The virtual printing feature allows end users on some client systems to use local or network printers from a remote desktop without requiring that additional print drivers be installed in the remote desktop operating system. The location-based printing feature allows you to map remote desktops to the printer that is closest to the endpoint client device.
With virtual printing, after a printer is added on a local client computer, that printer is automatically added to the list of available printers on the remote desktop. No further configuration is required. For each printer available through this feature, you can set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and so on. Users who have administrator privileges can still install printer drivers on the remote desktop without creating a conflict with the virtual printing component.
Local printer redirection is designed for the following use cases:
- Printers directly connected to USB or serial ports on the client device
- Specialized printers such as bar code printers and label printers connected to the client
- Network printers on a remote network that are not addressable from the virtual session.
To send print jobs to a USB printer, you can either use the USB redirection feature or use the virtual printing feature.
Location-based printing allows IT organizations to map remote desktops to the printer that is closest to the endpoint client device. For example, as a doctor moves from room to room in a hospital, each time the doctor prints a document, the print job is sent to the nearest printer. Using this feature does require that the correct printer drivers be installed in the remote desktop.
