Set up your PrintSent device
This is the one-time install for a new PrintSent device. It is written for whoever manages your Dealertrack printers (your IT person), or may be done by PrintSent in a remote meeting. Everything you need is on this page. Do the steps in order. Plan about 20 to 30 minutes for setup.
What PrintSent is
PrintSent does not replace any of your printers. It emulates one, so to Dealertrack it looks like just another network printer and you send jobs to it the same way you always have. Instead of printing, it turns each job (repair orders, invoices, statements) into a PDF your staff view, email, or download from a secure web portal. After this install, jobs flow in on their own.
Have these in hand:
- Dealertrack permissions to add printers and create Session IDs.
- At least 3 static IPs reserved out of DHCP (one per virtual printer), on the subnet Dealertrack prints to.
- Your PrintSent admin sign-in email address.
- The device plugged into your network and powered on.
Enter what you already have and the steps below fill in your Printer ID and IPs. Saved on this device only.
Plug in the device
Plug Ethernet into the port labeled WAN and power into POWER, on the same network as your other Dealertrack printers. The LAN ports are not used. There is nothing to configure on the box; it pulls a DHCP address on its own. Blinking lights mean it is healthy.
Where to put it
Seat it where it will not get accidentally unplugged. A secure network closet or rack on the same network as your existing Dealertrack printers is ideal, since it runs continuously. It keeps its DHCP address, and you add as many static IPs as you need (one per virtual printer) from the portal.
Build each Printer ID from your dealership prefix. The first characters are your enterprise code plus company number (the start of your existing Dealertrack Printer IDs), for example ABCD1 (four enterprise characters plus company number 1). Then add PSP1, PSP2, PSP3 for the three printers. The same Printer ID goes in the portal's Printer ID field and in Dealertrack; the Description is just the department.
| Department (Description) | Printer ID | Session ID |
|---|---|---|
| Business Office | ABCD1PSP1 | ABCD1PSAP |
| Service | ABCD1PSP2 | ABCD1PSAQ |
| Parts | ABCD1PSP3 | ABCD1PSAR |
ABCD1 is an example prefix. Enter your current Printer ID under “Before you start” to fill in your real one. In the rare case an ID already exists at your store: for a Printer ID, use the next unused printer number (P4, P5, and so on); for a Session ID, use the next unused letter (for example ABCD1PSAR → ABCD1PSAS).
Naming rules
Printer IDs are typically 9 characters (can be 10). The department code is always PS; P1 / P2 / P3 is the printer number (P4 for anything else). The same Printer ID goes in Dealertrack and the portal's Printer ID field; the portal's Description holds the department so Members can tell trays apart. Do not reuse your store's existing department letters (BO, SD, PD); PS is the point, a code that will not collide.
Session IDs are exactly 9 characters and must not end in a number (Dealertrack will not save a bad name). The pattern is prefix + PS + A + a letter, and we recommend P, Q, R. If P, Q, or R is already used at your store, take the next free letter. If the identifier letters run out, Dealertrack lets you replace the G slot with A (for example DTRK1PDAA, DTRK1PDBA).
Sign in and confirm the device is Active
- Open app.printsent.com and sign in with your Admin email (we email a 6-digit code).
- Open Setup → Devices.
- Confirm your device is listed and shows Active in green.
More info
Adding printers requires an Admin login. If your email is tied to more than one company, pick which one at login and switch anytime with the company dropdown in the top-left.
The first login code to a new domain can take up to a minute or two (especially Microsoft 365). Wait for it; do not keep requesting codes. If the device is not Active, it was not online yet: recheck WAN + POWER and wait for its next check-in (once a minute) before adding printers.
Add your virtual printers by static IP
- Open the device's Printers & Network section.
- Under Add printer by IP, enter a reserved static IP.
- Set Printer ID to the one from the table, for example ABCD1PSP1 (the same value you use in Dealertrack).
- Set Description to the department, for example Business Office.
- Set Session ID to the matching one from the table, for example ABCD1PSAP.
- Click Add. Repeat for each printer.
Add printer by IP
Printer ID
Description
Session ID
Tip: the Printer ID is what you enter in Dealertrack; the Description is the department label. Members see them together as Printer ID · Description.
| Printer ID | Description | Static IP | Session ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABCD1PSP1 | Business Office | 192.168.1.50 | ABCD1PSAP |
| ABCD1PSP2 | Service | 192.168.1.51 | ABCD1PSAQ |
| ABCD1PSP3 | Parts | 192.168.1.52 | ABCD1PSAR |
More info
Each virtual printer is a separate tray, so a department's jobs stay separate. Start with at least three (Business Office, Service, Parts) and add more anytime. One box hosts as many as you want, across departments and rooftops; you only need a second device for a separate Dealertrack VPN subnet.
