Printing Using E-Mail

Use

You can use printing using e-mail to send data as an attachment to an e-mail. The
recipient can then display and/or print the data.

All device types can be used to print the e-mail. However, you must ensure that the
relevant display program or printer is available for the device type. We recommend that
you use device type pdf1, as with pdf1, a PDF file is generated from the document, and
sent as an e-mail attachment. You can then display this with a PDF display program,
such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, and print it as required.

Prerequisites
 As of SAP Web Application Server 6.10, you must have activated and configured the
interface to send e-mails from the SAP System in SAPconnect (transaction SCOT). For

more information, see the Guidelines for SMTP Configuration. These

guidelines explain, among other things, how to create an SMTP node in transaction
SCOT, which can be used without special additional settings for e-mail printing.
 Up to SAP Basis 4.6D, communication is performed using an additional external
communication system and, accordingly, a SAPconnect node with the corresponding
RFC connection must be set up until SAP Basis 4.6D (inclusive).
 So that the recipient not only receives the mail, but can also reply using the REPLY
button, you must maintain the e-mail addresses for all users in the user maintenance
transaction SU01.

If you are using a default domain in transaction SCOT, the mail is sent, but the
relevant user cannot reply using the reply button, as the generic sender address
does not really exist.
 You must have created a device definition for printing using e-mail in the SAP System.
 To print using e-mail, the sender must, in addition to the usual authorization for the output
device, also have authorization for the (pseudo) output device %MAI.
With this authorization, you can easily remove the right to use devices with access
method M from individual users.

Activities

The figure below shows the process of printing using e-mail:

 You are printing a document using an output device that was specially defined for printing
using e-mail.
 The SAP spool system determines the recipient of the mail in three steps:
1. ...
2. ...
1. a. The system first checks whether the user has already entered an e-
mail address in the print window that appears after the user triggers the print
function. If this is the case, the system sends the e-mail to this address.
If the user in the print window selects an output device with access method M for
printing using e-mail (and for releases up to SAP Web AS 620, then chooses
enter), a field appears, in which the user can enter an e-mail address if required.
The length of this mail address is restricted to 50 characters.
2. b. If no e-mail address is specified, the e-mail is sent to the address
that is specified in the device definition.
The length of this e-mail address is also restricted to 50 characters.
3. c. If there is neither an e-mail address specified in the print window,
nor in the device definition, the mail is sent to the mail address from the user
profile (transaction SU01). By default, the creator of the mail is entered here.
This function was originally developed to replace the frontend printing function
that was missing up to SAP Basis 4.6 for the SAP GUI for HTML. The user
should be able to send the print file to himself or herself by e-mail and to print it.

For printing using e-mail, it is a prerequisite that SAP users that send e-mail using
printers with the access method M have a valid e-mail address in their user master
 record. This address is used as the sender address. The recipient can send a
reply to this e-mail address using the reply function of his or her e-mail program.
 SAPconnect sends the data to the target host. You must configure this interface
appropriately in transaction SCOT.

Result

The recipient receives an e-mail with the print document as an attachment. The recipient
can display and print this document with an appropriate viewer. If the print document is,
for example, contained in the mail attachment as a PDF file, you can read and print this
document with the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The message text of the e-mail is defined by default, however, you can change it, as
described at the send of SAP Note 311037.

For more information about printing using e-mail, see SAP Note 513352 in the SAP
Service Marketplace
Setting Up SAPconnect for E-Mail Printing up to SAP
Basis 4.6D
Use

You want to use e-mail printing with SAP Basis releases up to SAP Basis 4.6D
(inclusive) to send a print document that can then be displayed using the appropriate
viewer and printed. So that the e-mail is forwarded from the SAP System to the
recipient, you must set up a corresponding SAPconnect node with an RFC connection.
(As of SAP Web Application Server 6.10, e-mails are sent directly from the SAP System

to the relevant Internet address using the SMTP plug-in; see the
SAPconnect Documentation)

Prerequisites
 You must install a functional mail gateway and define the RFC destination.
 So that the recipient not only receives the mail, but can also reply using the REPLY
button, you must maintain the e-mail addresses for all users in the user maintenance
transaction SU01.

If you are using a default user in transaction SU01, the mail is sent, but the
relevant user cannot reply using the reply button.
 You must also create the output device for printing using e-mail (access method M).

Procedure
1. ...
1. 1. Call transaction SCOT, and choose Nodes ® Create.
An assistant appears to lead you through the configuration of the node.
2. 2. Enter a name and description for the node.
3. 3. Choose the corresponding RFC destination.
4. 4. Select Internet as the node (support address type).
5. 5. For the address area, enter either an e-mail address or wildcards, such as * (no
filtering) and *sap.com (partial filtering).
6. 6. Select Only the following formats and enter TXT, RAW, and PDF as formats.
This ensures that the mail text remains in plain text format and the attachment to be
printed remains in PDF format.
7. 7. You can select any device type, such as POST2.
1. 8. Activate the node by choosing Node is ready for use.
Result

You have created the SAPconnect node required for e-mail printing. You can now send
e-mails using this node. If a user selects an output device defined for e-mail printing in
the print window, the recipient receives the print document as an e-mail attachment.
Setting Up SAPconnect for E-Mail Printing as of SAP
Web Application Server 6.10
If a print document is to be sent from the SAP System using e-mail and then displayed
and printed with the appropriate viewer, you must make the appropriate setting in
SAPconnect.

In SAP Basis releases up to SAP Basis 4.6D (inclusive), you had to set up the
corresponding SAPconnect node with an RFC connection to use E-Mail Printing. As of
SAP Web Application Server 6.10, this is no longer required, as e-mails are sent from
the SAP System to the relevant Internet address directly using the SMTP plug-in
without using an external communication system. For more information about the

SMTP plug-in, see the SAPconnect Documentation.