With VMware Integrated Printing, you can use local or network printers that are redirected from your client system to a remote desktop, without having to install printer drivers in the remote desktop. You can set printing preferences in a remote desktop for the VMware Integrated Printing feature. You can also specify which printers that you want to have redirected to remote sessions.

Requirements for VMware Integrated Printing

To enable VMware Integrated Printing, an administrator must install the VMware Integrated Printing feature in the remote desktop. This task involves enabling the VMware Integrated Printing option in the Horizon Agent installer. For information about installing Horizon Agent, see the Windows Desktops and Applications in Horizon 8 document. For information about configuring the VMware Integrated Printing feature, see the Horizon Remote Desktop Features and GPOs document.

To determine whether the VMware Integrated Printing feature is installed in a remote desktop, verify that the C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Remote Experience\x64\vmware-print-redir-server.exe and C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Remote Experience\x64\vmware-print-redir-service.exe files exist in the remote desktop file system.

Specify Client Printers for Redirection

By default, all printers configured for your client system are redirected to remote sessions. To reduce the load on virtual processors and speed the startup of sessions, you can configure Horizon Client to redirect only the printers that you want to use, or no printers at all.

  1. Start Horizon Client and connect to a server.
  2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the upper-right corner of the desktop and application selection window.
  3. In the left pane of the Settings dialog box, select Printing.
  4. Use the drop-down menu to specify the client printers that you want to redirect to remote sessions.
    Action Result
    All local printers All printers configured for your client system are redirected to remote sessions.
    No local printers No printers are redirected. You cannot print from a remote desktop or application to a client printer.
    Only selected local printer(s) Displays a list of the printers configured for your client system. To select a printer for redirection, select the check box next to that printer entry.

Use the VMware Integrated Printing Feature

With VMware Integrated Printing, specified client printers are redirected to remote sessions. You can send print jobs to these printers from a remote desktop or application using standard print commands and dialog boxes.

In a single-user virtual machine desktop, each redirected printer appears as <printer_name>(vdi) by default. In a published desktop or published application, each redirected printer appears as <printer_name>(v<session_ID>) by default.

An administrator can use a group policy to modify the printer naming convention for client printers that are redirected. For information, see the Horizon Remote Desktop Features and GPOs document for your Horizon Agent version.

Set Printing Preferences for VMware Integrated Printing

For each redirected printer available through this feature, you can set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and other settings.

  1. In the Windows remote desktop, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.
  2. In the Devices and Printers window, right-click the printer and select Printer properties from the context menu.
  3. On the General tab, click Preferences.
  4. In the Printing Preferences dialog box, select the different tabs and specify which settings to use.
  5. To save your changes, click OK.