharing with other IT teams. The exported file reflects the data shown in the Print Scout list and is especially useful for identifying inactive, outdated, or unsupported Print Scouts.

Common use cases

Identify Retired or Extended Print Scouts and plan upgrades
Review Print Scouts that have been inactive for extended periods
Share Print Scout status with other teams for cleanup or remediation planning

Maintain audit or operational records

Go to Discover > Print Scout.
(Optional) Apply filters to narrow the list for example, filter by Support Level = Retired or Active in Last 30 Days = No.
Click CSV Export.
When prompted, save the generated CSV file to your local system.

The exported file contains Print Scout data that can be opened in spreadsheet or reporting tools for further analysis.

What data is included

The CSV export includes Print Scout details such as:

Host and machine information
Scout Health and activity status
Support Level (Current, Extended, Retired)
Other visible Print Scout attributes

This allows administrators to review Print Scout status outside the web console and share findings with deployment, desktop, or security teams.

Notes:

The CSV Export button is available from the Print Scout tab.
Applying filters before exporting helps ensure the CSV contains only the data you need.
Exported files reflect the state of the Print Scout list at the time of export.

Support Levels

Use the Support Level column to quickly decide what action to take for each Print Scout. Support Level removes the guesswork of interpreting version numbers and clearly indicates when a Print Scout should be left alone, upgraded, or archived.

Support Level	What it means	What you should do
Current	The Print Scout is fully supported and running the latest version.	No action required. Continue normal monitoring.
Extended	The Print Scout is supported but is no longer on the current release.	Plan an upgrade. Include this scout in upcoming maintenance or rollout plans.
Retired	The Print Scout is no longer supported. It will not receive fixes or compatibility updates.	Take action now: upgrade the Print Scout if still in use, or archive it if the machine is no longer active.

How Support Level is Determined

Each Print Scout reports its installed version. The backend compares that version to the official version bands defined in the system. The result is mapped to one of the three lifecycle tiers (Current, Extended, Retired) and displayed in the UI and CSV export.

How admins typically use Support Level

Admins use Support Level to turn visibility into action:

Find unsupported scouts quickly - Filter by "Support Level = Retired" to see all Print Scouts that require immediate attention.
Plan upgrades at scale - Filter by "Extended" to identify Print Scouts that should be upgraded in the next rollout.
Clean up the environment - Combine Support Level = Retired with Active in Last 30 Days = No to identify inactive scouts that can be archived.
Share remediation plans - Export filtered results using CSV Export and share the list with desktop or deployment teams.

FAQs

Does Support Level affect device functionality?

No. It is an indicator of lifecycle status and supportability. However, Retired versions may miss fixes or compatibility updates, increasing operational risk.

How often are version bands updated?

They are updated as part of the standard release and lifecycle management process. When a new Print Scout release becomes Current, older versions may shift to Extended or Retired.