Print servers
A print serverA terminal whose only job is to host one or more shared printers, often running headless with no operator. Print servers suit a single, more expensive printer (such as a plastic-card printer) that several desks share. is a terminalA physical device running EventDrake's on-site software, such as a check-in tablet or a countertop unit. A terminal can have hardware attached, for example a badge printer, a receipt printer, or an NFC reader. Terminals are registered once, then paired to a station at the start of a shift. whose only job is to host one or more shared printers. It suits a printer shared by several desks, or a single more expensive printer such as a plastic-card (CR80) badge printer, and it means the printer does not depend on any one operator’s device.
A print server has the same specs as a terminal, with two differences:
- Architecture. AMD64 is fully supported. ARM works too, but only for printers reached over the network (such as IPP printers), not printers plugged in over USB. Local USB printers may work on ARM but are not officially supported, so use them at your own risk.
- No screen needed. A print server can run headless once it is set up, since no operator works from it.
Ways to run one
Section titled “Ways to run one”Like a terminal, a print server runs from our full image (recommended for security) or from our software package installed on an existing Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, macOS, or Windows system. Because a print server always drives attached printers, it always needs the image or the package: a browser alone cannot host a printer.
Point desks at it
Section titled “Point desks at it”Register the device with the Print Server type, then attach its printers and enable each one. On a station profile, choose the print server’s printer as the badge print target, so desks send their badges to it. See Badge printing for sharing one or more printers across multiple desks.