Remote desktop connection to network printer

Question

I'm trying to print a document from a remote WinXP machine to a network printer I use on a local Win7 machine using Remote Desktop. The network printer does not appear in the list of those available on the WinXP box.

In more detail, the local machine runs Windows 7 (no admin rights) and connects to a network printer managed by a print server (i.e. not using a local TCP/IP Port). I have access to a Windows XP host on a separate network which I access using Remote Desktop. I would like to have print requests from the remote XP box forwarded to the network printer I use on the Windows 7 machine. The XP machine cannot access the print server I use on the Win7 machine nor can it create a TCP/IP port to connect directly to the printer (network configuration issues).

After consulting KB312135 I confirmed the "Printers" option was selected in the Remote Desktop Client, Local Resources Tab, yet the network printer does not appear on the list of available printers on the XP box.

Is this a lost cause or is there something else I haven't managed to locate yet?

Answer 1

Couple things that could be preventing this:

• Check the Event Viewer on the target XP machine and look for printer failures. Often you will need the driver for the printer installed on the XP machine before it will work.

• Check to ensure the Target WinXP machine, and the user you're using to log into it, don't have any domain policies applied to them. The admin of that network may have set them to not allow local printer redirection for RDP sessions.

Answer 2

Had the same issue, this worked for me. Taken from https://www.farmhousenetworking.com/techblog/networking/remote-access/remote-desktop-network-printer-redirection/

(On Local Machine)

• Click on the Start button and open Control Panel then open “Devices and Printers”

• Right click on the network printer that needs to be redirected and choose “Printer Properties” and go to the Ports Tab

• Click on the Ports tab and put a check next to “Enable printer pooling” and “LPT1:” in the list then click the OK button to finish.

• Click on the Start button and open Remote Desktop Connection then click on the “Local Resources” tab.

• Click on the “More…” button at the bottom then put a check next to the Ports item then click the OK button. (Make sure to go back to the General tab and click on save before clicking on the Connect button.)

(On Remote Machine)

• Download and install the needed print driver but do not create the printer itself yet.

• Click on the Start button and open Control Panel then open “Devices and Printer”

• Click on the Add Printer button at the top then click on the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” at the bottom of the window that opens.
• Click on the radio selection next to “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings” then click on the next button.
• Add Printer - Find a printer by other options
• Click on the list “Use an existing port” and choose “TS001:” which usually corresponds to the LPT1: port redirection, but it may take some trial and error going through this list later to figure out which one it is.
• Search through the list of drivers and pick the one associated with the the printer then click on the Next button.
• If requested, choose to “Replace the current driver” and click on the Next button.
• Change the name as needed and click on the Next button.
• Choose “Do not share this printer” and click on the Next button.
• Test the printer by clicking on “Print a test page” then click the Finish button.

If the printer does not print then open the printer properties on the Remote computer and change the port to TS002: on the Ports tab, click Apply then click “Print a test page” on the General tab to test again. Repeat down the list until the correct port is found.