2026-09-27 · class-notes, a-plus, comptia, messer, hardware, printers, multifunction-devices, pcl, postscript, secure-print, scanning
Full class notes for A+ Core 1 3.7: MFD setup, drivers, PCL/PostScript, connectivity, sharing, print features, secure printing, and scanning.
Class notes · Professor Messer A+ Core 1 (220-1201) · Section 3, lesson 3.7
Quick reference: the short version of this lesson lives in the A+ Core 1 Section 3 resource sheets. This opens the printer material in Section 3 under objective 3.7 (printers and multifunction devices) — a change of subject from the Section 3.5 motherboard and CPU lessons.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
A multifunction device (MFD) combines several peripherals in one unit — commonly a printer, scanner and fax, and often a copier. It may connect over wired or wireless networking, have a phone line for the fax, and accept print jobs from mobile devices over the web. With so many capabilities in one box comes plenty that can go wrong — and as the technician, you are the one who installs and repairs it.
At home an MFD may be about the size of an ordinary printer; in an office it can be large, needing its own space out of the walkway. Wherever it goes, it needs a power connection, usually a wired network connection, and a location accessible to everyone who uses it.
Installing the hardware is only half the job — each workstation must be configured to print to it, which means installing the correct printer driver for that exact model on everyone's computer. As with a standalone printer, the driver must match the operating system, and crucially the bit-width: a 32-bit OS needs a 32-bit driver, a 64-bit OS needs a 64-bit driver (the same rule from the CPU Features lesson). Using the right driver is also what unlocks the device's full multifunction capabilities — check the documentation and confirm the driver matches the model.
An MFD renders a page using a page description language (PDL), and two are common:
| PDL | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PCL (Printer Command Language) | Hewlett-Packard | Common on HP printers |
| PostScript | Adobe | Widely supported across many printers |
The workstation sends the document in the chosen language; the printer interprets that language, renders the page from it, and prints the result. The driver must match the language: a PCL printer needs a PCL driver, a PostScript printer needs a PostScript driver. Some printers can use either — so select the driver that matches how the printer is configured.
An MFD has no operating system you normally log into; at power-on it loads its own device OS, the firmware, which controls printing, scanning and faxing. Manufacturers release new firmware to fix bugs or add features, and you install it to upgrade the device. The firmware and its instructions live on the manufacturer's website — and because every device has a different upgrade process, always follow that documentation.
Ways to connect to an MFD:
Wired: USB (Type A at the PC, Type B or USB-C at the printer)
RJ45 Ethernet (can use more than one at once)
Wireless: Bluetooth (short range - be close to the device)
802.11 infrastructure (via an access point - shared)
802.11 ad hoc (point-to-point, no access point)
Wired. A USB connection is familiar, but note the ends differ: your computer uses Type A, while the printer often uses Type B or USB-C. Alternatively you connect to the network via an RJ45 Ethernet port on the back. Many devices allow several interfaces at once — e.g. a USB Type B to a computer and an RJ45 to the network simultaneously.
Wireless. Some MFDs support Bluetooth, which has limited range, so you must be close. More common is 802.11 Wi-Fi in infrastructure mode, where the device joins an access point and everyone on the network can reach it. Some also support ad hoc mode, a point-to-point link with no access point — useful for a single computer talking to an MFD where there is no AP.
Note (beyond this lesson): 802.11 ad hoc for printers has largely been superseded by Wi-Fi Direct, the modern point-to-point way to connect directly to a printer without an access point.
Many people need one MFD, and there are two ways to share it.
OS printer sharing. From a computer directly connected to the printer, the operating system's printer properties has a sharing tab where you give the printer a network name. The weakness: if that host computer is turned off, nobody can print.
Print server. Most organisations instead use a print server — usually a service running inside the printer itself, though external print servers exist. Workstations send jobs to the print server, which manages the printing to the MFD. A web-based front end (or client software) lets you view the queue and administratively add or remove jobs.
