Cloud printing without opening ports: how the Print Client connection works

01

No open ports, verifiable printing

The client only starts outbound HTTPS connections to the Print Gateway: it does not require any inbound cloud connection into the company LAN.

This reduces the exposed surface and lets the IT team offer cloud printing without changing firewalls or internal network rules.

02

The path of a document

Steps

1. The business software creates the PDF and indicates the local destination queue.
2. The gateway keeps the job separated per company, available only to the authorized device.
3. The resident client downloads the PDF and selects the exact Windows, macOS, or Linux queue.
4. The PRINTED or ERROR statuses return to the cloud and close the cycle in a verifiable way.

03

What you need before installing

Prerequisites

• A Nebulas user with the Cloud Printing module active.
• The operating system print queues already configured for trays and formats.
• Outbound HTTPS connection to Nebulas services from the chosen workstation.
• A compatible operating system: Windows x64 or Linux x64 for production use; macOS Intel/Apple Silicon packages are not yet notarized with an Apple Developer ID and are intended for technical evaluation only.

04

Hypothetical example: two sites, one network policy

A company with a headquarters in Milan and a warehouse in Padua installs the Print Client on the workstations connected to the local printers. The business software sends each invoice to the exact queue of the corresponding site.

Neither site opens inbound ports: both workstations only make outbound HTTPS connections to the gateway, while the printing outcome remains centrally viewable.

05

Operational controls that keep things calm

• Device authorization is periodically verified and can be revoked centrally; revocation stops polling and heartbeat.
• Atomic job pickup prevents two clients from processing the same job.
• If the Internet connection drops, the client pauses the cycle, applies controlled retries, and resumes automatically.
• Heartbeat, completion date, and limited errors help understand what happened.

06

How Nebulas Print Client supports continuity

The client is a signed desktop agent that authentically connects Nebulas Cloud Printing to local queues; native packages include the Java 17 runtime, so it doesn't need to be installed separately.

Device authorization happens with login and MFA in the browser; from that moment the client only downloads jobs destined for the configured queue, with precise routing by site, printer, tray, or paper format.

07

Recommended activation sequence

Steps

1. Download the package suited to the operating system of the workstation connected to the printers, keeping in mind that the macOS package remains for technical evaluation only.
2. Run the installation: the signed package registers in the user's Startup Apps without requiring elevation.
3. Authorize the device by completing login and MFA in the browser.
4. Check the detected queues and use the correct names in the business software rules.
5. Test a real document and check the PRINTED or ERROR status returned to the cloud.

08

Next step

Check with the IT team which workstations connected to printers can receive the Print Client and plan the authorization of priority devices.