1. Mobile and thin client applications can not reach remote or even local physical print port easily. mPrintServer provides this capability.
2. Provide simple API to hide text mode printing challenges (e.g. text alignment, escape sequences management, physical port operations etc.).
3. Accept simultaneous print jobs, release client process quickly and print tasks from queue according to printer speed.
4. Protect from unauthorized printing.

The more detailed list of advantages follows:

• PRINTING EFFICIENCY

Text mode printing is the quickest and the most cost effective printing. In some situations it may be the only convenient method, e.g. printing on pre-printed forms, special sorts of paper etc...



• PRINTER MODEL PORTABILITY
  Saves developers from potential trap to hardcode printer or environment dependent data (escape sequences, paper width...). This is achieved with so called "NAMED ESCAPES" concept. Actually, in source code developers should always refer to printer commands by name e.g. "CUTTER" or "BOLD", while real commands for applied printer model are stored in configuration file at mPrintServer side. In case of example sequences "CUTTER" and "BOLD" the real escape sequences for activating paper cutter and emphasized text printing would stand in configuration file.
  
  

• SIMPLICITY, RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCES
  Client API solves communication with remote printer and saves developer from tedious and bug risky tasks as text insertion, alignment, truncations, padding, etc. Also, string handling in some environment (e.g. java) may be memory consumptive operation. mPrintServer client API reuse one single string buffer to perform all string manipulation tasks.
  
  

• SCALABILITY AND PRINT JOB MANAGEMENT


In network environment the number of clients that would attempt print job in the same time is not predictable. mPrintServer for this purpose may accept numerous print tasks simultaneously. Print job is quickly accepted and client process may continue executing while the task is queued and processed when possible, in accordance to printer speed.



• SECURITY


Each mPrintServer license is unique. There is specific pair of public/private keys generated for each mPrintServer owner. Application that performs encryption/decryption based on these keys is part of the standard package. Prime purpose of encryption mechanism is to protect secret keywords that will authenticate and authorize clients issuing the print tasks.
It is also interesting that you may encrypt some customer specific data, store it in protected file at server side and print automatically when needed. This may help you avoiding to hardcode some customers data into your application.
Encrypting customers data into configuration file may also save your application from unauthorized distribution. Application with e.g. customer name embedded and modification protected is actually "sealed" and dedicated for that customer only.

Platform: mPrintServer is java based product. Native .NET client API is on the roadmap