TS: Terminal Server Printing / EasyPrint

First published on TECHNET on May 14, 2009

TS: Terminal Server Printing / Easy Print

Easy Print is a printer redirection technology first implemented in Windows Server 2008, and allows terminal server printer redirection without having additional drivers installed.

Scoping the Issue:

1. When did the issue start and what was the last change made to the environment?

2. What errors are seen in the Application or System Event Logs?

3. How often does the issue occur?

4. Does the issue reproduce if printing directly to the Print Server?

5. Does the client have RDC 6.1 installed and either .Net Framework 3.0 SP1 or .NET 3.5 SP1?

6. Does the Client printer redirect in the Session?

Data Gathering: In all instances, collecting either MPS Reports with the General, Internet and Networking, Business Networks and Server Components diagnostics, or a Performance-oriented MSDT manifest must be done.

Troubleshooting:

1. The most common issue is that the clients do not have RDC 6.1 installed and .Net Framework 3.0 SP1 or .NET 3.5 SP1 .

2. If you are experiencing formatting issues with Easy Print, install the following hotfixes:

KB954744 FIX: Some pages are printed in the incorrect orientation when you use Terminal Services Easy Print to print a document that contains both portrait-oriented pages and landscape-oriented pages

KB954743 FIX: After you apply hotfix 954744, printing performance may be significantly slower when you print documents by using Terminal Services Easy Print

959442 The edges of a document are truncated when you try to print the document by using Terminal Services Easy Print from a client computer that is running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, or Windows Server 2008

3. Print jobs print blank pages – this is usually resolved by the following hotfixes:

833318 A blank page prints when you print a double-sided document in EMF format

946411 FIX: When you print an XPS file on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3-based computer, the characters in the XPS file print incorrectly

4. The following Group policies must be enabled on the Terminal Server for a printer to redirect

“ Computer Configuration -> Administrative templates -Windows Components -> Terminal Services >Terminal Server-> Printer Redirection ”

“ Use Terminal Services Easy Print printer driver first ” key must be set to “Enabled” for Easy Print redirection

5. How to check that the printer is redirected from the client:

Open the Print Management Console.

Right-click on the session printer to be managed, select Properties, and select the Security tab.

Select the Advanced option, then the Owner tab.

Select Print Operators and click OK.

Re-open the printer’s Properties and select the Security tab.

Give the Print Operator Manage Printer permission on the session printer.

Print Operators should use the “Manage Printers” permission only to perform the following tasks:

Delete any redirected printer

Open the print queue of any redirected printer

Manage jobs of any redirected printer

All other actions on the session printers such as renaming, setting printing defaults, printer properties, and printing preferences are not supported.

Additional Resources:

Server 2008/2008 R2 Easy Print Troubleshooting Guide ( http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/archive/2009/09/28/using-remote-desktop-easy-print-in-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2.aspx )

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) Team Blog ( http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/default.aspx )

Terminal Server Printer Redirection Event Logs ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc775315(WS.10).aspx)

For the full documentation about how Easy Print works, refer to this three-part blog :

http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/archive/2007/04/26/introducing-terminal-services-easy-print-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/archive/2007/05/03/introducing-terminal-services-easy-print-part-2.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/archive/2007/10/05/introducing-terminal-services-easy-print-part-3.aspx