My company needs to be able to print hundreds of documents every day. However, not all our documents have the same hard copy requirements. Because of our manager’s requirements, some documents need to be printed duplex, some in color. There are some other requirements as well.
My employees used to print documents incorrectly, in the wrong format. This resulted in needing to print documents all over again. Not only did this waste time but it also wasted money on paper and printer toner.
Is there a program I can use to automatically print documents and ensure each one is printed exactly as needed? I would also like the ability to convert printed documents into PDF/A for archiving purposes.
Thankfully, there is a program that has all the capabilities you need to eliminate mistakes and wastage. That program is FolderMill. Using this software, you can make sure that all your company’s documents are always printed correctly. It also automatically converts the same documents into PDF.
First, you’ll need to download and install FolderMill on the server side of your network. Don’t worry, this is quite easy to do. Simply install the program onto one of your file servers or regular desktop PCs and you’ll be ready to configure the program for your employees to use.
Once you have the program installed, you’ll then set up specific “Hot Folders” to carry out the tasks you need. You will be able to create and configure separate folders to perform specific tasks.
This is the beauty of FolderMill. Once configured, the end users (employees) will onlyneed to drop documents into the appropriate folder — and the software will take care of the rest. No opportunity for mistakes and no more wasted paper or toner!
For example, some documents need to be printed in duplex, or on both sides of the paper. You will create a “Hot Folder” and configure it to print documents in duplex. When employees place their documents into this folder, the software automatically prints each document in duplex.
You will apply this same logic to each of your printing and manager’s preferences. If you want to print copies of a document in color for senior management, you just create a “Hot Folder” that is configured to print documents in color. You can create as many “Hot Folders” as needed to make sure your documents are printed correctly — the first time, and every time.
With FolderMill you can also automatically convert documents into PDF or image files. You can simply add one more action to the “Hot Folder” processing rules. This way, you are able to combine printing documents and converting to PDF or PDF/A.
For example, you may create PowerPoint presentations for a meeting but also want the ability for management or employees to view the presentations on their mobile devices. Everything you need is to place this presentation into a “Hot Folder” and it will be printed on a selected printer using certain settings and converted to PDF at the same time!
The possibilities are just about endless. No matter what your printing requirements you will be able to configure FolderMill to carry them out. Plus, there is no special training or skills required. Employees simply drag and drop files into a particular folder and the assigned actions are done.
Most importantly, though, is that mistakes and errors are now a thing of the past. You don’t have to worry about employees printing documents in the wrong format, forgetting to print something, or wasting money on extra paper and toner. Now your documents are printed exactly how you need them, without the possibility of errors.
Hopefully, this article showed you how you can use “Hot Folders” to batch print all your documents however you need them printed. Be sure to visit our Use Cases page for help with any other problems and stay tuned for new updates from fCoder.