Configure Printer Support
Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2
Remote Desktop Services provides printer redirection, which routes printing jobs from a server to a printer that is attached to a client computer or to a shared printer that is available to the client computer. On an RD Session Host server, you can use the Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver to simplify printer configuration. The Remote Desktop Easy Print driver is useful if an RD Session Host server does not have a printer driver installed that matches the printer driver on a client computer.
By default, the RD Session Host server first tries to use the Remote Desktop Easy Print driver. If the client computer does not support this driver, the server looks for a matching printer driver on the server. You can either install a matching printer driver on the RD Session Host server, or you can create a custom printer mapping file.
Note
The RD Session Host server fallback printer driver is not supported in Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
Client requirements
To use Remote Desktop Easy Print, the client computer must have the following components installed:
- Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 6.1
Note
The RDC 6.1 client supports Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1.
- At least Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 1
Note
The version of Microsoft .NET Framework that is included with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 supports Remote Desktop Easy Print. The Microsoft .NET Framework is not required for remote clients running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
Configure printer driver behavior
To change the default printer driver behavior, you can use Group Policy to modify the Use Remote Desktop Services Easy Print printer driver first policy setting. This policy setting is located in the following node of the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC):
Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Printer Redirection
Note
If you are using the Local Group Policy Editor, "Policies" is not part of the node path.
By using this policy setting, you can configure the RD Session Host server to do either of the following:
Use the Remote Desktop Easy Print driver first. If that fails, look for a matching printer driver. (This is the behavior if you enable or do not configure the policy setting.)
Look for a matching printer driver first. If that fails, use the Remote Desktop Easy Print driver. (This is the behavior if you disable the policy setting.)
Other printer redirection policy settings that are available in this node of the Local Group Policy Editor include:
Do not allow client printer redirection
Do not set default client printer to be default printer in a session
Redirect only the default client printer
For more information about these policy settings, view the policy setting descriptions in the GPMC or the Local Group Policy Editor.
Additional references
For more information about RD Session Host, see the Remote Desktop Services page on the Windows Server 2008 R2 TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=140438).