How do I print to my local printers from my VPS?

This is a guide for users that need to print items from their server on their local printer. It is important to ensure that users consider the following factors before being able to print items from their server.

Consideration #1

Users must ensure that their local printer is working normally. It is recommended to resolve any pre-existing issues with the printer before using it to print from the server.

Consideration #2

Users must make sure that the required drivers for the local printer are installed on the remote server that will be used to send print commands by the user.

In case the user needs to move through multiple layers of Remote Desktop Printing (or RDP), the drivers for the local printer are required to be installed on the server at each level or layer that the user will go through.

Consideration #3

Before using the printer with the remote server, the user must ensure that the Printers option is checked from the Local Resources tab of the Remote Desktop client that the user is operating.

Follow these steps to enable the Printers option in the Windows Remote Desktop Client

Step 1.

First, the user is required to open the Remote Desktop Connection application on their local computer system or local machine.

Step 2.

After that, the user is required to click on the section titled Options to open up the preferences and options window for the Remote Desktop client. These settings are used to adjust the settings of the server from the local computer, and can also be used to provide or revoke certain permissions.

Step 3.

Next, you need to click on the Local Resources tab from the top in the Options window. The Local Resources tab contains settings for server access to local features such as audio, keyboard and other devices configured on the local machine.

Step 4.

Finally, in the Local Resources tab, use the mouse to check the box next to the Printers option at the bottom of the window, under the title that says “Local devices and resources”. 

To be able to use a printer with a remote server, the users must ensure that the Printer option is checked in this section.

The above mentioned steps have been illustrated in the figure presented below.

Consideration #4

Finally, before using a local printer through a remote server, the user must ensure that the Print Spooler Service program must start as soon as the local machine starts, i.e. open automatically at startup or system boot.

Follow these steps to enable the Printers option in the Windows Remote Desktop Client

Step 1.

First, the user is required to open on the Start menu from the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Step 2.

Next, the user needs to scroll down to the Windows System folder from within the Start menu and click on it to expand the folder.

Step 3.

After that, the user needs to open the Run program from the folder.

Alternatively, users can use the keyboard combination of Windows Key + R to open the Run application on their desktop.

Step 4.

In the Open section of the Run program, the users are required to type the following command to open the system service window:

services.msc

Step 5.

From the Services window, the user is required to locate the Print Spooler Service and double-click on it to open the service and view important settings for it.

Step 6.

From the settings window of the Print Spooler Service, the user is required to look for the Startup type options. In the settings for Startup type, the user is required to change the type of Startup mode to Automatic to allow the program to open as soon as the local machine boots up.

Step 7.

After changing the Startup setting, the user needs to click on the Apply button to implement the changes in the system. Then the user needs to click on the OK button to close the window and finish the process.

Step 8.

Finally, the user can exit out of the Services console to complete the changes made to the system and enable remote desktop printing from the Remote Desktop client’s settings.

After the user has completed all the prerequisite steps and considered all the factors mentioned in the guide above, the system will become capable of remote printing.

However, in order to redirect the printing commands to the local printers, the user will be required to follow the step-by-step guide mentioned below.

Please note: All users are required to follow the steps that are mentioned below in the order that they are mentioned. Please refrain from shuffling the sequence of the steps to avoid any errors.

This guide is prepared in a chronological manner with all necessary steps mentioned in the order of their execution.

Steps to redirect printing commands to local printers

Step 1.

First, the user will be required to log into the server that they will be using for executing printing operations through a local machine. The server connection needs to be made using a Remote Desktop connection.

Step 2.

After the connection to the remote server is active, the user is required to Restart the Print Spooler Service. The Print Spooler Service can be Restarted using the service section in windows. The user is simply required to open the Services window using the process mentioned above and perform the Restart from there.

Step 3.

After the Print Spooler Service has been restarted, the user is required to log off from the user account on the server.

Please note: Users are advised not to click on the X button on the top-right corner of the screen. The step requires users to simply log off from the user account that is being used at the time of completing this process.

• In order to log off from the user account, the user needs to click on the Start menu in the bottom left corner of the screen.
• From the Start menu, locate the icon of the user account from the sidebar on the left side of the Start menu. Click on the user account option to expand it and then click on the Log off option to log out of the user account.

Please note: It is important that the users only log out of the account and do not close the Remote Desktop client. If the Remote Desktop client is closed, the remote server connection will be terminated.

Step 4.

After logging out of the user account, the user will be required to log back into the same user account on the local machine. However, this time the user needs to log back in via the Remote Desktop client.

Logging back into the account via Remote Desktop is to check if the changes have taken place.

Step 5.

Once logged back into the account using Remote Desktop, the user will be able to see that the local printer has been redirected to be used with the server for printing.

Now users can use the local printer to print items from their server.

Please note: On rare occasions, there may be an event where a user witnesses that their printer has disappeared from the printing options section, while logged in to the system through a Remote Desktop client. This may occur due to a number of problems such as glitches with system settings.

In case a user faces such a situation, it is recommended that they repeat the above-mentioned steps in the order that they mentioned to resolve the issue.