Easy Print, Not So Easy

Microsoft’s introduced EasyPrint to easy printing from a Remote Desktop Server (aka Terminal Server), it uses Microsoft’s XMAL printer driver. XMAL is a description of an object in XML, its really cool technology.

The cool thing is that you no longer have to install the printer driver for a remote printer on the Remote Desktop Server (aka Terminal Server), which should make administration easier.

However as ever, it’s never that simply and there are a few know issues, which I have tried to compile a list of them below.

Make sure the client is RDC 7.0
If Easy Print doesn’t work at all, check if the client meets the requirements : RDP client version 6.1 and .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.
.NET is no longer required on the client if the server runs W2008 R2 and the client runs Windows 7.

These are recommended hot fixes:

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 954744 - 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 954743 - FIX: After you apply hotfix 954744, printing performance may be significantly slower when you print documents by using Terminal Services Easy Print

and here are some optional one’s:

962930 - Cannot print from Terminal Services Easy Print on Windows server 2008, access is denied 954399 - Error message when you try to print by using Terminal Services Easy Print from a client computer that you connect to a Windows Server 2008-based computer: “Tswpfwp.exe has stopped working” 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 970603 - The content of a printout is different when you print a PDF document by using Terminal Services Easy Print in a Terminal Services (TS) session in Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008

Misc. problems

958894 - The Printer Spooler service may encounter an access violation and crash when the service handles asynchronous notifications from print clients on Windows Server 2008-based or Windows Vista Service Pack 1-based computers 954400 - The Remote Desktop Connection disconnects when you try to print to a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server 958656 - Client-side rendering in Windows Server 2008 and in Windows Vista may decrease performance on Windows Server 2008-based terminal servers 960792 - Error message when a user tries to add a printer in Windows Server 2008 by using a TCP/IP address or a host name: “Access is denied” 973356 - Error message when you create one or more network printers in a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server session: “Printers cannot be installed” 955560 - Handle leaks and memory leaks occur on the Printer Spooler service when a Windows Vista SP1-based computer or a Windows Server 2008-based computer installs and uninstalls network printers 979163 - Many pages are printed when you try to print an Excel worksheet by using a redirected printer if the Terminal Services Easy Print feature is used 980056 - The client printer may print the documents by using an incorrect paper size if the “Use Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver first” policy is enabled 2004234 - After upgrading a printer driver on any Microsoft Operating system later than Windows XP and Server 2003, the old driver files are still being used

Documentation

Using Remote Desktop Easy Print in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Printer Driver Isolation in Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 https://www.fws.net/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=102

Please feel free to contact me if you have anything to add. Hope this helps. :-)