PaperCut licensing covers the print management software made by PaperCut Software Pty Ltd, an Australian company. Its portfolio has two self-hosted products, PaperCut NG and PaperCut MF, and two cloud-native ones, PaperCut Hive and PaperCut Pocket.[1][4] Each product has its own licence metric. NG is priced by number of users.[2] MF is licensed “based only on the number of print devices you have in your organization”.[3] Hive is “sold as an annual subscription licensed per printer”.[4] Pocket is a monthly subscription priced per unique active user.[5]
The sales channel differs too. NG is bought online from PaperCut, and Pocket can be bought directly from PaperCut’s website. MF and Hive are sold only through Authorized Solution Centers and resellers: “We don’t sell PaperCut Hive or PaperCut MF (our Partners do)”.[3][7]
Editions
| Product | Deployment | Licence model | Catalog row |
|---|---|---|---|
| PaperCut NG | Self-hosted print control | Perpetual, per user, first-year M&S mandatory | Commercial, Education/Government, Professional client billing |
| PaperCut MF | Self-hosted, with embedded apps on MFDs | Perpetual per device, or subscription since 24.0 | MF perpetual, MF subscription |
| PaperCut Hive | Cloud-native, embedded apps | Annual subscription per printer, minimum 12 months | Hive subscription |
| PaperCut Pocket | Cloud-native, no embedded apps | Monthly per unique active user | Pocket subscription |
NG and MF “share the same code base”; only MF integrates directly with multifunction devices (MFDs) to track and control copying, scanning and faxing.[2] A customer can cross-grade from NG to MF without buying a whole new licence, and receives a credit for the existing NG licence.[3] PaperCut MF 24.0 introduced “unified subscription pricing for PaperCut MF and PaperCut Hive”.[12] Subscriptions “are not available for PaperCut NG”.[6]
Hive includes everything in Pocket and adds embedded software on the printer’s touchscreen for full device control.[4] PaperCut also gives away free tools, including Mobility Print, and offers PaperCut NG at a discount or free to organizations in developing countries.[14]
Metrics
| Unit | Catalog row | Product |
|---|---|---|
| User (identifier in the PaperCut database) | User | NG; MF user components |
| Print device (MFD “Full embedded”, SFP “Lite embedded”) | MF device entitlement | MF |
| Printer and app entitlements | Hive device entitlement | Hive |
| User active in a calendar month | Unique Active User | |
| Deployment zone | Print Deploy zone | NG, MF |
| Advanced client user | Advanced Client License | NG |
The EULA defines a User as “an identifier (individual’s name or generic term such as “purchasing officer”) that is listed as a user in the Software’s database”. A generic identifier may be used by only one individual, and the Users of the licensee and its Affiliates are counted together.[1] The Standard (perpetual) licence is granted “for up to the maximum number of Users or other license metric set out in the Contract Details”. The Subscription licence refers instead to “the maximum number of devices or other license metric”.[1]
Counting / floors
- NG free tier. NG keeps running at no charge with 5 users or fewer, and this free licence is available “in PaperCut NG only”.[11]
- Unlimited infrastructure. NG pricing has “no limit on the number of servers, workstations, or number of printers”. MF licensing is “a true organization-wide license” covering all servers, workstations and printers.[2][3]
- Enforcement. The licence key “may prevent, hinder or reduce availability of features” when usage exceeds what was paid for.[1] An MF perpetual customer may exceed its device licences for up to 7 days. An MF subscription customer cannot add a device without a free entitlement.[10]
- Shared pool. From version 24.0, “all Application Servers use one global (central) set of entitlements per CRN”.[6]
- Hive term. Hive has a minimum 12-month term.[7]
Virtualization & partitioning
PaperCut does not license per core or per virtual machine. A licence covers one production Application Server with any number of site servers, secondary servers and direct print clients. A cluster does not need a separate licence for each node.[15] The EULA allows use “for testing, disaster recovery and backup (hot or cold), without additional Fees”.[1] From version 24.0, however, a test server activated on the same Customer Reference Number (CRN) draws on the same pool of entitlements.[6] See PaperCut MF device licensing and subscriptions.
Cloud / BYOL
NG and MF can be hosted on premises or self-managed in the cloud.[2] Hive and Pocket are PaperCut-hosted services with no separate infrastructure licence. Hive’s entitlements “live in your cloud environment” rather than in licence keys.[7] There is no BYOL arrangement between the self-hosted and cloud products. The PaperCut MF 24.0 subscription was introduced with unified pricing to support cloud migration.[12]
Programs
- Maintenance & Support: priced as “a percentage of your license value”. It can be bought up to five years in advance, and the licence file is stamped with the upgrade assurance expiry date.[8] It is mandatory for the first year of NG and MF and included in MF subscriptions.[2][3]
- Upgrade Policy: minor releases within a licensed major version are always included. New major versions need current M&S or an active MF subscription.[9]
- Supported Versions (M-2) policy: PaperCut supports the current major version and the two before it.[13]
- Evaluation License (40 days), the NG free 5-user licence, NFR licences for partners, the refund policy, cross-grade discounts and developing world and non-profit pricing: see the deeper articles.
Audits and compliance
The NG/MF EULA contains an inspection right. During the agreement “and for 2 years thereafter”, the licensee must let PaperCut or its nominee inspect the Software, its usage logs and related records. Any on-site access needs reasonable notice, must take place in business hours, and must not be carried out by a nominee who competes with the licensee.[1] The licence key also enforces quantities in day-to-day use. The EULA article covers the inspection clause and the related obligations.
Out of scope
This article does not cover printer and MFD hardware, the commercial terms of individual resellers and Authorized Solution Centers (MF and Hive prices are not published), PaperCut’s privacy policy, or the separate PaperCut Terms of Service accepted when registering a Hive organization.