Printing Documents
Here are some details on different methods you can use to print documents from Fuuz.
Within your web browser, you can utilize the Ctrl+P option, as well as the print function available from the browser tool menu, on literally any screen, dashboard, report or document within the Fuuz Platform. This option requires no configuration on the Fuuz end, or on your device.
Here's a short video on setting up "Silent Printing" in the Chrome browser for simple printing configurations:
🎥 Video walkthrough: Watch on Vimeo
Kiosk printing is best used when your work unit configuration is relatively simple: you have a work unit control panel, you have a single barcode printer you wish to use, and you do not print a high volume of labels.
We consider a high volume of labels to be when you are printing labels and/or posting production more frequently than it is feasible for a human to manually enter this info into the Fuuz application due to the speed of the process.
If you have an environment where it's physically not possible for a user to enter data into the Fuuz application, generate their labels, and apply those labels as required prior to the next reporting becoming necessary, you likely need to consider implementing automation and the Edge Gateway.
In most cases, production personnel have sufficient time to use the application — via a control panel interface between each production output of the machine that needs to be posted to the system. In these typical use cases, Option 1 or 2 should work very well.
If you decide to configure Kiosk printing, you have to consider some of the options available to you:
- Kiosk printing mode only — this leaves the browser controls accessible to the end user, allowing them to close the browser, navigate away, etc.
- Kiosk printing + Kiosk mode — this presents the Fuuz application in a full kiosk window, which eliminates all browser controls, helping to minimize the occurrences of shop floor personnel closing windows by accident, gaining access to sites other than Fuuz, or gaining access to browser settings/configurations which could pose a security risk to the company.
Note: You will need to be logged in as Administrator to perform these tasks.
There are methods to generate your desktop shortcut to enable either mode of Kiosk printing as described above, depending on whether you're doing this on a PC, smartphone, tablet, etc., and which operating system you're using. Our documentation focuses on the standard Microsoft PC user case.
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Navigate to your desired application within Fuuz — many times for this use case it will be a control panel, or perhaps a mobile application you plan to use.
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Click the "share" page link at the top right corner of the screen.
After clicking the link, you should see this blue snack bar message appear:
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Create a new desktop shortcut. The simple way to do this is to copy your existing Chrome browser shortcut and paste a copy to your desktop.
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Right-click on the new icon and select Properties.
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Update the "Target" field. In the Target field, you'll notice the existing information should look something like this:
"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"Add the Kiosk Printing option of your preference:
- Kiosk Printing only:
--kiosk-printing - Kiosk Print + Kiosk Mode:
--kiosk --kiosk-printing
When finished it should look something like this (Kiosk Printing only example):
"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk-printingNow append the URL parameters that you previously copied from Fuuz, pasted at the end with a space after the word printing:
"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk-printing https://build.mfgx.fuuz.app/shopFloorExecution/controlPanels/controlPanelDmoV2/1586 - Kiosk Printing only:
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Click "OK".
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Reboot the machine. (If you prefer, you can go to the Task Manager and end all "Chrome" processes instead of doing a full reboot.)
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Launch Chrome. Now your window will open in Kiosk Printing mode.
Important: The page you've navigated to within Fuuz must also be configured properly — the Flow Action which returns the printed document must include the "Auto Print" and an Auto Window Close property (see below example). This needs to be done by your Fuuz Admin. If your screen in Fuuz is not configured as such (any action that results in a document being generated/printed), then this setup will not work as expected.
With the above configuration, Kiosk Printing in the Chrome browser handles the final step of the printing process for you — meaning it issues the print command to whatever printer you have configured as the "default" for the browser, or by the PC if you allow the OS to handle default printing configurations.
The Fuuz screen settings above handle the first step in the printing process for any rendered document page, which replaces the need for a user to click the "print" option when a PDF appears. These two things (Chrome + Fuuz) work in combination to automatically print any document without the end user having to be involved in the process.
This short video clip provides a glimpse of how this will look for the end user. The document appears briefly, Fuuz clicks the print button, Chrome then submits the print to the printer, and the page with the label is closed after 1 second; the user is then returned to the original page to continue their work.
🎥 Video walkthrough: Watch on Vimeo
🎥 Video walkthrough: Watch on Vimeo
Workcenter or other printing station with multiple printers attached: the Chrome Kiosk printing option presented above would not be a viable solution. However, you may still choose to use the Fuuz configuration described above to save a few clicks for the end user — you may just not want Chrome to submit the print job to your default printer. Instead, you may require your user to select a printer. This can work well with multiple printers, varying stock sizes, and printing different types of documents from one machine (e.g., travelers/packing slips and labels).
