Terminal Server printing to a local USB printer

[Mr. Anonymoose]

What is the straight poop on TS printing to a local USB
printer?

Is it supported?

Do I have to edit the ntprint.inf? Sources say no, don't
do it as it will fail checksum.

Do I have to install the driver on the server? Sources
say no, this is the major cause of exception errors on
the server.

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

USB printers are supported, yes.
Some USB printers create a local port named DOT4. In that case,
you'll have to make a change in the registry on the client:

302361 - Printers That Use Ports That Do Not Begin With COM, LPT,
or USB Are Not Redirected in a Remote Desktop or Terminal Services
Session
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302361

Theoretically, editing ntprint.inf can be a problem because of the
checksum. Although this very seldom is a problem in the real
world, the recommended approach is to create a custom
ntprintsubs.inf. Check:

239088 - Windows 2000 Terminal Services Server Logs Events 1111,
1105, and 1106
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=239088

I would *never* install a 3th party printer driver on a Terminal
Server, as many of them are not (completely) TS-compatible and can
cause your spooler to crash or even your server to blue-screen.
Use the above method instead to map those printers to a native
driver.