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Feature Overview

This page gives an overview of the most important features of PLOSSYS Output Engine. For architectural details, refer to Architecture Overview.

Architecture & Operation

  • Microservice Architecture

    PLOSSYS Output Engine consists of a modular, scalable microservice architecture, see Services.

  • On-Premises and Cloud Operation

    PLOSSYS Output Engine supports on-premises and cloud operation as distinct deployment scenarios, see Architecture Overview and Installation Scenario.

  • Cloud Orchestration

    Kubernetes and OpenShift are supported, including the managed services Amazon EKS, Google Cloud GKE, Microsoft Azure AKS, and Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated, see Installation Scenario.

  • Cluster Operation

    At least three Output Engine servers and one management server are required, with an odd total number of servers. All servers share a common MongoDB database, which is a prerequisite for every installation, see the installation requirements for Windows or for Linux.

  • Automatic Printer Distribution in a Cluster

    Printers are automatically distributed across the available service instances of a cluster, see Architecture Overview.

  • Fail-Safe Configuration and Messaging

    Consul distributes the configuration across the cluster in a fail-safe way and can be secured with an access token, see secure Consul for Windows or for Linux. NATS acts as a fail-safe message broker.

  • Failover and Load-Balancing Queues

    At printer level, virtual queues of type failover redirect jobs after an error, and queues of type loadbalancer distribute jobs across several printers, see Virtual Queues.

  • TLS-Encrypted Service Communication

    Communication between the internal services is encrypted with TLS, using self-signed or CA-signed certificates, see the security configuration overview for Windows or for Linux.

  • OIDC Authentication

    Web-based authentication uses OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect against an OIDC identity provider, see configure OIDC for Windows or for Linux.

  • IBM POWER / s390x Support

    PLOSSYS Output Engine can be operated on the s390x processor architecture. This is only available on Linux, see Preconditions.

  • Remote Print Agents

    Locations without their own PLOSSYS Output Engine installation can be connected via Remote Print Agents, with central logging that identifies the location of each log entry, see Remote Print Agent Overview.

  • Custom Flows Preserved on Update

    Custom processing flows are preserved during an update and are not overwritten by standard flows, see Administrate Flows with PLOSSYS CLI.

  • Backup and Restore

    Backup and restore procedures are documented for the management server and the Output Engine server, see Backup Management Server and Backup Output Engine Server.

  • Job Repeat and Automatic Retry

    Already output jobs can be output again with plossys job repeat, see Administrate Jobs with PLOSSYS CLI. If a printer is unreachable, a job is repeated automatically without repeating preprocessing, up to a configurable maximum number of attempts.

  • PLOSSYS Infoclient

    External tool showing client-side status notifications for output jobs in a tray icon. PLOSSYS Output Engine provides the interface for it via the seal-job-notifier service, see Portlist and the PLOSSYS Infoclient documentation.

Printers, Formats & Devices

  • LPR, IPP & IPPS

    PLOSSYS Output Engine supports the standard printing protocols LPR, IPP, and IPPS, see IPP Commands and IPP Attribute Mapping. External systems, such as SEAL Operator, can be informed about the progress of output jobs via IPP notifications.

  • Driverless Windows Printing

    As of version 7.3.0, jobs are converted to PDF and IPP attributes are exposed in the Windows printing dialog, without distributing a printer driver. Currently supported attributes are stapling, punching, tray selection, color selection, and simplex/duplex printing, see Windows Printing.

  • Large and Small Format Printing

    As of version 5.6.0, large format printing up to A0/E and roll formats, and small format printing from A4 to A3 and Letter/Legal/Tabloid, are supported with 22 preconfigured PPD files, see Scale and Rotate and PPD Files.

  • easyPRIMA

    Central, cross-system database for distributing printers to PLOSSYS 4, PLOSSYS Output Engine, SAP, and Windows, see the easyPRIMA documentation.

  • SEAL MasterDriver and APW

    Complementary SEAL Systems components for Windows printing, offering a wider range of functions than the driverless IPP approach, see the SEAL APW Service documentation.

  • SEAL IPP Proxy

    Complementary SEAL Systems product used by PLOSSYS Output Engine and Local Spooler. It copies output jobs via IPP from a source to a target system, retrieving them through a firewall from a cloud-side IPP server, see the SEAL IPP Proxy documentation.

