PaperCut tracking: no account code prompt — fix driver plugin channel

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: PaperCut MF/NG, Print Management, Windows & macOS printing, Account/Project codes, Mobility Print

PaperCut not asking for account code — enable account selection popup, user client, and driver plugin channel

Technician

Hi! We’ll get PaperCut to prompt for account codes again so jobs are tracked/billed to the correct client, matter, project, or department.
To aim the fix: Is this PaperCut MF or NG? Are users printing via a server queue, Direct Print Monitor, or Mobility Print? And when you print, do you see the PaperCut User Client running in the tray/menu bar?

Customer

It’s PaperCut MF on Windows print server. Users used to get the account selection popup for shared accounts, but now there’s no prompt for account code. Jobs still print but show “Unassigned” in reports.

Technician

Got it. When PaperCut tracking works, the User Client popup or a driver plugin intercepts the job and asks for a shared account / client code. Prompts can stop if:
• The User Client isn’t running or blocked by firewall.
• The printer/queue doesn’t have Account selection enabled or the user setting is set to Charge to personal only.
• The driver plugin channel is disabled, the wrong driver is used, or bi-directional communication is off.
• Versions mismatch: server Print Provider vs Client, or Mobility Print using simple mode without popups.
Plan: verify popup policies → check printer overrides → enable driver plugin channel → confirm client connectivity/ports → test on Windows and macOS.

Customer

Where do I turn on the Account selection popup? I only see users, printers, and devices in the admin console.

Technician

Step 1 — Enable account selection prompts
Admin → Users → select a user (or a group template) → Account selection: choose “Show the account selection popup” and allow Shared accounts (restrict to allowed lists if needed).
Then go to Printers → select the queue → Account selection → tick “Override user’s setting and always prompt”. This forces the prompt even if a user preference was set to personal.

Customer

Popups still don’t appear on workstations. The PaperCut icon isn’t in the system tray for some users.

Technician

Step 2 — Ensure the PaperCut User Client runs and can talk to the server
• Deploy the client at logon (GPO/Intune) from \\server\PCClient\win or use the silent startup option. On macOS, place it in /Applications and add to Login Items.
• Open firewall for the client/server ports (default 9191/9192) and allow the process pc-client.exe.
• In the client config (client-local-config.properties) set server-address=yourServer and server-port=9191 if autodiscovery fails.
With the client running, try printing again — you should see the account code prompt.

Customer

Some drivers show a “PaperCut” tab but don’t prompt either. We use Ricoh and HP queues with different drivers.

Technician

Step 3 — Fix the driver plugin channel
The plugin channel lets certain vendor drivers (Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Sharp, etc.) show PaperCut prompts inside the driver UI if the client isn’t used.
• In Printer Properties → Advanced → Printing Defaults check the PaperCut tab/plugin and enable “Prompt for account code / shared account selection”.
• Turn on bi-directional support for the queue and avoid Type-4 class drivers. Prefer Type-3 or vendor-supplied drivers compatible with PaperCut.
• If popups still don’t appear, switch the queue to PaperCut Global PostScript/PPD or re-deploy the vendor driver with the PaperCut plugin package.

Customer

We also use Mobility Print for laptops. Those users never see a popup. Can they enter a client/matter?

Technician

Step 4 — Mobility Print + account codes
Mobility Print runs in a simplified path. For account codes, either:
• Have users run the User Client alongside Mobility Print (recommended) so the standard account selection popup appears, or
• Use a Hold/Release queue and require account selection at the MFD panel (PaperCut embedded).
Also ensure server and client versions match after upgrades.

Customer

After enabling the printer override and starting the client, prompts appear for me but not for a test user in Accounting.

Technician

Right — check the user’s Shared account access list.
Admin → Shared Accounts → pick the client/matter → Members: add the user or group and choose “Can select” or “Can allocate to any”.
Also verify Users → [Person] → Account selection is not set to “Automatically charge to personal account”. Prompt should now show for them.

Customer

That worked. Anything else we should lock down so the prompts don’t disappear again?

Technician

Final checks:
• Keep the User Client auto-starting via GPO/Intune and exclude it from antivirus quarantine.
• Avoid Windows Type-4 class drivers; standardize on vendor drivers or the PaperCut Global driver.
• After PaperCut upgrades, re-deploy clients to keep server/client versions in sync.
• For each printer, leave Override to prompt enabled so the popup can’t be bypassed by user preference.

Customer

Perfect — users now get the account code prompt and jobs are billed to the correct shared accounts. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: If PaperCut tracking shows no account code prompt, enable Account selection on users/printers, run the User Client, and repair the driver plugin channel or standardize on a compatible driver. This restores client/matter popups and accurate cost allocation. Need help? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when PaperCut is not prompting for account codes: turn on Account selection for users/printers (override to always prompt), ensure the PaperCut User Client is running and allowed through the firewall, and enable the driver plugin channel or switch to a driver that supports PaperCut prompts.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows)

1. Admin → Users/Printers: enable Account selection popup and Override to always prompt.
2. Deploy and auto-start the PaperCut User Client; allow ports 9191/9192.
3. Use vendor driver or PaperCut Global; avoid Type-4; enable the driver plugin channel.
4. Print a test page and confirm the account code is captured in Job Log.

Note for macOS

1. Install pc-client.app and add to Login Items.
2. Use Mobility Print with the client running, or select account at the MFD on release.

Sources

• PaperCut — Client popup and account selection
• PaperCut — Choosing the right print driver
• PaperCut — Mobility Print and popups

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