---
id: AA-00655
title: "Managing Printers in SiteAudit"
url: http://netaphor.com/kb/AA-00655/managing-printers-in-siteaudit
product: "SiteAudit OnSite"
type: "How-to & configuration"
updated: 2026-07-06
access: public
---


# Managing Printers in SiteAudit

This article explains how printers are managed in Netaphor SiteAudit™, including how to classify printers as Managed, Unmanaged, or Retired, what those states mean, and how to ensure that data collection aligns with your licensing and reporting needs.

## SiteAudit Licensing Overview

SiteAudit discovers and monitors both networked and direct-connect (local) printers. The total number of managed networked printers must not exceed the licensed limit.

- Unmanaged and retired printers do not use a license.
- An Unmanaged license is available for users who want full reporting visibility on unmanaged printers. Contact *licensing@netaphor.com* for details.
- A special license is available for users who want full reporting visibility on unmanaged printers. Contact *licensing@netaphor.com* for details.

## Printer States in SiteAudit

Each networked printer can be in one of the following states:

![](http://netaphor.com/kb/media/AA-00655/embedded-01.png)

## Managing Printers in Inventory View

Printer management actions in SiteAudit can only be performed from the Inventory view. The **Inventory **view provides a comprehensive list of all print devices discovered by SiteAudit. By default, newly discovered devices are managed, provided the number of managed devices does not exceed the licensed limit.

To change the management status of one or more printers — such as setting them to **Unmanaged**, **Special Unmanaged** (with applicable license), or **Retired** — follow these steps:

- Open the **Inventory **view.
- Select the desired printer(s).
- Choose the appropriate option from the **Setup **menu.

![](http://netaphor.com/kb/media/AA-00655/embedded-02.png)

> **Note:** The option to **Include Special Unmanaged Set **will only appear if a special license has been applied to support this feature.

SiteAudit Hosted users can configure SiteAudit to automatically set devices to **Unmanaged **or **Special Unmanaged **upon discovery.

The **Managed Status **and **Retired Status** columns are shown below. These columns are hidden from views by default and can be added via the **Column Chooser,** which can be selected from the right-click menu triggered on the column header.

> **Note:** The filter at the bottom of the view indicates that only "**In-Service**" devices are displayed. This is the default filter applied to all views, which automatically excludes all "**Retired**" devices from appearing in views and reports. To include retired devices, remove the filter.

![](http://netaphor.com/kb/media/AA-00655/embedded-03.png)

## Managed Printers

**Definition**: These are actively monitored devices that participate in reporting, thresholds, and alerts. They count toward the networked printer license.

- SiteAudit automatically sets printers to Managed during discovery, up to the licensed limit.
- If the number of managed printers exceeds the license, SiteAudit will automatically unmanage the excess.

### How to Manage Printers

To manually manage a printer:

- Open the **Inventory **view.
- Select one or more printers.
- Choose** Include in Managed Set** from the **Setup **menu.

## Unmanaged Printers

**Definition**: Monitored printers that do not count toward the license and do not participate in alerts or thresholds.

- Useful for tracking additional devices beyond your license limit.
- Automatically set to unmanaged when discovered after the license count is met.
- Visible only in Inventory views and reports, unless you have a special unmanaged license.

### How to Unmanage Printers

To manually unmanage a printer:

1. Go to the **Inventory **view.
2. Select the printer(s).
3. Choose **Exclude from Managed Set** in the **Setup** menu.

## Special Unmanaged Printers

**Definition**: Monitored printers that do not participate in alerts or thresholds. A special license is required to configure printers as special unmanaged.

Useful for tracking devices.

- Manually set to **Special Unmanaged **when discovered. SiteAudit Hosted users can choose to automatically set newly discovered devices to Special Unmanaged.
- Visible in all views and reports with a special unmanaged license.
- Visible in scheduled reports.
- No notification or alert management for special unmanaged devices.

### How to Set Printers to Special Unmanaged

To manually unmanage a printer:

1. Go to the **Inventory **view.
2. Select the printer(s).
3. Choose **Include in Special Unmanaged Set** in the **Setup** menu.

## Retired Printers

**Definition**: Devices that are not monitored, do not participate in alerts or thresholds, and do not count against the license. These can still appear in views and reports (if not also unmanaged).

### Automatic Retirement Scenarios

- A printer disappears from the network and its IP is reassigned to another device.
- A direct-connect printer is no longer connected, or the host is retired.
- Automatically reactivated ("in-service") if found on the network again, unless manually retired.

### How to Retire or Unretire Printers

1. In **Inventory **view, select the printer(s).
2. Choose **Mark as Retired** or **Mark as In-Service **from the **Setup** menu.

Use the **Retired Status **column in views to quickly see which devices are retired.

## Discovery and Management Behavior

- At initial setup, SiteAudit will automatically manage discovered printers up to the licensed limit.
- Additional printers are discovered as unmanaged.
- You can always reassign managed/unmanaged status manually via the Inventory view.
- Direct-connect printers are managed by default and automatically.
- Users of SiteAudit Hosted can choose whether new devices are managed by default.

## Use Case Example

**Scenario**: A license allows for 600 networked printers, but 1,000 are discovered.

SiteAudit will automatically manage the first 600 discovered. The remaining 400 will be marked **Unmanaged**. To view and report on all 1,000, a **Special Unmanaged **license is required. This enables reporting across the full fleet while staying within the 600-printer license.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

**Q:** I have 600 printers but only need to manage 500. What should I do?

**A:** Purchase a 500-device license. After discovery, open Inventory and display the Managed Status column. Manually adjust which devices are managed or unmanaged using the Setup menu.

**Q:** How can I stop SiteAudit from collecting data on a printer?

**A: **Mark the printer as Retired via the Setup menu in the Inventory view.

**Q:** I need to report on all discovered printers, including unmanaged. Can I do that?

**A: **Yes, with a special license, you can generate reports and views on all printers, including unmanaged ones. Contact *licensing@netaphor.com *to inquire.

## Licensing for Unmanaged Devices

With an unmanaged license, users can:

- Include unmanaged printers in all views and reports.
- Still not receive alerts or schedule reports for those printers.
- Use this setup for what-if analysis or partial fleet visibility.

This license must be requested and applied through Netaphor’s standard licensing mechanisms.

## Final Notes

- Printer states can only be changed from the Inventory view.
- Licensing information can be found under Diagnostics \> Configuration Details \> License Information.
- Always confirm your managed/unmanaged device list after discovery to align with your operational and licensing goals.

Licensing Netaphor SiteAudit Software

For licensing inquiries or to request a special license, please contact: 📧 **licensing@netaphor.com**

## Downloads

- [Netaphor SiteAudit Managed Printers KB Article 09 2013 SP.pdf](http://netaphor.com/kb/files/AA-00655/Netaphor%20SiteAudit%20Managed%20Printers%20KB%20Article%2009%202013%20SP.pdf)