It’s a common requirement for enterprises to be able to print from an SAP environment, whether it’s for bulk printing, label printing or for other documents such as production orders from the front-end. This article discusses the options for using ezeep Blue for front- and back-end printing in S/4HANA on premises and S/4HANA Cloud.
SAP Printing Issues #1: Front-End Printing in SAP
SAP offers numerous options for print output for different usage scenarios. However, SAP defines front-end printing in SAP with several restrictions. It cannot be used for back-end printing, and it should not be used for production or bulk printing. Various ways to enable front-end printing in SAP are explained in a SAP community article from 2022, however these methods have varying levels of complexity and are not easily implementable out-of-the-box.
The main challenge for end customers is ensuring that local printers are accessible output devices from the SAP front-end, like Fiori, in remote offices without a VPN. Similarly, it is a common requirement to be able to print to network printers, as well as it to work for a variety of printer models, such as label printers as well as just office printers – all without too much complexity or maintenance.
This is where ezeep Blue presents itself as an ideal solution. The company with over 20 years’ experience in print management offers solutions to enterprises today which require front-end printing in SAP from their applications.
Setting Up ezeep Blue for SAP Printing
ezeep Blue offers two ways to connect printers to the cloud. The ezeep Blue Connector software can be installed on a print server or workstation with the installed printers. Alternatively, the ezeep Hub can be connected to the network, eliminating software installations altogether. With this hardware, print jobs are rendered in the cloud instead of on a server or a local device, giving companies the opportunity to migrate fully to the cloud and decommission on premises print servers if needed.
Print to Network and Local Printers From Any Device and Location
ezeep Blue ensures thereafter that the desired printers, whether remote or local, are addressable without VPNs or driver deployment to end points. End users can print in SAP, whether for their PO, billing document, work order and so on. The device used and printer model becomes almost entirely irrelevant thanks to ezeep’s proprietary printer mapping and driver mapping technology – AutoConnect and the ThinPrint Output Gateway, which run on an ezeep Blue print app on the end point.
In comparison to other print management solutions, ezeep Blue’s solution for front-end printing in SAP offers broader support for different printer models – even if no print server is used. Printing to label printers from EWM, which is a common scenario in SAP, is simplified by ezeep’s technology which can reliably map these types of printers too. ezeep is also a certified partner with key label printer manufacturers, such as Zebra, to ensure long-term compatibility.
Back-End Printing from SAP
ezeep Blue supports back-end printing as well, i.e. large-scale, automated print jobs which are triggered by applications without any user interaction. Whether you are looking to print multiple invoices in SAP automatically or need to manage label printing in SAP EWM, ezeep Blue is the ideal SAP print service.
There are different ways to automate printing from SAP with ezeep Blue. A popular method is based on the SAP integration from our partner Make.
After establishing the connection, Make provides triggers which can retrieve data to be printed.
The ezeep Blue module in Make establishes the connection to the ezeep organization and allows access to the printers. As with any ezeep Blue scenario, you can easily add printers to SAP and to configure them as seen fit within the ezeep Blue Admin Portal.
One of the advantages of ezeep Blue is its cloud rendering service. There is no need for print servers on-site. As mentioned previously, the ezeep Hub works as a connector without requiring VPN and local printer drivers to address the target printers.
Another possible scenario for bulk printing operations from SAP or other ERP/CRM systems is the automated printing of documents or labels from a storage (Scenario 2) to a Zebra printer, for example. For instance, labels generated by SAP are uploaded to OneDrive. With Make and ezeep Blue, one can easily set up a workflow to print these labels automatically on the configured printers in any location.
ezeep Blue has helped companies to achieve reliable and efficient printing from the backend from SAP. You can read more about how such a requirement was met for one of our customers on our customer stories page.
Reducing the Management Burden in Large Enterprises
ezeep Blue doesn’t just solve SAP printing issues with local or network printers. Admins and end users have more time to work on the tasks which really matter. By streamlining the way print output is managed in enterprises, ezeep Blue frees up more time for IT admins, reduces the amount of help desk tickets and makes print management more efficient. This efficiency becomes even more tangible in larger enterprises, which have hundreds of users printing and dozens of printers in remote production sites and warehouses. Admins can more easily manage remote printers with the ezeep Hub at these types of sites. Suddenly, no on-site expertise or print infrastructure is required at the location as any admin can remotely manage those Hubs and printers from any browser, anywhere. These time savings can also be added to the savings made when site-to-site VPNs which are only needed for printing are eliminated, or the costs saved by reducing server running costs, licensing costs and energy costs.
Contact Us to Discuss Your SAP Printing Use Case
Getting started with ezeep Blue and create your own ezeep Blue organization for free. Simply visit our getting started page. You can also contact a member of our team to discuss your unique requirements for front-end printing in SAP in person. We would be happy to demonstrate our solution.