  • Local Spooler

    Complementary, spool-only SEAL Systems product that forwards output jobs via IPP to a central PLOSSYS Output Engine system, see the Local Spooler documentation. For the opposite direction, from a central PLOSSYS Output Engine to locations without their own installation, refer to Remote Print Agent Overview.

  • Configurable Device Properties

    Number of input trays and finishing options for stapling, punching, folding, and sorting are configurable per printer, see the Printer Keys reference.

  • Queue Configuration

    Queues can be configured with default or override job parameters, a connection timeout, and dynamic routing to output channels via route conditions, see the Printer Keys reference and Job Object Route Condition.

  • Page Failover for PJL Output

    A job interrupted by a printer error is continued from the last printed page instead of being restarted, see Use PJL Output.

  • Print Preview

    PLOSSYS Administrator provides a visual preview of the output job.

  • DPF Connection

    Complex input formats, including office and CAD formats, can be converted via SEAL DPF, as of DPF version 3.0.0, see DPF Conversion.

  • PDF-to-PostScript Conversion

    PDF files can be converted to PostScript using an integrated Ghostscript conversion, without an external tool.

  • Device Monitoring

    The device status, such as error or warning states, can be displayed in an additional column in PLOSSYS Administrator and updated manually, with a detail dialog, see configure Device Monitoring for Windows or for Linux.

  • Document Streams

    A series of individual documents can be printed without interruption as a document stream, with a configurable inactivity timeout, see Document Streams.

  • Secure&Pickup Printing

    Jobs are held in a pickup queue until the user authenticates at the printer. Genius Bytes CDDS provides device-independent integration for printers such as Kyocera, Lexmark, RICOH, and Samsung; a direct IPP connection is available for proprietary systems such as RICOH FlexRelease, see configure Secure&Pickup Printing for Windows or for Linux.

  • Native Jobs

    Output jobs can be passed through unchanged, without any conversion, see Send Native Job.

SAP Integration

  • BC-XOM Interface

    Certified interface connecting SAP to PLOSSYS Output Engine via IPP/IPPS, including job status feedback via RFC callback, see configure output from SAP for Windows or for Linux.

  • SAPGOF Converter

    Converts SAP output in OTF format to PDF, see Services.

  • Stamping and Watermarking for SAP Output

    Configurable stamp text, including any job property variable such as the user name, see configure SAPGOF Stamp for Windows or for Linux.

  • SAP oData Print API

    Included by default as of S/4HANA 2025 on-premises and private cloud; usable as of S/4HANA 2022 (SAP_BASIS 757) with SAP Note 3420465. Supports the communication scenarios SAP_COM_0466 and SAP_COM_0467, optionally with the Fiori app Maintain Print Queues, see Configure Access to SAP OData Print API.

  • SNC/SSO for SAP RFC Communication

    Secure Network Communications protects the RFC communication with SAP, with single sign-on via certificate instead of password, see Secure SAP Spool.

  • SAPWIN Format Support

    Output jobs in SAPWIN format are converted and output via the seal-convert-sapwin service, see Output SAPWIN Files.

Mobile Printing

  • PLOSSYS Mobile Client

    Formerly PLOSSYS DocPrint App, requires a SEAL Operator server, at least version 1.6.0. Offers two core functions: mobile printing, sending output jobs directly from the smartphone, and pickup printing, where jobs are released at the printer only after the user authenticates, see the SEAL Operator/SEAL Print Client documentation.

Performance

  • High Printing Volume

    Millions of printed pages per day are possible, see PLOSSYS Output Engine is ....

  • Short Throughput Times

    Throughput times of less than 0.1 seconds per output job are possible in the spool-only mode, suitable for time-critical applications, such as label printing in production, see Output Copies with Spool-only Jobs.

Accounting, Logging & Monitoring

  • Accounting

    Permanently active and cannot be disabled. Records, for example, the device model, printer, account, endpoint, user, and number of pages by size and color, see Accounting.

  • Elastic Stack Integration

    Log, statistics, audit, and accounting data is collected in Elastic Stack and can be evaluated as required, see configure Elastic Stack for Windows or for Linux. Kibana access is protected by minimal security by default as of Elastic Stack 8.17.3.

  • Audit Logging

    Controlled via the AUDIT_LOG and AUDIT_LOG_USER keys, see logging for Windows or for Linux.

  • Prometheus Monitoring

    Performance metrics are provided via a Prometheus interface and can be visualized, for example, with Grafana, see Metrics.

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