Features
Print management features, from phone to paper tray.
Commontray covers the whole trip a page takes in a shared space: sent from someone’s phone, held until they’re at the printer, printed, counted and, if you like, charged. These are the print management features that make each step work, and the ones that keep the printers themselves in line.
Printing
- Mobile printing01
Print PDFs, photos and Office files from any phone, tablet or laptop browser. No drivers, no app.
- Secure print release02
Documents wait until people scan the printer’s QR code or tap Print now. No badges or card readers.
- Email to print03
One print address for your space. Attachments wait in the sender’s list until they’re at the printer.
Money and numbers
- Charging & credits04
Per-page prices, color detected page by page, credit first, charged only after printing.
- Reports05
Who printed what, on which printer, and what it cost. CSV with one row per job.
Running it
- Printer alerts06
Problems in plain words, to email, Slack, Microsoft Teams or Google Chat.
- Commontray Box07
A plug-in box with a screen for the release code, and a port that takes printers off the network.
- Security08
No print server, no drivers on laptops, no inbound ports, documents deleted after printing.
Also included
The things you’d only notice if they were missing.
Office files
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OpenDocument and RTF print when LibreOffice is on the Commontray computer. The Box has it built in.
A4 and Letter
Pages are fitted and turned to the paper. Prices are set per paper size.
A secure web address
Reach the print and admin pages from anywhere, with no port forwarding, DNS or certificates to set up.
Updates itself
Overnight, at a different minute for each site, never in the middle of a job, and only with builds signed by Commontray.
Windows, macOS, Linux
One self-contained file on x64 or ARM64, including a Raspberry Pi. Nothing else to install.
Change log
Every change on the admin page is logged with who made it.
What you won’t need.
Most print management software adds parts. Commontray works with what you have: printers, a network, and the phones and laptops people already carry.
- A print server, or a cloud connector per printer.
- Printer drivers or an app on anyone’s phone or laptop.
- Card readers, badges or a release terminal at each printer.
- Port forwarding, VPNs or certificates to print from outside.
- A spreadsheet at the end of the month.
Questions
Feature questions
Is every feature in every plan?
Printing from phones and laptops, release in the app and reports are in every plan, including Free. Secure release with QR codes, email to print and alerts start with Team; charging and credits are in Space. See pricing.
What do we need to install?
Commontray itself, once, on a computer at your site that stays on (Windows, macOS or Linux, including a Raspberry Pi), or the Commontray Box. Nothing on anyone else’s device.
Which printers does it work with?
Network printers that accept PDF or support IPP Everywhere, in A4 and Letter. Run the free printer checker to see which of yours do.
Can we use only some features?
Yes. Every printer has its own release setting, charging can stay off, and email to print and alerts are off until you set them up.
Your printers, minus the hassle.
Set up Commontray on a computer you already have or plug in the Commontray Box. Most spaces print their first page in under half an hour.