Pacejet

Printing Setup Without Shared Printers


Overview

By default, Descartes Pacejet printing is designed for shared printers on the network. In some environments, shared printers are not allowed or are difficult to manage. This article describes how to configure Pacejet printing to use local, non-shared printers while still supporting standard Pacejet printing workflows.

This configuration is intended for advanced users or administrators who are comfortable editing Windows configuration files. Always create backups before you change settings.

Warning: This configuration is not the standard Pacejet recommendation and may not be supported in every environment. Test thoroughly in a non-production environment before you use it for live shipping.


Prerequisites

Before you begin, confirm the following:

  • You have administrator access to the Windows workstation or server that runs the Pacejet Connector.

  • You can edit and save files in the Pacejet Connector installation directory.

  • You have a local printer installed on the machine where the Pacejet Connector runs.


Define a Printer in the Pacejet Assets Page

First, configure a printer asset in Descartes Pacejet that corresponds to a local printer installed on the Windows machine. This printer should not be shared on the network.

  1. In Descartes Pacejet, open the Assets page.

  2. Add a new printer asset or edit an existing one.

  3. Set the printer's name to include both the local machine name and the printer's name you will use, for example: DSGW-US-64X7H94 Bullzip PDF Printer.

  4. Configure the printer so that Windows printer sharing is turned off.

Pacejet Assets printer configuration showing the printer's name:

Windows printer properties displaying the printer's name:


Windows printer properties with printer sharing disable:


Configure the PrinterKey in the Pacejet Connector

Next, update the Pacejet Connector configuration so it knows which local printer or printers to use.

  1. On the Windows workstation or server, open the Start menu or search bar and search for Pacejet Connector.

  2. Select Pacejet Connector to open the folder containing the Pacejet Connector configuration files.

  3. Locate the PacejetConnector.exe.config file.

  4. Create a backup copy of PacejetConnector.exe.config in the same folder so you can restore it if needed.

  5. Edit the original PacejetConnector.exe.config file in a text editor such as Notepad.

  6. Add or update the PrinterKey setting to specify the full Windows printer path.

Example configuration for a single printer:

<setting name="PrinterKey" serializeAs="String">
  <value>\\DSGW-US-64X7H94\Bullzip PDF Printer</value>
</setting>

In this example:

  • DSGW-US-64X7H94 is the Windows computer name.

  • Bullzip PDF Printer is the printer name as shown in Windows printer properties.

For multiple printers, use a comma-separated list of printer paths in the value, for example:

<setting name="PrinterKey" serializeAs="String">
  <value>\\DSGW-US-5ZL2V74\Bullzip,\\DSGW-US-5ZL2V74\Snagit</value>
</setting>

Use the exact printer names shown in Windows printer properties. If the names do not match, printing may fail.


Windows File Explorer view of the Pacejet Connector configuration folder:


Text editor showing the updated PacejetConnector.exe.config file with the PrinterKey setting:


Stop and Start the Printing Service

After you save the configuration changes, you'll need to restart the printer service to detect the new settings.

  1. Click the stop icon on the Pacejet Connector settings page

  2. Click the play icon on the Pacejet Connector settings page

  3. Verify the Print Service Status indicates as "Running".

Connector Settings page to start/stop the print service:


Test Printing From the Reprints Page

After you save the configuration changes and stop/start the printing service, test printing to confirm that the local, non-shared printer is working as expected.

  1. In Descartes Pacejet, open the Reprints page.

  2. Select a document to reprint.

  3. In the printer selection area, choose the printer you configured in the Assets page.

  4. Send the print job and confirm that it prints successfully on the local printer.

Screenshot: Reprints page showing selection of the configured printer.

Tip:

If the printer does not appear or printing fails, double-check the PrinterKey value, the Windows printer name and that the printer is installed on the same machine where the Pacejet Connector runs.


Troubleshooting and Rollback

If printing does not work after you change the configuration:

  • Verify that the printer is online and can print from other Windows applications on the same machine.

  • Confirm that the PrinterKey value matches the exact printer's name shown in Windows printer properties.

  • Remove extra spaces or characters from the PrinterKey value, especially when using multiple printers.

  • Restart the Pacejet Connector service or the workstation if changes do not take effect.

If you need to undo your changes, replace the modified PacejetConnector.exe.config file with the backup copy you created in Step 2 (Configure the PrinterKey in the Pacejet Connector).


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