Modifying Printer Mapping

If a required printer driver is not available on the remote desktop session host, the failure to map the device is record in the event log with the event ID "1111." This error occurs primarily with printers that use drivers from the printer manufacturer rather than drivers from Microsoft. This can result in inconsistencies between the driver name at the client end and that at the server end. In most cases, however, there is a driver on the server that is compatible with the printer connected to the client. Microsoft provides a mechanism for mapping unknown client printers to drivers on the server, implemented by a mapping file:

 

1. Publish the mapping file: The mapping file must be named in the registry. To do this, enter the following values under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Wds\rdpwd:

 

Name: PrinterMappingINFName

Type: REG_SZ

Value: Name of the INF file with the printer(s) to be mapped

Example: C:\WINDOWS\inf\ntprintsubs.inf

 

Name: PrinterMappingINFSection

Type: REG_SZ

Value: Name of the section in the INF file to which searches will be redirected

Example: Printers

 

2. Administration of mapping file: After you have added the registry values described above, create or edit an INF file to add the user-defined mapping of server and client drivers. Here is an example of the required INF file entries:

 

[Version]

Signature="$CHICAGO$"

[Printers]

"OEM printer driver name" = "Windows 2003 printer driver name"

 

To the left of the "equals" sign (=) is the exact name of the printer driver that is linked to the client-side print queue which will be redirected to the server. On the right-hand side of the "equals" sign is the exact name of the server-side equivalent of the printer driver installed on the remote desktop session host. When you open the Start menu on the client and select Settings > Printers, the printer name displayed might not be the exact name of the printer driver that is to be redirected to point to a driver on the server. To find the printer name to be entered in your INF file on the right-hand side of the "equals" sign, check in the system event log on the Session Host for an event with event ID 1111. Event ID 1111 contains the exact name of the printer driver for which re-direction has failed.