# Understand jobs, copies and print attempts

Read transport evidence without confusing submission with physical output.

Source: https://help.smartfact.ai/manuals/printstation/copy-states

Review edition: 25 October 2026

Roles: owner, supervisor, operator

A PrintStation job contains the requested document copies. Each copy can have a history of attempts. Read all three levels when investigating printing.

## Job, copy and attempt

| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Job | The source application's particular request and document context. |
| Copy | One requested physical copy within that job. |
| Attempt | A particular effort to deliver that copy to a workstation/printer. |

A job's overall status does not replace the individual copies' evidence. Some copies may have progressed while another remains uncertain.

## Interpret the state

| State or description | What you can conclude |
|---|---|
| Queued or waiting | Work is waiting for the permitted route or agent. It is not proof of printing. |
| Submitted | The transport accepted the copy. Physical output still needs the appropriate evidence. |
| Failed | An attempt reported a failure. Read the details and permitted next action. |
| Unknown or uncertain | The system cannot establish the physical outcome. It may have printed. |
| Operator-confirmed output | An observation of physical output has been recorded. |
| Reconciled outcome | An authorised investigation recorded what was found. Read that outcome and note. |
| Cancelled or delivery expired | Follow the exact attempt history; a later status does not recall output already attempted. |

Different screens may use friendly wording rather than the internal state name. Keep the actual state and attempt reference when reporting an issue.

## Why history matters

A late answer, retry or investigation adds evidence to the original work. Do not ignore an earlier uncertain attempt simply because a later attempt succeeded; both may have produced physical output.

Likewise, not seeing a printed copy is an observation, not proof that the printer never received it. The investigation form makes that distinction explicit.

## Who decides the next action

Owner manages printing set-up and can investigate calibration copies. Supervisor handles ordinary production-copy uncertainty. The source product decides whether a further print or reprint is authorised and what content it carries.

Use [uncertain output](/manuals/printstation/uncertain-output) when the physical outcome is unclear. Keep the source-product reference as well as the PrintStation job reference.