Direct share vs print server:
Direct: PC (shares printer) --> MFD
if that PC is off, nobody can print.
Server: PCs --> Print server --> MFD
the server queues and manages all jobs (web front end).
Duplex printing puts output on both sides of the page automatically, saving paper. Not every printer supports it, and it may need extra hardware in the printer to work.
You can print portrait (the long edges at top and bottom) or landscape (the long edges at left and right). The page does not physically turn as it feeds through — the printer simply lays the image down in the orientation you chose.
Larger MFDs have multiple trays, and you choose which to print from. Trays often hold different paper types and sizes — plain paper, letterhead, envelopes, and so on. In the example device:
| Tray | Contents |
|---|---|
| Tray 1 (default) | Letter paper |
| Tray 2 | No. 10 envelopes |
| Tray 3 | Legal paper |
| Tray 4 | 9 x 12 inch envelopes |
If output comes from the wrong tray, check the tray setting on the job.
You can also set the quality of the output: the resolution (e.g. 600 x 600 dpi by default), and colour vs grayscale. A lower resolution saves toner on a laser printer. For colour, a colour-saving mode uses less ink, and the colour quality can be reduced from true colour to save resources.
A shared MFD sitting in the open raises two problems: who may use it, and how to keep printed output private.
User authentication and permissions. You can limit who prints, often through the printer sharing or the print server, by setting rights and permissions for individual users or groups — separating who may print from who may manage the device.
Badging. Because a central printer is usually out in the open, sensitive output should not sit in the tray. With badging, you send the job but the printer holds it; it prints only once you physically visit the printer and badge in to authenticate, so the output appears while you are standing there.
Secured prints. Similar in effect but without a card: you define a passcode/PIN, send the job, then enter the PIN at the printer to release it. Windows supports PIN-protected printing — set a PIN in Windows, walk to the printer, enter it, and the job prints.
Auditing. Printing costs money, and high-resolution colour costs more, so organisations audit who prints and how much. Many printers keep an audit log — in the device or in the OS that shares it, usually under security monitoring, or in the Windows Event Viewer.
Secure release printing:
Send job --> held in the queue (not printed yet)
--> you walk to the MFD
--> authenticate: badge OR PIN / passcode
--> the job prints while you stand there
An MFD is an input device too. Most are flatbed scanners: place a physical document on the glass and it produces a digital copy. Many add an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) so you can load a stack, press one button, and scan every page to a file.
Where the scan goes has several options:
Note (beyond this lesson): SMB runs over TCP port 445 (see the Ports topic) — relevant because a scan-to-folder destination means the MFD stores credentials for that share.
Printers and MFDs are one of the most under-appreciated risks on a network, precisely because they are treated as appliances rather than the computers they are:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MFD | Multifunction device; printer/scanner/fax/copier in one. |
| Printer driver | Software letting an OS print to a specific model. |
| PDL | Page description language the printer renders a page from. |
| PCL | Printer Command Language; a PDL from Hewlett-Packard. |
| PostScript | A PDL from Adobe, widely supported. |
| Firmware | The device's own operating system. |
| USB Type B | The square-ish USB connector common on printers. |
| Infrastructure mode | Wi-Fi via an access point (shared). |
| Ad hoc mode | Point-to-point Wi-Fi with no access point. |
| Print server | Service that queues and manages jobs to a printer. |
| Duplex | Printing on both sides of the page. |
| Orientation | Portrait or landscape layout of the output. |
| Paper tray | A source of paper of a given type/size. |
| Resolution | Print detail in dpi (e.g. 600 x 600). |
| Badging | Releasing a held job by badging in at the printer. |
| Secured print | Releasing a held job with a PIN/passcode. |
| ADF | Automatic Document Feeder for multi-page scanning. |
| Scan to SMB | Scanning to a Server Message Block (Windows) share. |