Management tools

This chapter introduces management tools provided to help you make full use of your machine.

Introducing useful management tools

The programs below help you to use your machine conveniently.

Using the Smart Panel program

Smart Panel is a program that monitors and informs you of the machine status, and allows you to customize the machine’s settings. For Winodws and Macintosh, Smart Panel is installed automatically when you install the machine software.

[Note]

To use this program, you need the following system requirements:

  • Windows. Check for windows operating system(s) compatible with your machine (See System requirements).

  • Mac OS X 10.3 or higher.

  • Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher for flash animation in HTML Help.

If you need to know the exact model name of your machine, you can check the supplied software CD.

Understanding Smart Panel

If an error occurs while printing, you can check the error from the Smart Panel.

You can also launch Smart Panel manually. Double-click the Smart Panel icon on the Windows task bar (in Windows). You can also click it on the status bar (in Mac OS X).

Windows

Double-click this icon in Windows.

Macintosh

Click this icon in Mac OS X.

Or, if you are a Windows user, you can launch it from the Start menu, select Programs or All Programs > Lenovo > your printer driver name > Smart Panel.

[Note]
  • If you have already installed more than one Lenovo machine, first select the correct machine model you want in order to access the corresponding Smart Panel.

    Right-click (in Windows) or click (in Mac OS X) the Smart Panel icon and select your machine.

  • The Smart Panel window and its contents shown in this user’s guide may differ depending on the machine or operating system in use.

The Smart Panel program displays the current status of the machine, the estimated level of toner remaining in the toner cartridge(s), and various other types of information. You can also change settings.

1

Toner Level

View the level of toner remaining in the toner cartridge(s). The machine and the number of toner cartridge(s) shown in the above window may differ depending on the machine in use. Some machines do not have this feature.

2

Buy Now

Order replacement toner cartridge(s) online.

3

User’s Guide

View User’s Guide.

[Note]

This button changes to Troubleshooting Guide when error occurs. You can directly open troubleshooting section in the user’s guide.

4

Printer Setting

Configure various machine settings in the Printer Settings Utility window. Some machines do not have this feature.

5

Driver Setting

Set all of the machine options you need in the Printing Preferences window. This feature is available only for Windows (See Opening printing preferences).

Opening the Troubleshooting Guide

Find solutions for problems by using the Troubleshooting Guide.

Right-click (in Windows) or click (in Mac OS X) the Smart Panel icon and select Troubleshooting Guide.

Changing the Smart Panel Program Settings

Right-click (in Windows) or click (in Mac OS X) the Smart Panel icon and select Options. Select the settings you want from the Options window.

Using the Linux Unified Driver Configurator

Unified Driver Configurator is a tool primarily intended for configuring machine devices. You need to install Unified Linux Driver to use Unified Driver Configurator (See Installing the Unified Linux Driver).

After the driver is installed on your Linux system, the Unified Driver Configurator icon will automatically be created on your desktop.

Opening the Unified Driver Configurator

  1. Double-click the Unified Driver Configurator on the desktop.

    You can also click the Startup Menu icon and select Lenovo Unified Driver > Unified Driver Configurator.

  2. Click each button on the left to switch to the corresponding configuration window.

    1. Printers Configuration

    2. Scanners Configuration

    3. Ports Configuration

    [Note]

    To use the on screen help, click Help.

  3. After changing the configurations, click Exit to close the Unified Driver Configurator.

Printers configuration

Printers configuration has the two tabs: Printers and Classes.

Printers tab

View the current system’s printer configuration by clicking on the machine icon button on the left side of the Unified Driver Configurator window.

1

Switches to Printers configuration.

2

Shows all of the installed machine.

3

Shows the status, model name and URI of your machine.

The printer control buttons are, as follows:

  • RefreshRenews the available machines list.

  • Add PrinterAllows you to add a new machines.

  • Remove PrinterRemoves the selected machine.

  • Set as DefaultSets the current selected machine as a default machine.

  • Stop/StartStops/starts the machine.

  • TestAllows you to print a test page to ensure the machine is working properly.

  • PropertiesAllows you to view and change the printer properties.

Classes tab

The Classes tab shows a list of available machine classes.

1

Shows all of the machine classes.

2

Shows the status of the class and the number of machines in the class.

  • RefreshRenews the classes list.

  • Add ClassAllows you to add a new machine class.

  • Remove ClassRemoves the selected machine class.

Scanners configuration

In this window, you can monitor the activity of scanner devices, view a list of installed Lenovo machine devices, change device properties, and scan images.

1

Switches to Scanners configuration.

2

Shows all of the installed scanners.

3

Shows the vendor, model name and type of your scanner.

  • PropertiesAllows you to change the scan properties and scan a document.

Ports configuration

In this window, you can view the list of available ports, check the status of each port and release a port that is stalled in a busy state when its owner has terminated the job for any reason.

1

Switches to Ports configuration.

2

Shows all of the available ports.

3

Shows the port type, device connected to the port, and status.

  • RefreshRenews the available ports list.

  • Release portReleases the selected port.

Sharing Ports Between Printers and Scanners

Your machine may be connected to a host computer via a parallel port or USB port. Since the machine device contains more than one device (printer and scanner), it is necessary to organize proper access of “consumer” applications to these devices via the single I/O port.

The Unified Linux Driver package provides an appropriate port sharing mechanism that is used by Lenovo printer and scanner drivers. The drivers talk to their devices via so-called machine ports. The current status of any machine port can be viewed via the Ports configuration. The port sharing prevents you from accessing one functional block of the machine device, while another block is in use.

When you install a new machine device onto your system, it is strongly recommended you do this with the assistance of an Unified Driver Configurator. In this case you will be asked to choose I/O port for the new device. This choice will provide the most suitable configuration for machine’s functionality. For machine scanners, I/O ports are being chosen by scanner drivers automatically, so proper settings are applied by default.