Printing via RDP with a none supported printer

[Inertia]

So My client have an old Laserjet 1020 they call "old faithful" they don't want to let it go.

 

I have recently switched them to a redundant hosted server (cloud) and they all use RDP to access their desktops.

 

One machine shares the 1020 to the others via the local LAN, they can all print to it locally.

 

Due to driver problems they cannot print via the redirect printer on the terminal server session itself.

 

However they can print the "Microsoft XPS Writer (redirect)" which sends the print job local as a file then they open it and print to the 1020, which is kind of ok, but adds unnecessary steps into the process which is wasting their time.

 

I was wondering could the local part not be automated somehow, so maybe a script, or other program which saves the file automatically and sends it to whichever printer is pre selected in the script or software locally?

 

 

Thanks!

[T3X4S]

I know of 3rd party document mgmt software that does this - everyone would save their XPS files to a common folder - and anything in that folder automatically gets batched to printer and or PDF via email... However - the only doc mgmt software I know of - sucks = and is like $30,000


Im sure there are some open source/free/cheap document mgmt software out there.


Maybe something here will help you:  capterra

[XorpiZ]

You could install a PDF printer and set it up to auto-save all printed files in a specific location and then have a VB-script scan the folder and do something like this:

if file exists
    print file to old_faithful

move file to sub-folder called printed_files

[sc302 Veteran]

Uniprint or screwdriver would be able to do what you want. You would use this so you didn't have to manage printers on the rdp server. It will print to any local printer regardless if shared or directly attached. This gets around the unsupported or impossible to find drivers.

https://www.uniprint.net/

http://www.tricerat.com/products/simplify-printing/screwdrivers

[binaryzero]

Tell them to let go, I bet the toner\ink costs more than what the printer is worth.

[Depicus]

Why not just use the generic Laserjet 4 driver or whatever is closest and just print to that.

[xendrome]

HP Offers a "Universal Driver" also, just google it.

[binaryzero]

From memory - the driver on both server and client machines need to match for RDP Printer redirect to work, plus I think it only works with locally connected printers. 

 

It's been a long time since I've set this up (a lot of my clients no longer allow home print drivers to be installed on their terminal servers).

 

Edit: I actually recall printing to a network printer via RDP, but it wasn't through a share (unc) - I created a new TCP\IP printer port (IP address of printer) on my local pc.

[+BudMan MVC]

back in the day when I had to deal with this stuff directly we wouldn't have any printers on rdp/terminal connections we would just print to pdf. And then the user could print that file on whatever printer, when they had access, etc.

[Inertia]

Thanks for all the input, lots of possible solutions there, I will get playing!  I like uniprint and screwdriver as solutions, but cant find pricing, it would have to be cheap.  The windows script idea sounds brilliant as a free option :-) 

 

 

Tell them to let go, I bet the toner\ink costs more than what the printer is worth.

Not at all, toners are

[sc302 Veteran]

another option to screwdriver and uniprint is thinprint. 

http://www.thinprint.com/

 

Depending on license (per user or per server) it can get expensive.  Generally if you wanted unlimited users/computers on one server it is about $1000 usd.  There is a benefit to it, you don't ever have to load another print driver on the server or worry if the server is compatible with a printer. 

 

The other option would be to install a pdf printer and print to that.  If you wanted a corporate one there is win2pdf which is about 500  (personally I would go with uniprint, does both pdf and prints to your local printer(s)).

 

http://www.win2pdf.com/purchase/purchase.htm

 

Contact the manufactures for pricing, if you can't find anything.  You can also request trials to help you decide.

[AStaUK]

What's the server/client software? If it's Server 2008+/RDP 6.1 then you should be able to use the Easy Print feature?