Description of Issue

How do I add a printer in Munis?

Context

Printer
Printer Definition
Munis
EERP
Enterprise ERP
Install printer
ReadyForms
Enterprise Forms
Server
YET
Year End Tax

Cause

Printing within the Munis application requires a Munis printer definition to be set up so that the application and printer can communicate with each other.

Resolution

Printer Install

Install the printer on either the Munis application server, local workstation, or print server as a windows printer and get windows printing working at a baseline.
1. To test if Windows printing is working at a baseline, print a test page from the windows printer properties for the given printer.
  1. Right-click the printer that you want to test and select Printer Properties in the menu.
  2. Windows 10 will open the printer’s Properties window. At the top of this window, click the General tab.
  3. Then, click Print Test Page at the bottom of the window to start printing a sample page.
2. NOTE: Universal PCL 6 drivers tend to work best for Munis printing.
If installed on an end user-user workstation or print server, you will need to share the printer on the network.
1. Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers
2. Right-click on the printer that will be used in Munis and select Printer Properties
3. Select the Sharing tab, check off Share this printer, and specify a share name
  1. The share name cannot have any spaces
  2. In total, the HostName of the computer plus the ShareName of the printer cannot exceed 25 characters in total length due to printer definition character limits
Navigate to the Munis Application Server to ensure the shared printer is accessible
1. In the Windows search bar, type Run and hit enter
2. Enter the the following command, updating the values with the name of the PC the printer is installed on and the share name
  1. \\hostname\sharename
3. If communication is successful, the printer dialogue window will launch
4. If communication is unsuccessful an error will display: Windows cannot access \\PCHostname\PrinterShareName
  1. This communication issue is most commonly caused by a windows or network firewall blocking communication
Once you have the printer installed, verify that a Windows test print sends successfully

Munis Printer Definition

Log into Munis with an account that has system administration permissions
Navigate to System Administration > Printer/Device Administration > Printer Definitions
Click Add

Set the following variables

Field	Value
Printer ID	Unique identifier for the printer. This box can accept up to four alphanumeric characters.
Printer name	Identifying name of printer. This box can accept up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
Printer type	Select Command / Script
Print / forms command	Shared printer: ntp -d \\Hostname\ShareName -@ ls.ntp Printer installed on server: ntp -d PrinterName -@ ls.ntp Update PrinterName or \\Hostname\ShareName and output format (ls, pm, nr, etc.) This box can accept up to 15 alphanumeric characters.

Once complete, click Accept
Test printer by selecting Output from the ribbon
Next to printer name, click the ellipses
Select the new printer and click Accept
Click OK

Additional Information

Print / forms Command	Explanation	Required Value
ntp	This is the operator indicating the use of NTP.exe	ntp
-d	This is the first command flag. -d indicates that an output destination will be defined following the flag	-d
\\Hostname\ShareName	This is the full share location of the printer. Note: If the printer is installed locally on the App server, you will not need \\Hostname\, only the name of the printer.	\\Hostname\ShareName or PrinterName
-@	This command flag indicates that the output will use an options file to define the output format	-@
ls.ntp	This is where the output format is defined. Available formats are included in the %musys%\pdefs folder on the Munis application server. Basic outputs include: ls.ntp - Landscape pm.ntp – Portrait Mode nr.ntp – Narrow Report	ls.ntp pm.ntp nr.ntp etc.

How To Setup a Printer Definition To Print In Landscape Duplex Mode

A unique printer definition will need to be setup for each output type needed. As such, it is not uncommon for up to three unique printer definitions to exist for each printer added to Munis. This ensures end users can print in whatever format works best for the situation.

When naming printers, it is helpful to define a standardized naming schema, such as: {UserInitials}_Local_{OutputType}

For example, consider the following scenario:

User: John Smith

Workstation Hostname: JSOffice

Printer ShareName: LocalPrint

Recommended Printer Definition:

Printer Name	Print/Forms Command	Output Result
js_local_pm	ntp -d \\JSOffice\LocalPrint -@ pm.ntp	Portrait print job to John's local printer
js_local_ls	ntp -d \\JSOffice\LocalPrint -@ ls.ntp	Landscape print job to John's local printer

Browser not supported