- Label/document not printing to the correct printer? Double-check both the browser printers and your device default printer settings to make sure you have only one default printer configured.
- Label/document is not printing at the proper size? Check the device printer drivers on the machine doing the printing — make sure the properties are set accordingly; this may require several test prints. Fuuz has no control over the printer driver configurations — you may need to consult the hardware vendor for more detailed information if your print is not scaled or rendering properly.
- Label/document is not printing at all? Sometimes this can happen, especially when printing PDF documents to ZPL printers — you likely need to update your printer firmware. Search for information on this from your hardware vendor, for example: PDF Direct Activation or Printing a PDF File Using the ZDesigner Driver.
Various printing device manufacturers may have different requirements, which could include firmware, drivers, or even hardware, to make their printers compatible with PDFs.
If your printing hardware is incompatible with PDFs, alternatives include: purchasing new hardware (the least time-consuming and costly option), or engaging with Fuuz or a partner to help you author a flow that would generate native printer code (ZPL, IPL, etc.) — this is not a standard part of our deployment methodology, as Fuuz supports PDF printing only via its document designer capabilities.
Example printer configuration window for the Windows ZPL driver — as noted, Fuuz will not override these settings, so take care to set them according to your specific requirements:
Important: Please be aware that MFGx provides no guarantee that this method of printing or Chrome configuration will always function. Google may introduce or remove features that could impact silent printing capabilities. Users implementing third-party services take responsibility for those services, and MFGx cannot provide support if they cease to function, except through potential paid engagements to implement alternative solutions.
Utilizing the Edge Gateway, you can set up much more intuitive or robust printing solutions for any documents generated in Fuuz, based on any user interaction, integration, or event. This will require the installation of drivers specific to your printing requirements.
A brief video describing this capability can be found here:
🎥 Video walkthrough: Watch on Vimeo
The Edge Gateway provides a comprehensive printing solution for documents that require more complex setups or automated printing based on specific parameters. With the Edge Gateway, you can automatically print documents to designated printers or devices, including direct printing to PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). The Gateway applies logic to determine where documents should be printed based on various parameters, such as user, workstation, work order, packaging type, and more.
Note: In most circumstances when using the Gateway, unless you have trained personnel on staff that know how to configure devices, you will need to submit a support case so our engineering team can assist in the configuration.
- Log in to Fuuz as an administrator.
- Open the Fuuz Apps list.
- Download the latest version of the Edge Gateway available on the screen.
- Install the Edge Gateway executable file on the desired machine. The Gateway can be installed on a virtual machine, client PC, or physical server.
- Once the installation is complete, open a browser tab and enter
localhost:5500in the address bar. This will launch the internal web browser for the Gateway.
- On the Gateway login screen, enter your email address or API key, password, and subdomain.
- Click Log in to proceed.
- Select the desired tenant from the provided options.
- Complete the login process.
- After successfully logging in, the Gateway will synchronize with the selected tenant.
- Install the Gateway drivers by following the instructions available in the Fuuz knowledge base. The TCP printer driver is commonly used for printing.
- Configure the TCP printer driver to address the printers over the network using their IP addresses.
- Associate the printers with specific work centers, or configure advanced flows based on specific parameters.
- Work with the Fuuz implementation team or refer to the knowledge base for detailed guidance on configuring printers and utilizing parameters for automated printing.
- Once the Gateway and printers are installed and configured, you can initiate printing from within Fuuz.
- Generate the desired document, or navigate to the relevant page or screen that requires printing.
- Depending on the configured parameters, the Edge Gateway will automatically send the document to the designated printer or device.
- Monitor the Gateway's status and any connected devices through the internal web browser interface.
The Edge Gateway provides a powerful printing solution for Fuuz documents, enabling automated and efficient printing based on various parameters. By leveraging the Edge Gateway, you can streamline the printing process, print documents to designated printers or devices, and automate printing based on specific criteria. For further assistance or in-depth guidance, refer to the Fuuz knowledge base or consult your implementation partner.
- Printing-Documents-From-Fuuz
- Edge-Gateway-Flows
- Edge-Connections-Complete-Industrial-Integration-Reference
- Fuuz-Connections-help-you-integrate-your-Systems-and-Devices
Source: support.fuuz.com