Printer Setup in Sierra (Setup)

Owned by Tammy Poquette, created
Last updated: Dec 08, 2023 by Lloyd Chittenden
6 min read

In order to print from Sierra, you must first set up a default printer for each printer category. You can use any physical printer for this including network printers or printers attached directly to your circulation computer. You can also set up email printers.

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Types of Printers in Sierra

  • Standard Printer – Used to print browse displays, database records, and other general information

  • Label Printer – Used to print spine labels and serial labels

  • Form Printer – Used to print notices, claims, and purchase orders

  • Receipt Printer – Used to print receipts for checked out items, checked-in items, fines from a patron’s record, and print table (receipt printer)

  • Print Templates - Used for printing customized notices, slips, claims, orders, receipts, and labels

In order to print from Sierra, you must first set up a default printer for each printer category. You can use any physical printer for this including network printers or printers attached directly to your circulation computer.

If you get the error message “No printers are available” that means that your login does not have a printer set for that type of printer. Contact Marmot.

To set up the Sierra printers go to File and Select Printer.  This will display the five printer options.  We will review how to set up all five options.

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How to Setup the Standard Printer

  1. Go to File>Select Printer>Standard Printer

  2. Select the Local Printer or E-mail Printer

    1. Local Printer – This will be the network or attached printer connected to your computer.

    2. E-mail Printer – This will send the print output to one or more email addresses that are listed. This can be useful to cut down on paper usage, or if you need an electronic copy. Note: To send a copy of your printout to multiple email addresses, separate each address with a comma.

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How to Setup the Receipt Printer

  1. Go to File>Select Printer>Receipt Printer

  2. Select the Local Printer, E-mail Printer, or Email to Patron

    1. Local Printer – This will be the network or attached printer connected to your computer.

    2. E-mail Printer – This will send the print output to one or more email addresses that are listed. This can be useful to cut down on paper usage, or if you need an electronic copy. Note: To send a copy of your printout to multiple email addresses, separate each address with a comma.

    3. Email to Patron - When you use this printer option, the system sends the information via email to the current patron.

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How to Setup the Local Printer

  1. Go to File>Select Printer>Local Printer

  2. Select the Local Printer or Email Printer

    1. Local Printer – This will be the network or attached printer connected to your computer.

    2. E-mail Printer – This will send the print output to one or more email addresses that are listed. This can be useful to cut down on paper usage, or if you need an electronic copy. Note: To send a copy of your printout to multiple email addresses, separate each address with a comma.

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How to Setup The Form Printer

  1. Go to File>Select Printer>Local Printer

  2. Select the Local Printer or Email Printer

  3. Local Printer – This will be the network or attached printer connected to your computer.

  4. E-mail Printer – This will send the print output to one or more email addresses that are listed. This can be useful to cut down on paper usage, or if you need an electronic copy. Note: To send a copy of your printout to multiple email addresses, separate each address with a comma.

     

  5. Choosing Local Printer

    After choosing Local Printer, choose which printer you want the output printouts to go to.  Your choices should be limited to the printers you currently have set up in Windows.  Select the printer you want to use, and click the OK button.

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Choosing E-Mail Printer

After choosing E-mail Printer, enter which email address that the output will be sent.  The Question box will appear. Enter the email address or addresses in this box. To send a copy of your printout to multiple email addresses, separate each address with a comma.

Note: If your printer is set up for the E-mail Printer, the information will go to the person or persons listed in the E-mail address box.  Here is an example of an email a person would receive.  The subject heading is always FTS MAIL.

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How to Setup Print Templates 

This printer is only for members who use Print Templates.  

  1. Go to File>Select Printer>Print Templates

  2. The Select Print Templates box will appear.  It will have a drop-down list for the Select output type and Select print method.

     

  3. Pick from one of the following print templates: 

    1. Article Reach Paging Slip – Staff at the requesting site can print paging slips for ArticleReach requests.

    2. Holdself Slip  - a hold slip will print under the following conditions:

      1. An item is checked in that satisfies a local hold. 

      2. An item is checked in from an INN-Reach owning site.

    3. INN-Reach Holdself Slip

    4. INN-Reach Transit Slip

    5. Order Cancellation – You can print cancellations at any time after queueing them to print. Print templates enable you to print multiple titles on a single cancellation form. When you print cancellations, Sierra updates the order records that you initiated when you canceled the order. Note that you must also post the session to which you added a cancellation before the cancellation is added to the order record.

    6. Order Claim - You can print claims at any time after queueing them to print. Print templates enable you to print multiple titles on a single claim form. When you print claims, Sierra updates the order records that you initiated when you canceled the order.

    7. Attendance List – The Program Management function is needed for this list.  You can print an attendance list to track attendance.

    8. Purchase Order – You can print purchase orders at any time after queueing them.  The fields that print on the purchase order are defined in the Fields to print on Purchase Order form Acquisitions Option.

    9. Routing Slip – During Serials check-in, you can print routing slips. See the Routing Slip Data Library for a list of elements that can be used when creating customized routing slip print templates.

    10. Serial Claim – You can print serial claims at any time after queuing them to print.  The claims that are ready to send are listed in the serial-claims-awaiting-processing file.

    11. Spine Label – You can print spine labels in the edit display or summary display of item records.

    12. Transit Slip – a transit slip will print when an item is set to in transit to another location.

  4. Make sure the Select print method is set to Printer.

  5. Once the Select output type and Select print method are chosen, click OK.

     

  6.  you choose the PRINTER method above, the Print Service box will appear.  Make sure the printer you would like is selected at the top and put a check in the box for “Save this printer selection.”

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Testing Receipt Printer Setup

  1. You can test the print setup by going to the Check Out (Circulation Desk) function and finding a patron record that has item(s) in the Checked-Out Items tab.  Click on the Checked-Out Items tab.

     

  2. Clicking on the Checked-Out Items tab will make the Print icon active.  Click on the Print button. Your output should go to the default printer you set up.

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