Want to Compare the UniPrint Suite to Citrix MPS 4.0?

Citrix announced spring 2005 that its latest release Citrix MPS 4.0 would resolve all print-related challenges that users were experiencing in earlier versions of their product. And yes, there have been some improvements to their printing capabilities, as compared to previous versions of MetaFrame Server. However, as a third party printing company focused on printing challenges and solutions, UniPrint still provides a more comprehensive solution to both the SMB and Enterprise marketplace.

Technical Considerations
	UniPrint	Citrix
Application installation and configuration	Easy installation with one driver on the server, and no other configurations	Easy installation, but printer autocreation and new policies add complexity
Bandwidth requirements	Low UniPrint renders files into PDF	Variable with type of printer driver used Citrix renders files into EMF
File format	PDF Universal data format that can be used on any platform PDF file format smaller than EMF	EMF Data format is limited to Windows platforms
Application compatibility for printing	Linux, Macintosh, Windows 98, 2000, XP, 2003 AS400, UNIX, SAP	Windows 2000 and XP (Win32-bit Client workstations)
Device compatibility	Fat-client Thin client handheld	Fat client Handheld Thin-client - limited
Security	Works in secure Citrix virtual channel 128-bit encryption FTPS support for Gateway	Citrix virtual channel 128-bit encryption

Business Considerations
	UniPrint		Citrix
Bandwidth costs	PDF files smaller than EMF, can reduce file size by up to 90%		EMF file size larger than PDF
Internal costs	implementation	Minutes per server	Helpdesk calls due to print issues	low
	implementation	Varies based on setting printing policies	Helpdesk due to print issues	Citrix’s extended printer properties potentially increase amount of helpdesk calls
Ease of use	One queue for end users Similar UI and workflow to commonly used applications such as MS Office		Multiple print queues can be confusing to end users.Accessing extended printer properties is not intuitive
Scalability	Unlimited, a great solution for mixed environments with different server OS and varied clients – fat-client or thin client		Unlimited, but does not work outside a Windows platform, and does not work well with true thin-clients
Driver management	Minimal print driver management		Easy to install, but has more complicated print configuration and more printer driver management required

Conclusion
While Citrix has made improvements MPS 4.0, it still suffers from the same drawbacks as previous versions with respect to printing. Printing with Citrix is still only possible on Windows-based platforms. Driver Management is still required on the server. This will include determining and setting the appropriate policies for your organization. The compression technology included for printing in PS 4.0 will help reduce file size in some cases, but will vary greatly depending on the type of file and print driver used. Multiple queues on the server and the steps for setting extended printer properties can cause confusion amongst end-users, and may increase support costs.

In comparison, UniPrint’s universal print driver provides a more stable, flexible, and an easy to manage printing solution for Server-based Computing environments. UniPrint’s feature-rich, multi-platform compatibility, flexibility in mixed client environments, ease of use and simple administration makes UniPrint the choice universal print driver.


For more information about the UniPrint Suite of Products, email us at sales@uniprint.net