Print Services with local printers

[jrf1nc]

Hello,

This is my first attempt to do structured network printing from one of
our Win2003 boxes. We have all HP printers from deskjets to lasers.
Our copiers are all Ricoh. The copiers and lasers have NIC's so those
are easy to setup. But I have no idea how, if it is even possible, to
setup the deskjets.

For example, lets say computer A has a hp6122 attached via USB. How do
I prevent printing locally and force printing via the print server?
What is there to prevent them from adding a local printer and bypassing
the print server. If it is possible to force printing via the print
server for computer A, does computer A have to be an NT based system or
can it be a 9x system?

The reason we want this is so that we can enforce print quotas. We are
a mixed env of 95 up to XP.

Thanks
John

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

For $60 you can get a networking solution for the USB or parallel devices.
Then you can set these up on the server. My brother has had good experience
with Hawking print servers. Anyone else have a comment on these products?
HP, Lexmark, and other venders have a similar solution.
http://www.hawkingtech.com/products/productlist.php?CatID=21&FamID=42&ProdID=224

Of course this will not stop someone who has direct access to the device
from plugging it into their machine and printing locally.

Plug and Play will install any inbox driver for any user. Vendor drivers
can only be installed for local printers when the user has admin rights or
power user with load driver privilege. To prevent your users from adding
local printers make sure they do not have these rights.

On XP there is a policy which will block all users from adding printers
using the Add Printer Wizard. Once again Plug and Play will add the device
if there are inbox drivers.

gpedit.msc
User Configuration
Administrative Templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

As long as the spooler is running, local and network (assuming network
interface) is supported.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.