Printing in the Age of the Paperless Office

E3: What are the key aspects and challenges when it comes to documents, and how far has the SAP community progressed with its vision of the paperless office?

Waldemar Suchy, Suchy MIPS: In recent years, we have come much closer to the vision of a „paperless office.“ Just think of the EU regulation on e-invoicing. It ensures that invoices can be issued, transmitted, received, and processed electronically—regardless of the software or systems used.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot that needs to be printed. I can mention delivery notes, shipping documents, work orders, kanbans, and the like—documents that are mainly used in the manufacturing industry, e.g., in the automotive sector. This is an important reason why printers are still needed. This issue should not be neglected. However, today's printers and multifunction devices (MFPs) have many new and useful features.

Printers from different manufacturers are no longer compatible with each other when it comes to controlling these functions, as was previously the case when one SAP device type could be used for all printers. Configuring such printers is often time-consuming, complicated, and not always successful. This is where we come in with our expertise, know-how, and solutions.

E3: Is there more or less printing now than in the past? With e-commerce, there seem to be more mailing labels, shipping documents, delivery notes, etc., right?

SuchyThe print volume on cut-sheet printers and MFPs has decreased, but has become more specialized. Black-and-white printing is often being replaced by color printing. We are actually often asked for solutions for label printing.

The main focus here is on designing labels quickly, linking them to variable data, and controlling high-performance printing or mass printing on special label printers (e.g., from Epson or Zebra). However, there are many companies that print their VDA labels and kanbans on DIN A5 paper or double-sided on DIN A4 paper using cut-sheet printers.

E3: How do your offerings support existing SAP customers?

SuchyOur most important products are the Bens OMS Server and the Bens OMS Panel. Bens OMS is an external output management system for SAP systems to which print data is sent via connection type „E.“ The system significantly reduces the load on SAP servers because it handles all print management tasks and communication with end devices and automatically provides the connected SAP servers with precise information about the current status. This process is called „callback.“ Bens OMS Panel is a convenient extension of this concept.

It is an easy-to-use web application that enables printer management on all connected SAP systems via standard RFCs. It eliminates the need for the somewhat cumbersome PAL system and offers an excellent opportunity to transfer printer management (creation, configuration, deletion, locking, etc.) from the SAP team to the service desk. This saves time and money in printer administration, especially when multiple SAP servers are in use.

We know from customer reports that setting up a printer on all necessary SAP servers sometimes requires coordinated collaboration between several teams. That should now be a thing of the past. I consider it a particularly positive side effect that the system ensures the same printer definition and configuration on all connected SAP servers and eliminates the disorder and proliferation of printer definitions and configurations that have arisen over the years of use on various SAP servers in the same network.

In addition, we offer Bens plug-ins that can be used to perform a variety of additional tasks—from simple tasks such as barcode printing or solving problems with paper tray control, to more complex conditional workflows in which the plug-in performs different tasks depending on the document type or content, to complex tasks involving database queries, print data conversion (e.g., from PCL to PDF), etc. Our technicians will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

E3: Are your SAP offerings certified, and for which releases are they intended?

SuchyYes, our SAP offerings are certified. They support both S/4 Hana and Netweaver releases. For some customers, we have even made the products work with older legacy systems.

E3: You work closely with the standard and use ABAP: Is SAP BTP also a factor in your offerings?

SuchyWe have now completed work on the new print type introduced by SAP using the link type „Q.“ The solution is already ready for use. I expect SAP certification to take place in spring 2026 at the latest.

E3: What are the current trends in the SAP community when it comes to document management?

SuchyCurrently, many customers are busy with the transition to S/4 Hana and the implementation of clean core projects. I think that this situation in particular offers the opportunity to compare the physical printer fleet with the printers created in SAP and to clean up the SAP systems of „dead weight.“.

Customers often tell us that they have, say, 400 printers in use, but we find over 1,000 printers created in the SAP system. Implementing Bens OMS together with Bens OMS Panel could help improve this situation and prevent such circumstances in the future. Bens OMS Panel makes printer management easier and more transparent and ensures configuration consistency across all connected SAP servers.

What I mean is that switching to S/4 Hana should be a reason, not an obstacle, to consider using Ben's OMS and Ben's OMS Panel. We offer a proof of concept for a flat fee of €1,900 with full technical support during the test period. The price for the PoC will of course be credited if you decide to place an order later.

E3: SAP has always had a divided relationship with documents, forms, and printing: What is your assessment, and what are you hearing from users?

SuchyWe hear from users that printer management on SAP systems is complicated and time-consuming. The lack of transparency means that SAP administrators or their representatives do not dare to delete outdated printer definitions from the system due to uncertainty about the consequences, which in turn leads to uncontrolled growth and an accumulation of „printer corpses“ on SAP systems.

Document management is often unsatisfactory. Printouts are frequently unsuitable, even when the latest device type is used. If a printout does not appear on the target device, it is often unclear where the document has gone and why it was not printed. All these problems could be solved with Ben's OMS, or even better, in combination with Ben's OMS Panel.

E3: What are the most frequent requests from the SAP community at your company at the moment, and what do you expect for 2026?

SuchyIt's surprising, but many customers still ask for barcode printing solutions. The conventional method of calling up barcodes via print controls is still embedded in many forms—especially SAPscript forms—and is still in use. Of course, we also support this type of barcode printing on documents with the Bens Server, which, incidentally, can also be used for printing via the „U“ link type.

We also offer ABAP programs for barcode printing. Label printing—or let's stick with the somewhat broader term „label printing“—is also in demand. Our expertise is often sought after for the design of 2D barcodes, especially QR codes and data matrices. The specifications provided by customers are often difficult to implement. With consulting and, if necessary, the use of our RBarc series products, we have always been able to help.

Another issue is reliability. Here, too, we offer solutions that ensure that the failure of a print server does not lead to any interruptions in productive operation. For 2026, I expect increased demand for our (SM) external output management system Bens OMS and the Extension for Printers Bens OMS Panel. Precisely because print volumes are declining, there are fewer and fewer specialists who are well versed in the subject, can advise customers, and provide them with good solutions.

Suchy MIPS

Since its founding in 1990, Suchy MIPS has been developing solutions for printing and document management. These include the generation, preparation, adaptation, and conversion of print data, the distribution of documents, and the control of complex document workflows and finishing processes. The range of services includes services, advice, and consulting, as well as the development and distribution of a
own server operating system for printing and document management. In addition, Suchy MIPS develops and distributes specialized software products and barcode solutions and offers comprehensive support.

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