FAQs: Fulfillment Resource Guide

Printing in Alma:

Setting Up and Managing Printout Queues, Quick Printing, and the Alma Print Daemon

Printouts Queue

Every circulation desk in Alma has a default printer assigned to it with printout queue functionality enabled.  With this configuration, when printouts such as letters and slips are generated they are sent to the printout queue where they can be previewed and sent to a physical printer.  

Printing from the Printouts Queue

To access the printouts queue go to Admin > Printing > Printouts Queue. You must have the Printouts Queue Manager role to access this menu.  Contact the help desk at help@flvc.org to request adjustment to your roles.  

The Printing Queue displays a list of all printouts generated within your institution. In the gray area to the left of the screen there are facets for printer and source.  At the top of the printouts list there are filters for letter and print status.  You can choose multiple letters to print or cancel.  Alternatively, you can preview, print, or cancel individual letters by clicking on the ellipsis at the end of the row.  

Enabling Quick Printing

Alma can be set to automatically open the print dialog box when a printout is generated.  This allows you to send a printout to a physical printer without navigating to the Printouts Queue.  To enable this, open the Location dropdown in the top right of the screen and click on the box next to “Enable quick printing.”

Sending Printouts to a Printer via Email
Alma can be configured so that printouts are sent directly to an email enabled printer.  This can work in conjunction with the printout queue so that printouts are sent directly to the printer as well as saved in the queue.  Contact the help desk at help@flvc.org to enable this functionality.

 
Alma Print Daemon

The Alma Print Daemon is an optional program that is downloaded to a local workstation that can be used to manage printouts.  It checks one or more selected printout queues at regular intervals (this value is set in minutes) for printouts that are in Pending status.  It then sends these printouts to a local printer defined within in the print daemon.  The Alma Print Daemon has similar functionality as Quick Printing.  However, the print daemon allows you to set a local printer so you do not have to choose it each time a printout is generated.  

Instructions on how to install and configure the Alma Print Daemon can be found in the Ex Libris documentation How to set up and use the Alma Print Daemon. For Step 1, contact the help desk to receive your API Key and then proceed to Step 2.

Receipt Printers

Every circulation desk has been configured to email loan and return receipts to the patron as a default. Alma can be configured to print the receipt to a receipt printer rather than emailed to the patron. Generating printouts on non-standard size slips of paper may require modifications to the letters templates. If you would prefer printing over email for some or all of your desks, contact the help desk at help@flvc.org to discuss specific needs for your printers.  

If you would like to have the option of either printing or emailing a slip there is a browser extension that can be installed by your IT.