---
title: "Group"
description: "A Printer Group is a set of printers in a Dashboard account that share a group queue and access."
url: https://developer.formlabs.com/core-concepts/group/
---

# Group

A *Printer Group* is a set of printers in a Dashboard account, organized by location or
purpose, such as one print room or one team's printers. Fleet Control gives each group a
group queue, so a print job sent to the group goes to whichever printer in it is ready
first. The group also controls who can see and use its printers.

## How a group fits in

A group sits between Dashboard and the printers registered to the account:

```mermaid
flowchart TB
    account["Dashboard account"] --> g1["Printer Group"]
    account --> g2["Printer Group"]
    g1 --> q1["Group queue"]
    g1 --> p1["Printer"] & p2["Printer"]
    g2 --> q2["Group queue"]
    g2 --> p3["Printer"]
    q1 -. "next print job" .-> p1 & p2
    q2 -. "next print job" .-> p3
```

- **Printers:** A printer is registered to one Dashboard account, and an admin places
  it in a group.
- **Members:** A group has *admins* and *members*. An admin invites people by email,
  renames the group, and moves printers between groups.
- **Group queue:** The print jobs sent to the group, waiting for a printer to be ready. For more information, see [Queue](https://developer.formlabs.com/core-concepts/queue.md).

## Create a group

An admin creates and manages groups in Dashboard. To create a group:

1. Under **Printers**, click **Organize Printers**.
2. Click **+ New Printer Group**.

![The Printers page in Dashboard in organize mode, with the New Printer Group button highlighted and an unnamed group that holds one Form 3.](https://developer.formlabs.com/assets/images/support/dashboard-create-group-jan-2023.png)

*Creating a Printer Group in Dashboard.*

The person who creates a group becomes its admin. To add a printer to Dashboard, enter
the registration code from the printer's touchscreen. For more information, see
[Managing a Printer Group with Dashboard](https://formlabs.com/support/Managing-a-Printer-Group-with-Dashboard/)
and [Adding and removing printers on Dashboard](https://formlabs.com/support/Adding-and-removing-printers-on-Dashboard/).

## Find a group from your code

After PreForm logs in to the account, the printer list on the **Job Setup** screen shows
each Printer Group with the model **Printer Group**:

![The Choose Printer step of Job Setup in PreForm. The printer list shows two Printer Groups, FLBP Community farm and West Wing, with the model Printer Group, above individual Form 3 printers.](https://developer.formlabs.com/assets/images/support/printer-groups-preform-jan-2023.png)

*Printer Groups in the PreForm printer list.*

The device list in the PreForm API holds the same groups, each with its queue ID and the
printer types in it:

```python
import os

from formlabs_sdk import FormlabsClient

with FormlabsClient(
    username=os.environ["FORMLABS_USERNAME"],
    password=os.environ["FORMLABS_PASSWORD"],
) as client:
    # login=True logs PreForm in with the client's credentials. PreForm lists Printer
    # Groups only while it's logged in to the account.
    with client.preform.connect(login=True) as preform:
        for device in preform.list_devices().devices:
            # Only a Printer Group record carries a dashboard_queue_id.
            if hasattr(device, "dashboard_queue_id"):
                queue_id = device.dashboard_queue_id
                print(device.id, queue_id, device.supported_machine_type_ids)
```

The `dashboard_queue_id` field is the value that the `print_scene` method takes as its
`printer` ID to send a print job to the group. The `supported_machine_type_ids` field
lists the printer types in the group, so create the scene with one of them.

The Formlabs Web API lists, creates, and manages groups and their members. For more
information, see the
[Formlabs Web API reference](https://formlabs-dashboard-api-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/formlabs-web-api-latest.html).

## What's next

- [Queue](https://developer.formlabs.com/core-concepts/queue.md)
- [Dashboard overview and setup](https://formlabs.com/support/Dashboard-Overview-and-Setup/)