Printing a document from a remote computer can save you a lot of time. RealVNC Connect V8 makes this very easy.
Printing from Remote Computers
Organizations with many branches often need printed copies of documents from said branches. For example, in retail, the headquarters often keeps printed copies of receipts from stores.
A RealVNC customer in this field told us how they would often need, before using our product, to have paper documents shipped to HQ. Of course, shipping costs were significant.
Once they started to use RealVNC Connect, the first obvious solution was to use the File Transfer feature. They could then securely transfer documents in bulk. Once they were on the device in their headquarters, these were printed and filed.
This is one way to do it, and the upgraded File Manager feature can be very helpful.
Yet, even that adds an extra step to the process. You need to transfer the file, then open it on your computer. And only then can you print it.
Our customer told us that everything changed for the better the moment they discovered that files can be printed remotely. They could connect to the store computer, open the file on there, and then just print it on their local printer.
If you want to do the same, here’s how.
How To Print a Remote Document on Your Local Printer
We’ll assume that you’ve previously connected to the computer that the document is on.
Start by connecting as you normally would.
Find the file you would like to print on the remote computer.
In the meantime, make sure that the printer you would like to use is the default one on the computer you’re connecting from. And, of course, that it’s switched on.
Once you have found the file, open it and give the print command as you normally would (Ctrl + P on Windows or Command + P if you’re on a Mac).
For this example, we’re using a PDF file, but things won’t differ much on any other file types.
This is where things get interesting. If you select the Printer you want to print on, you will notice that a new printer is now available to print on. It’s your local printer “…via VNC”. Select that printer.
Now just print as you would locally. RealVNC Connect v8 will do the rest of the job for you. As a consequence, the document will print on your local printer. It will be just as if you were printing from your own computer.
No need for transferring files and storing them locally.
Try RealVNC Connect V8 Now!
Remote printing, together with other interesting features, is part of the latest and greatest iteration of RealVNC Connect. We’re talking, of course, about Version 8.
If you haven’t already given it a go, what are you waiting for? A free trial is available here.