Members see the printer as Printer ID · Description on their board. Reserve these IPs out of your DHCP scope. New IPs take a minute or two to apply. On the same network, you can browse to http://<static-ip>/ to see a PrintSent splash listing the device online with every assigned IP and printer.
Create the printers in Dealertrack
For each department, copy the printer you currently print to (ABCD1SDP8), then change four fields.
- Go to System → Printer Definition and find the live department printer.
- Copy it, then change only these four fields (values in the table below):
- Printer ID (no parentheses)
- Model → PrintSent
- Description
- IP Address
Department Printer ID Description IP Address Business Office ABCD1PSP1 PrintSent Admin 192.168.1.50 Service ABCD1PSP2 PrintSent Service 192.168.1.51 Parts ABCD1PSP3 PrintSent Parts 192.168.1.52 - Click OK.
- Important, do this nextRe-open the printer you just made → Change → click Create Print Device. You must do this step to ensure the new device IP address is registered with Dealertrack.
Example data. Your names and form numbers may be different.
More info
Copying brings the Form IDs, drawers, Check Printer, and document-number pointers along, so leave those as they came. If Copy is blocked (Dealertrack blocks it on printers that store invoice-number sequences), use Add instead and paste the Form IDs from the source printer, then still run Create Print Device.
Reference: Dealertrack Set Up a Printer (#000024115).
Reload Logos, one printer at a time
- Exit Printer Definition.
- Go to System → System Tools → Reload Logos to Printer.
- Select a single new virtual printer (not all of them at once) and click OK.
- Repeat for each remaining new printer, one at a time.
- In PrintSent, open Setup → Forms and confirm the form logos appear.
More info
The screen lets you select every printer at once, but reloading them together does not work. Do one printer, click OK, then come back and do the next. This is what populates your Forms in PrintSent and lets it brand each document.
If nothing arrives: confirm Create Print Device ran, the IP on the definition matches the device, and the device is Active. If the source printer did not have All Companies checked, logos reload only for the company you are logged into. After any later change that affects forms, Reload Logos again. Reference: Dealertrack Reload Logos to Printer (#000021930).
Prompted test print
- In PrintSent, open Documents.
- In Dealertrack, print a repair order, invoice, or purchase order.
- On the print-confirmation screen, change the destination to the new Printer ID (no parentheses, for example ABCD1PSP1), then click OK.
- Within a few seconds a paper icon appears in that printer's tray. Click Preview and Email to view it.
More info
Use a form that prompts for a printer (RO, invoice, PO). Do not start with statement batches; those never ask which printer and need Session IDs (step 6).
Nothing showing? Confirm Create Print Device ran, the IP matches, the device is Active, and the destination is exactly the ID portion of the name (no parentheses). See Troubleshooting.
Add Session IDs to Dealertrack
| Department | Session ID |
|---|---|
| Business Office | ABCD1PSAP |
| Service | ABCD1PSAQ |
| Parts | ABCD1PSAR |
You already entered these in PrintSent when you added the printers (step 2). In the rare case one of these Session IDs already exists at your store, use the next unused letter (for example ABCD1PSAR → ABCD1PSAS).
- Go to System → Printer Assignments.
- Copy a Session ID your store already uses.
- Set the Workstation ID / Session ID to the 9-character name from the table (for example ABCD1PSAP).
- Point every form's printer at that one virtual printer's ID.
- Click OK. Repeat for each department.
Example data. Your Work Station ID and Printer ID numbers will be different.
More info
Some forms print automatically without asking which printer (the classic example is the Admin monthly statement-of-account batch). Those go to the Session ID's default printer, so every virtual printer needs one. Copying a live session brings required fields like the cash drawer along.
Dealertrack calls this Workstation ID in one place and Session ID in another; it is the same thing. You generally cannot rename a Session ID after saving, so copy and create a new one if needed. Use one Dealertrack tab per Session ID (use a private window for a second). The ID registered in PrintSent shows on the Members' board so staff know which session to switch to. Reference: Dealertrack Printer and Session ID Naming Conventions (#000024429).
Unprompted test
- In Dealertrack, change your Session ID to the new PrintSent session (for example ABCD1PSAP).
- Print an unprompted document, such as a reprint of a customer statement.
- In PrintSent Documents, confirm it lands in that printer's tray.
More info
Stay on one Dealertrack tab for this session. If nothing arrives, confirm the tab's Session ID is the new one, every form on that session points at the matching Printer ID (no parentheses), Create Print Device already ran, and the device is Active.
Setup complete
That is the whole setup: printers exist in Dealertrack, Session IDs are made, logos are loaded, and a prompted test and an unprompted test both landed in the Documents portal.
Now you just need to give your team access to their department PrintSent printers. Visit the Access tab to begin adding members. See the Access guide for details. Need help or have questions? support@printsent.com · (830) 420-6445
Need a hand?
The full Help Center has step-by-step articles for every part of PrintSent.
Still stuck? PrintSent Support: support@printsent.com · (830) 420-6445