How it works

Follow these 5 simple steps to start automatically printing Zendesk ticket attachments to your physical printer

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Ticket Created
This trigger monitors your Zendesk account and starts the workflow whenever a new support ticket is submitted, ensuring no ticket attachments are missed.
When a customer or team member creates a new ticket in Zendesk, this trigger captures all the ticket details including ID, subject, requester information, and associated data. The trigger runs automatically in the background and requires no configuration from you. It passes the ticket information to the next step so the workflow can find and process any attachments that were included with the ticket.
Time to complete: Auto-configured (0 minutes)

Get List of Comments
This step retrieves all comments associated with the ticket to identify which ones contain file attachments that need to be printed.
The system automatically pulls the complete list of comments from the ticket, including the initial ticket description and any follow-up responses. This step scans through each comment to locate file attachments, which in Zendesk are stored within individual comments rather than directly on the ticket itself. No configuration is needed as it uses the ticket ID from the trigger to find the right comments.
Time to complete: Auto-configured (0 minutes)

Loop over ticket's comments
This loop processes each comment individually to systematically check for attachments, ensuring no files are overlooked in tickets with multiple comments.
The loop examines every comment retrieved in the previous step, creating a separate processing path for each one. It automatically filters and organizes the comments so the workflow can move through them methodically. This step handles tickets with single comments as well as lengthy conversation threads with dozens of back-and-forth exchanges.
Time to complete: Auto-configured (0 minutes)

Loop over comment's attachments
This nested loop identifies and processes each individual file attachment within each comment, handling cases where customers upload multiple documents at once.
For each comment that contains attachments, this loop creates a separate processing track for every file. It checks that each attachment has a valid content URL before proceeding, filtering out broken or inaccessible files. The loop handles various file types including PDFs, images, and documents, preparing each one for the printing step.
Time to complete: Auto-configured (0 minutes)
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Create Print Job
This step sends each attachment file directly to your selected physical printer, completing the automation by producing hard copies of customer documents.
You'll need to configure which PrintNode printer should receive the attachments by selecting from the dropdown menu. The step automatically converts file URLs into print jobs and sends them to your chosen printer using PrintNode's printing service. Make sure your target printer is connected and shows as online in your PrintNode dashboard before selecting it, as the workflow can only print to active, connected devices.
Time to complete: 2 minutes

Make it your own

Customize this workflow even further:

Add conditional filters
Set up conditions to only print specific file types (like PDFs) or attachments from certain ticket priorities, preventing your printer from processing unnecessary documents.
Connect multiple printer locations
Extend the workflow to route different ticket types to different printers based on department, urgency, or customer tier using conditional logic steps.
Store attachment records in tables
Save details about printed attachments (filename, ticket ID, print timestamp) in MESA's database tables for tracking and audit purposes.
Send notification emails
Add email steps to notify team members when attachments have been successfully printed, including details about which files were processed and any printing errors.

Frequently asked questions

What file types can be printed through this workflow?
The workflow supports PDFs, images (JPG, PNG), and most common document formats that PrintNode can process. PDFs typically print with the best quality and formatting, while images and documents are converted automatically by PrintNode before printing.
Will this print attachments from internal agent comments or only customer submissions?
The workflow processes attachments from all comments on the ticket, including both customer submissions and internal agent notes. If you only want customer attachments printed, you can add a filter condition to exclude comments from agent email addresses.
What happens if the selected printer is offline when an attachment tries to print?
PrintNode will queue the print job and automatically send it to the printer once it comes back online. You can monitor print job status in your PrintNode dashboard and set up notifications for failed or queued jobs.
What is a template?
Templates are pre-made workflows by our team of experts. Instead of building a workflow from scratch, these have all the steps needed to complete the task.
Can I personalize a template?
Yes! Every step can be customized to meet your exact requirements. Additionally, you can even add more steps and make it more sophisticated.
Are templates free?
Yes! Our entire library containing hundreds of templates are free to use and customize to your exact needs.

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