by
Brian Madden
Net2Printer announced today that their printing products have been
extended to fully support Terminal Server environments. Net2Printer's product has several similarities to other third-party printing solutions. It installs a virtual printer on the Terminal Server and then uses standard TCP/IP (outside of the RDP or ICA connection) to transmit the encapsulated print data to the client. The client can be the actual user's client device or a print server. Installing the client software on end-users' client devices provides the "standard" functionality that let's the user preview the print job and print it to a local printer. Installing the client on a print server allows Net2Printer to be used in environments where client devices cannot support local software installations or where many users only use a few network printers.
I'd never heard of Net2Printer prior to today's press release. What's interesting about their product is that a user can print to any Net2Printer in the world (assuming correct permissions, etc.). For example, this could allow consultants to securely print documents directly on their customers' printers, or it could allow you to print your breakup letter directly on your girlfriend's printer.
Like ThinPrint, Net2Printer's core focus is on printing in general, not just printing in Terminal Server environments. To that end, Net2Printer offers personal, print server, and email server versions of their product in addition to the Terminal Server version. All of these products can be linked together to create a unified printing environment. (And, since Net2Printer's core technology allows you to securely connect printers via the Internet, this unified printing environment can be extended to partners, suppliers, customers, etc.)
Net2Printer has an interesting licensing model, with all products offered as a service. Client licenses and Terminal Server licenses cost $80 each, and installing the software on a print server costs $395 per year. Net2Printer is a small company, so I'm sure pricing is negotiatable for larger installations.
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