Printer app: technical specifications and Service Mode.

 
Printer app technical specifications
 

The Virtual Front Desk Printer app is a Windows application that receives print jobs from Virtual Front Desk and sends them securely to the printers at your location. It runs in the background, with only an icon in the Windows system tray, and keeps a secure connection open to the Virtual Front Desk servers.

This article covers the app’s requirements, setup, security and troubleshooting. For step-by-step setup with your printers, read Printer, Printing Badges and Documents.

Download the Virtual Front Desk Printer app from the Microsoft Store

Key features

• Secure remote printing: prints visitor badges and documents from Virtual Front Desk on your local printers.
• Real-time connection: keeps a persistent connection to the Virtual Front Desk servers using SignalR.
• Automatic printer detection: detects the printers installed on the computer and syncs them with your Virtual Front Desk account.
• Print job monitoring: tracks the status of each print job.
• Automatic updates: updates itself through the Microsoft Store.
• Network resilience: reconnects automatically after a network interruption.
• Starts with Windows: launches automatically and runs in the background.
• Service Mode (optional): runs as a Windows service, so printing continues even when no one is signed in to Windows.

System requirements

Operating system

• Windows 10, build 17763 or later
• Windows 11
• x64 or x86 architecture

Other requirements

• An internet connection
• Printers installed in Windows, with permission to print
• Administrator rights may be needed for the initial setup and for Service Mode

Installation

1. In the main menu of the Virtual Front Desk dashboard, click Stations, then click the pencil icon on the location where you want to add a printer.
2. Open the Printers tab and click Add printer.
3. Click Install printer application to open the Microsoft Store page.
4. Click Install, then launch the app when the installation is complete.

The Add printer window, with the Location ID and the Install printer application link

Initial setup

Location configuration

The first time the app opens, it asks for:

• Location ID: a unique 5-character identifier, shown in the Add printer window.
• Owner email: the email address of your Virtual Front Desk organization’s owner.

These details are validated against the Virtual Front Desk servers in several regions for reliability.

Automatic startup

The app sets itself up to start automatically with Windows.

Printer detection

Once configured, the app automatically:

• detects all the printers installed on the computer,
• syncs them with your Virtual Front Desk account, and
• updates their status in real time.

You can then select each printer in the Add printer window and choose whether it is a Document printer or a Badge printer.

Service Mode: printing without a signed-in user

By default, the Printer app runs only while someone is signed in to Windows. Service Mode installs the app as a Windows service instead. The service runs in the background at all times, starts automatically with Windows, and keeps printing even when no one is signed in. This is the recommended setup for dedicated print computers, kiosks and Windows Server.

Turn on Service Mode

1. Install the Printer app and complete its setup with your Location ID and owner email.
2. Right-click the app’s icon in the system tray and select Enable Service Mode.
3. Accept the administrator permission request. The app installs the service and closes. From then on, the service runs in the background, including after a restart.

Turn off Service Mode

1. Open the Printer app as an administrator.
2. Right-click the tray icon and select Disable Service Mode. The service is removed, and the tray app takes over printing again.

Requirements

• Printers installed for all users: the service can only use printers installed system-wide, not printers installed for a single Windows user. To check, run Get-Printer in PowerShell as an administrator.
• Label size set system-wide: for label printers such as the Brother QL series, setting 2.4 inches in Printing Preferences is not enough. Also open Devices and Printers as an administrator, right-click the printer, select Printer properties > Advanced > Printing Defaults, and set the roll width to 2.4 inches. Otherwise, badge print jobs fail.

Limitation

• Sleep mode: when the computer sleeps or hibernates, the service stops too, and print jobs sent during that time are not printed. Turn off sleep on any computer used for printing around the clock.

Security

Data protection

• Encrypted connections: all communication uses TLS encryption.
• Secure file storage: printed documents are stored securely in Microsoft Azure Storage to support a future print history feature for administrators. Files older than 12 months are deleted automatically.
• Temporary processing: files are downloaded to a temporary folder on the computer while they print.
• Authentication: each installation is authenticated by its Location ID and the owner’s email address.

