When Pcounter processess print jobs, it records certain standard information, such as the user who printed the job, number of pages, date, time, etc. (See overview for a summary of all fields.) One of Pcounter's most interesting features is the ability to have a popup window on workstations which prompts users after each print job for additional information which can be recorded with the print job.  The popup's appearance and functionality is entirely customizable, and the only software that is required to be installed on the workstation is a single EXE file which can be launched from the Startup group or a login script.  The attributes of the popup only need to be configured once at the server, ensuring that the popup's behavior is consistent across all workstations.   In addition, Pcontrol allows you to preview a sample popup so that you can accurately determine its look and feel before deployment.

(Click on pictures for a larger view.)

Client code list
The Pcounter popup contains a list of client codes/job numbers which is intended for billing to third parties or for departmental cost allocation.  Users can choose codes from the list, enter information in the form, or you can force them to choose from the list.  Client codes can also be selectively displayed to users based on their login name and/or network group membership, which enables different lists to be shown to different users and groups.   The user's last 20 selections are remembered and can be easily accessed via a drop-down list.   Pcounter Administrator is used to manage the client code database - records can be imported or entered manually.

Matter number list This is the same as the client code list above, except that client code lists are 2-dimensional.   Each client code may contain a unique list of subcodes (matter numbers).

Entry form
This is a generic blank form in which users can enter anything they want, or entries can be validated against the client code database if displaying the entire list is not desired.  Entries can also be displayed as passwords for privacy purposes; for example, in an environment where logins are shared, a client code can correspond to an actual user for future billing.

ID and password
The user is shown a login and password prompt, where a network login name and password must be authenticated before printing can continue.  In the Windows version only, this can also be used for shared logon printer accounting with support for account balances - specific printing accounts are created outside the Windows domain structure and users must authenticate each print job for accounting.

Confirmation The user is asked a question and decides whether the job will be printed. The message that is displayed may also include substitutions for the user name, document name, pages, cost, and account balance.