Description
This article provides insight into how to install Printers on Computers through Jamf School and the Printer Management Payload.
It covers:
A. Collecting the important Printer information
Pre-requisite: Printer has been manually mapped and successfully test printed on the computer that we are using to gather the appropriate Printer Information
Device URI Collection
Option 1: On a computer that has already mapped the printer(s) this can be found in Apple Menu > About this Mac > More Info > System Report > Printers > select the Printer > URI.
Option 2: Device URI can also be located using this workflow:
Enable CUPS web interface by opening a terminal and entering:
sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yesVisiting https://localhost:631/ and click the PRINTERS link on the very top of the web page
Select the printer(s) from the list that we'd like more information about.
Connection will be the Device URI
Driver Path and Model
Terminal Command: lpinfo -m
This command will return information for all of the driver files installed on the computer and this will be used to gather both the Driver and Model information necessary for the Printer Management Payload
The lpinfo return is formatted as follows:
/Path/to/DRIVER.gz(.ppd) MODEL
PPD Path
This will be the path to the Printer Driver as it exists on the Computer, most often in /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/. This most often is a .gz or .PPD file type.
Model
This is required information for a Printer to map with the Proper Driver/Options and must exactly match what is returned in the lpinfo -m Terminal command or the printer will map with a generic driver.
This can also be found in About this Mac > More Info > System Report > Printers > Select the printer > PPD and is also the type reported for the printer in System Settings > Printers.
B. Creating the Printer Management Profile in Jamf School
In Jamf School, navigate to Profiles > Overview and select + Create new Profile.
Select macOS Profile and Device Enrollment.
Name the profile as desired, select Next, and then select Finish.
Select the Printer Management payload and click Configure.
Select + Add an Installed Printer.
Enter the Device URI that noted in the URI Collection.
Enter the Display Name and Location as desired.
Enter the Model collected from the
lpinfo -mTerminal Command.
Enter the PPD Path collected from the
lpinfo -mTerminal Commandfile://localhost/ must be placed before the PPD Path.
example: file://localhost/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/HP OfficeJet Pro 8210.gz
Select Allow printers that connect directly to user's computers. This is required for printers to appear in System Settings > Printers on computers that the profile is installed on.
Repeat steps 5-10 for additional printers as desired.
Configure the remaining settings as desired.
Click Save.
C. Deploying Printers
Once the profile has been created, the printer drivers must be deployed to the computers before the printer profile is installed on the computer. If the drivers are not installed on the computer when the Printer Profile is installed, the printers will map with the generic postscript driver native to macOS.
Pre-requisite: Driver package is uploaded to Jamf School. For assistance uploading packages see In-House Content Distribution.
Deploy the Driver package
Navigate to the Driver package in Jamf School under Apps > Inventory.
Select the + option near the bottom of the App Details.
Select the Desired Device Group.
Repeat for additional Device Groups as desired.
Click Save.
Create a Smart Device Group for devices that have the Drivers Installed to deploy the Profile
Navigate to Devices > Device Groups and select + Add Group.
Name the group and select Smart Device Group.
Select the Profiles option at the top of the window.
Search for the Printer Profile.
Select Automatic for this printer profile.
Select the Members option at the top of the page.
Select + Add Filter.
Enter the Criteria Managed App (Installed) one of the following {Printer Drivers Package}
Click Finish.
Select Members.
Click Save.
D. General Notes and Troubleshooting
When the Printer profile is removed from a device, the printers are not automatically removed. Printers will have to be removed manually by the end user in System Settings.
If a printer maps with the Generic Printer Driver, verify that the Model and PPD Path matcha exactly as shown in the
lpinfo -mTerminal Command and verify that the Driver exists on the Computer at the driver path configured.If a printer is improperly mapped, or adjustments are made to the Printer in the Printer Profile, the printer will need to be manually removed and the profile re-installed to adjust the mapping.
If Printers do not appear in System Settings, verify that any other installed profile with Printer Management configured has the option "Allow printers that connect directly with user's computers" selected.
Printer Management in the Jamf School Documentation: