Secure Global Desktop Administration Guide > Printing > Configuring Secure Global Desktop PDF printing

Configuring Secure Global Desktop PDF printing

With Secure Global Desktop PDF printing, users print from a Windows, UNIX or Linux application using a Secure Global Desktop PDF printer. The print job is sent from the application server to Secure Global Desktop where it is converted into a portable document format (PDF) file. Secure Global Desktop then sends the PDF file to a PDF viewer on the user's client device where the file can be viewed, saved and printed.

You configure PDF printing as follows:

1. Enable the Secure Global Desktop PDF printers.
2. Check the Ghostscript installation on the Secure Global Desktop host.
3. Configure PDF viewers on client devices.

Once you have configured PDF printing, you should tell users how to use PDF printing.

Enabling the Secure Global Desktop PDF printers

Secure Global Desktop has two PDF printers: Universal PDF and Print to Local PDF File.

On Windows client devices, the Universal PDF printer displays the print job as a PDF file in the Adobe Reader, which then prints the PDF file to the user's default printer. The Print to Local PDF File printer displays the print job as a PDF file in the Adobe Reader, which the user can then decide whether to print or save.

On UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X client devices, there is no difference between the Universal PDF and Print to Local PDF File printers as the print job is always displayed as a PDF file in a PDF viewer. The user can then decide whether to print or save the PDF file.

The following configuration is needed to enable the Secure Global Desktop PDF printers.

Configuring PDF printers on UNIX and Linux application servers

To use PDF printing, you must install a Secure Global Desktop printer on the application server using the Secure Global Desktop printer installation script.

Configuring PDF printers on Windows application servers

To use PDF printing, you must first choose and install the PostScript printer driver that will be used for PDF printing. Make sure the printer driver has sufficient features for your users. Install this printer driver on every Windows application server. By default, Secure Global Desktop is configured to use the HP Color LaserJet 8500 PS printer driver.

You enable the PDF printers for the whole array on the Printing properties panel in Array Manager. The settings on this panel can be overridden by the settings on the Printing panel for organization, organizational unit or person objects in Object Manager. You configure PDF printers as follows:

• Let users print to a PDF printer - check the box to enable the Universal PDF printer.
• Let users print to a PDF local file - check the box to enable the Print to Local PDF File printer.
• Driver name - type the name of the PostScript printer driver to use for PDF printing. The name must match the name of the printer driver installed on the Windows application server exactly. Pay particular attention to the use of capitals and spaces. The /opt/tarantella/etc/data/default.printerinfo.txt file contains all the common printer driver names ordered by manufacturer. To avoid errors, copy and paste the driver name from this file.
• (Optional) To make a PDF printer the default printer for Windows applications, check the box for Make PDF printer the default for Windows 2000/3 (the Universal PDF printer) or Make PDF file printer the default for Windows 2000/3 (the Print to Local PDF File printer).

Notes

• If you make a PDF printer the default printer for Windows applications and you have also configured Secure Global Desktop to only allow users to print to their default printer, users will see two printers in their Windows application: their default client printer and the PDF printer.
• If a PDF viewer is not configured on client devices, the PDF printers will not be available in the Windows application session even if a PDF printer has been enabled.

Changing the names of the PDF printers

The names of Secure Global Desktop PDF printers are configurable. You can amend these names:

• For the entire array by running the following commands:
  tarantella config edit --printing-pdfprinter name (for Universal PDF)
  tarantella config edit --printing-pdfviewer name (for Print to Local PDF File)
• For an organization, organizational unit or person object (user-specific printing configuration must be enabled) by running the following commands:
  tarantella object edit --name object --pdfprinter name (for Universal PDF)
  tarantella object edit --name object --pdfviewer name (for Print to Local PDF File)

Checking the Ghostscript installation on the Secure Global Desktop host

Secure Global Desktop uses Ghostscript to convert print jobs into PDF files. To use PDF printing, Ghostscript version 6.52 or later must be installed on the Secure Global Desktop host. Your Ghostscript distribution must include the ps2pdf program.

When you install Secure Global Desktop, Setup automatically detects Ghostscript if it is installed in one of the following locations:

• /usr/local/bin
• /usr/bin
• /opt/sfw/bin
• /bin
• /usr/sbin
• /sbin
• /usr/lbin

If Ghostscript is installed in a different location, you must run the Secure Global Desktop printer installation script (prtinstall.en.sh) with the --gsbindir option to tell Secure Global Desktop where to find Ghostscript.

If Ghostscript is not installed on the Secure Global Desktop host, or your Ghostscript distribution does not include the ps2pdf program, you must install it and then run the Secure Global Desktop printer installation script.

Configuring PDF viewers on client devices

To be able to use PDF printing, a PDF viewer must be installed on the client device.

Windows client devices

On Windows client devices, Secure Global Desktop supports the Adobe Reader version 4.0 or later.

UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X client devices

On UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X client devices, Secure Global Desktop supports the following PDF viewers by default:

To be able to use a default PDF viewer, the application must be on the user's PATH.

If an alternative PDF viewer is preferred, the command for the alternative viewer application can be configured in the user's client profile. In the profile you enter either the command or the full path to the command, depending on whether the application is on the user's PATH.

How to use PDF printing

From a Windows application, you print in the normal way and select either the Universal PDF or the Print to Local PDF File printer in the application's Print dialog.

From an application running on a UNIX or Linux application server, you print in the normal way using the Secure Global Desktop replacement lp or lpr scripts. You select a PDF printer as part of the print command, for example:

/opt/tarantella/bin/lp -d "Universal PDF" filename
/opt/tarantella/bin/lpr -P "Print to Local PDF File" filename

Note The filename must be a PostScript file, so the application must be able to output PostScript.

On Windows client devices, the PDF file is displayed in the Adobe Reader.

• If the Universal PDF printer was selected, the PDF file is printed automatically to the user's default printer. The Adobe Reader runs minimized and does not exit when the print job has finished.
• If the Print to Local PDF File printer was selected, the PDF file is displayed in the Adobe Reader window. The user can then decide whether to print or save the file.

On UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X client devices, the PDF file is displayed either in the default PDF viewer or in the PDF viewer configured in the client profile. The user can then decide whether to print or save the PDF file. There is no difference between the Universal PDF and the Print to Local PDF File printers as the print job is always displayed in a PDF viewer.

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