Configuring Printer Redirection Settings
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
As an administrator, you can configure printer redirection settings for terminal server connections as a whole (per connection) or on a per user basis.
Configure printer redirection settings per connection
By using Group Policy (best practice)
To configure Group Policy settings for a domain or an organizational unit (OU), you must be logged on as a member of the Domain Admins group, Enterprise Admins group, or the Group Policy Creator Owners group, or have been delegated the appropriate authority over Group Policy.
To configure Group Policy settings by using the Local Group Policy Editor, membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To configure per connection printer redirection settings on a terminal server by using Group Policy
In either the Group Policy Management Console or the Local Group Policy Editor, locate the following node:
Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Terminal Server\Printer Redirection
Configure the desired printer redirection settings:
To disable client printer redirection, enable the Do not allow client printer redirection policy setting.
To use the default printer of the server as the default printer for all client sessions, enable the Do not set default client printer to be default printer in a session policy setting.
By using Terminal Services Configuration
Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To configure per connection printer redirection settings on a terminal server by using Terminal Services Configuration
Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, point to Terminal Services, and then click Terminal Services Configuration.
In the middle pane, under Connections, right-click the connection, and then click Properties.
On the Client Settings tab, under Redirection, configure the desired printer redirection settings:
To disable client printer redirection, select the Windows Printer check box.
To use the default printer of the server as the default printer for all client sessions, select the Default to main client printer check box. To print to the default printer of the client, clear this check box.
Configure printer redirection settings per user
You can configure per user printer redirection settings by using either Local Users and Groups or Active Directory Users and Computers. These settings override client-specified settings.
To configure per user printer redirection settings by using Active Directory Users and Computers, you must be logged on as a member of the Domain Admins group, or have been delegated the appropriate authority.
To configure per user printer redirection settings by using Local Users and Groups, membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To configure per user printer redirection settings
Do either of the following, depending on whether you are configuring settings for a domain user or for a local user on the terminal server.
To configure settings for a domain user, on a domain controller, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
To configure settings for a local user, on a terminal server, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, click Computer Management, and then expand Local Users and Groups.
In the console tree, locate the user for whom you want to configure printer redirection settings.
Right-click the user name, and then click Properties.
On the Environment tab, configure the following settings:
Connect client printers at logon
If you clear this check box, client printers are not automatically connected. However, a user can still manually map their client printer.
Default to main client printer
Select this check box to print to the default printer of the client. If you clear this check box, the default printer of the server is used as the default printer for all client sessions.
Note
By default, both of these check boxes are selected.
- When you finish, click OK.
Use client-specified printer redirection settings
Users can also control printer redirection settings through the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client, or when starting a connection to a RemoteApp program.
To control printer redirection through the RDC client
Start the Remote Desktop Connection client.
Click Options.
On the Local Resources tab, under Local devices and resources, select or clear the Printers check box.