Princh alternative
A Princh alternative for the people you already know
Princh is made for public spaces, libraries above all: anyone walks in, prints from a browser and pays by card before the job prints. Commontray is made for members, clients and staff. They print from a browser too, but the charge goes on their account, and their documents wait for them at the printer.
The short answer
Princh or Commontray?
Choose Princh if the people printing are the public: anonymous visitors who should pay by card or phone before anything prints, with copying and scanning too. Choose Commontray if they’re members, clients or staff with accounts, and you want documents held for them, color charged page by page and charges on their account instead of their card.
Choose Princh if…
- Walk-in visitors print without an account.
- People should pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay before anything prints.
- You want copying and scanning paid for the same way.
- You run a library, hotel, campus or print shop.
- You’d like Princh to handle payment agreements and pay out your revenue.
Choose Commontray if…
- The people printing are members, clients or staff with accounts.
- Charges should go on their account, credit or invoice.
- Documents should wait until that person is at the printer.
- You want color charged only on the pages that have it.
- You want reports by member, printer and day.
Side by side
Commontray and Princh, compared
| Commontray | Princh | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Coworking spaces, serviced offices and companies | Libraries and other public spaces, hotels, universities, print shops |
| Who prints | Members, clients and staff, who sign in | Anyone. No account, user name or password needed |
| On people’s devices | Nothing. They use a web page. | Nothing. A web page, with optional iOS and Android apps |
| Choosing the printer | Scan the printer’s QR sticker or pick it from a list | Scan the QR code near the printer or type its 6-digit printer ID |
| How people pay | After printing: credit first, then their account (Nexudus) or your CSV | Before printing: card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and other methods |
| Documents held for the person | Yes | Paying releases the job; staff can also release from the admin panel |
| Color charged page by page | Yes | Check with Princh |
| Copying and scanning | No | Yes |
| What runs at your site | A computer you already have, or the Commontray Box | The Princh Cloud Connector on Windows or Debian-based Linux (8 GB memory, 30 GB disk), or a supported Ricoh MFP |
| How it’s priced | Per location, any number of people: free for one printer, then $29 or $59 a month | Quote on request; 30-day free trial with no payment details |
Princh details are from Princh’s own public website and documentation, checked in November 2026. Products and prices change, so check with them before you decide. Commontray prices are per location, in US dollars.
Where these facts come from
- Princh: How to use Princh
- Princh: The ultimate guide to Princh (payments, revenue, accounts)
- Princh: Self-service printing for public spaces and shared workspaces
- Princh: Technical overview and requirements
- Princh: 30-day free trial
- Princh support: key features and benefits
Checked November 2026.
Credit where it’s due
What Princh does well
No accounts at all
Visitors print without signing up for anything, which is exactly right for a library or a hotel lobby.
Payments taken care of
Princh holds the payment agreements, takes card and mobile payments, and pays the revenue out to you with a statement.
More than printing
Copying and scanning can be paid for in the same way as printing.
Many locations
One web admin panel covers every location and printer, where staff can release documents and cancel payments.
Where Commontray is different
Made for people who come back every day
On their account, not their card
Members don’t get their card out for every print. Pages go on their account, printing credit first, and are billed with their membership. See charging and credits.
Held for the right person
Documents wait until the person who sent them scans the printer’s sticker, so nobody walks off with someone else’s contract. See print release.
Color, page by page
Color is charged only on pages with color, and only after the printer reports them printed.
Reports by member
See pages and spend per member, printer and day, and download a CSV with a row per job. See reports.
Questions
Princh alternative questions
Can people pay by card at the printer with Commontray?
No. Commontray charges the person’s account after the job prints: printing credit first, then their invoice through the Nexudus integration, or a CSV you bill from. If most of your printing comes from walk-in visitors paying by card, Princh is the better fit.
Can visitors print without an account?
Not with Commontray. Everyone who prints signs in on the print page, which is what lets Commontray hold documents for the right person and put the charge on the right account.
Does Commontray handle copying and scanning?
No, Commontray manages printing only. Princh offers copying and scanning as well as printing.
Is Commontray suitable for a public library?
Commontray is designed for members, clients and staff who have accounts, not for anonymous public printing. For a library, a pay-as-you-print service like Princh is built for exactly that.
What do we need at the site?
A computer you already have (Windows, macOS or Linux, including a Raspberry Pi), or the Commontray Box. Princh lists a Windows or Debian-based Linux computer with at least 8 GB of memory for its connector, or a supported Ricoh MFP.
Printing for members, not walk-ins.
Try Commontray on one printer, free. Members sign in once and print from their own devices.