Network security

• Standard HTTPS port: the app connects over port 443 only.
• Outbound connections only: the app connects out to the Virtual Front Desk servers. No inbound ports need to be opened.
• Multiple regional servers: the app can connect to several regional servers for reliability.

Privacy

• Local processing: print jobs are processed on your own computer.
• Basic logging: operational information is logged for troubleshooting only.

The system tray icon

The app runs in the Windows system tray. Its icon shows the app’s status:

• Green: connected and ready to print.
• Gray: disconnected or offline.
• Green with an update badge: an update is available.
• Gray with an update badge: offline, and an update is available.

The Virtual Front Desk Printer app icon in the Windows system tray

Right-click the icon to open the menu:

• Service Status: the current connection status.
• Version Information: the current version, and a check for updates.
• Location Settings: change the Location ID or the owner email.
• Enable Service Mode or Disable Service Mode: run the app as a Windows service, or return to the tray app. See Service Mode above.
• Close Service: stop the app.

Notifications

The app shows Windows notifications for:

• changes in connection status,
• print jobs received,
• errors, and
• available updates.

Troubleshooting

The app does not start or connect

• Check that the Location ID and owner email are correct.
• Make sure the computer is connected to the internet.
• Make sure your firewall allows HTTPS traffic on port 443.
• Restart the app as an administrator.

Printers are not detected

• Make sure the printers are properly installed in Windows.
• Update the printer drivers to the latest version.
• Restart the app to refresh the list of printers.
• In Service Mode, the app only sees printers installed for all users. To check, run Get-Printer in PowerShell as an administrator.

Print jobs fail

• Check that the printer is turned on, online, and has paper and ink or labels.
• Make sure the Windows user has permission to print.
• Clear any stuck jobs from the Windows print queue.
• For badge printers in Service Mode, set the 2.4-inch roll width in the printer’s Printing Defaults, not only in Printing Preferences.

Connection problems

• Check for intermittent network issues.
• Ask your IT department to allow the Virtual Front Desk domains through the corporate firewall.
• Some VPN configurations can interfere with the connection.

Advanced troubleshooting

Log files are stored in %TEMP%\PrintDocuments\Logs\. They contain detailed connection and print job information and are useful for Virtual Front Desk support.

Settings are stored in the Windows registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Virtual Front Desk\PrinterServiceVFD:

• LocationID: your Location ID.
• AdminEmail: the owner email entered during setup.

Updates and maintenance

Automatic updates

The app checks for updates regularly, shows a notification when one is available, and installs updates through the Microsoft Store.

Check for updates manually

1. Right-click the app’s icon in the system tray.
2. Click Version Information.
3. The app checks for the latest version. Follow the prompts if an update is available.

Maintenance

The app monitors its connection and reconnects automatically after a failure.

Technical specifications

Architecture

• .NET 8
• SignalR for real-time communication
• Microsoft Azure for secure cloud storage and messaging
• Windows Forms for the native Windows interface

Supported file types

• PDF documents, with full rendering
• Images such as PNG and JPG, used for visitor badges and photos

The original quality of each document is preserved when it prints.

Performance

Memory and network use depend on how much you print. Print speed depends on the printer and the size of the file.

Getting help

1. Check the app’s status from the system tray icon.
2. Restart the app. This often resolves temporary issues.
3. Check that the internet connection is stable.
4. Contact Virtual Front Desk support, and include your log files and version information.

Privacy and compliance

• Document processing: files are processed locally while they print.
• Connection logs: basic logging for troubleshooting only.
• Stored settings: the Location ID and owner email are stored in the Windows registry.
• Network traffic: all communication is encrypted with TLS.
• Infrastructure: built on Microsoft Azure, following standard security practices for desktop applications.