Configuring Print Server Properties

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By William R. Stanek

from Chapter 13, Windows NT Administrator's Pocket Consultant.

Windows NT allows you to control global settings for print servers by using the Print Server Properties dialog box. You can access this dialog box by doing the following:

  1. Double-click on the printer's icon in the Control Panel or select Settings in the Start menu and then choose the Printers option.

  2. In the Printers window, select Server Properties from the File menu.

    Cc722527.13wnta12(en-us,TechNet.10).gif

    Figure 13-12: Use the Forms tab of the Print Server Properties dialog box to view printer forms.

Viewing and Creating Printer Forms

Forms are used by the print server to define the standard sizes for paper, envelopes, and transparencies. To view the current settings for a printer form, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Print Server Properties dialog box and then click on the Forms tab as shown in Figure 13-12.

  2. Use the Forms On list box to select the form you want to view.

  3. The form settings are shown in the Measurements area. You can't change or delete the default system forms.

To create a new form, follow these steps:

  1. Access the Forms tab of the Print Server Properties dialog box.

  2. Use the Forms On list box to select the existing form on which you want to base the new form.

  3. Select the Create A New Form check box.

  4. Enter a new name for the Form in the Form Description For field.

  5. Use the fields in the Measurements area to set the paper size and margins.

  6. Choose the Save Form button to save the form.

Locating the Spool Folder and Enabling Printing on NTFS

The Spool folder holds a copy of all documents in the printer spool. By default, this folder is located at %SystemRoot%\spool\PRINTERS. On NTFS, all users who access the printer must have Change permission on this directory. If they don't, they won't be able to print documents. To check the permission on this directory if you're experiencing problems, follow these steps:

  1. Double-click on the Printers icon in the Control Panel or select Settings in the Start menu and then choose the Printers option.

  2. In the Printers window, select Server Properties from the File menu.

  3. Select the Advanced tab. The location of the Spool folder is shown in the Spool folder field. Note this location.

  4. Right-click on the Spool folder in Windows NT Explorer and then select Properties from the pop-up menu.

  5. Select the Security tab, then click on Permissions.

  6. Verify that the permissions are set appropriately.

Logging Printer Events

You can configure the logging of printer events using the Print Server Properties dialog box. Access the dialog box, then click on the Advanced tab. Use the check boxes provided to determine which spooler events are logged.

Removing Print Job Completion and Notification

By default, the print server notifies users when a document has finished printing. This can be annoying, so you may want to remove this feature. You do this by using the Advanced tab of the Print Server Properties dialog box. To disable notification, deselect the check box labeled Notify When Remote Documents Are Printed. You can enable notification later by selecting this check box again.

Managing Print Jobs on Local and Remote Printers

You manage print jobs and printers using the print management window.

If the printer is configured on your system, you can access the print management window as follows:

  1. Double-click on the Printers icon in the Control Panel or select Settings in the Start menu and then choose the Printers option.

  2. Double-click on the icon of the printer you want to work with.

If the printer isn't configured on your system, you can manage the printer remotely by doing the following:

  1. Start Windows NT Explorer and then use Network Neighborhood to access the print server.

  2. Access the Printers folder on the print server and then double-click on the icon of the printer you want to work with.

    Cc722527.13wnta13(en-us,TechNet.10).gif

    Figure 13-13: Manage print jobs and printers using the print management window.

Using the Print Management Window

You can now manage print jobs and printers using the print management window shown in Figure 13-13. The print management window shows information about documents in the printers. This information tells you

  • Document Name The document file name, which can include the name of the application that printed it.

  • Status The status of the print job, which can include the status of the document as well as the status of the printer. Document status entries you'll see include Printing, Spooling, Paused, Deleting, and Restarting. Document status can be preceded by the printer status, such as Printer Off-Line.

  • Owner The document's owner.

  • Pages The number of pages in the document.

  • Size The document size in kilobytes or megabytes.

  • Submitted The time and date the print job was submitted.

  • Port The port used for printing, such as LPT1, COM3, or File (if applicable).

Pausing the Printer and Resuming Printing

Sometimes you need to pause a printer. Using the print management window, you do this by selecting the Pause Printing option on the Printer menu (a check mark indicates that the option is selected). When you pause printing, the printer completes the current job and then puts all other jobs on hold.

To resume printing, select the Pause Printing option a second time. This should remove the check mark next to the option.

Emptying and Purging the Printer

You can empty the printer and delete all of its contents using the print management window. To do this, select the Purge Print Documents option on the Printer menu.

Pausing, Resuming, and Restarting Individual Document Printing

The status of individual documents is set using the Document menu in the print management window. To change the status of a document, follow these steps:

  1. Select the document in the print management window.

  2. Use the Pause, Resume, and Restart options on the Document menu to change the status of the print job.

    • Pause puts the document on hold and lets other documents print.

    • Resume tells the printer to resume printing the document from where it left off.

    • Restart tells the printer to start printing the document again from the beginning.

Removing a Document and Canceling a Print Job

To remove a document from the printer or cancel a print job, follow these steps:

  1. Select the document in the print management window.

  2. Select Cancel from the Document menu or press Del.

Note: When you cancel a print job that's currently printing, the print device may continue to print part or all of the document. This is because most print devices cache documents in an internal buffer, and the print device may continue to print the contents of this cache.

Checking the Properties of Documents in the Printer

Document properties can tell you many things about documents that are in the printer, such as the page source, orientation, and size. You can check the properties of a document in the printer by doing either of the following:

  • Select the document in the print management window and then select Properties from the Document menu.

  • Double-click on the document name in the print management window.

Setting the Priority of Individual Documents

Scheduling priority determines when documents print. Documents with higher priority print before documents with lower priority. You can set the priority of individual documents in the printer by doing the following:

  1. Select the document in the print management window and then select Properties from the Document menu.

  2. In the General tab, use the Priority slider to change the priority of the document. The lowest priority is 1 and the highest is 99.

Scheduling the Printing of Individual Documents

In a busy printing environment, you may need to schedule the printing of documents in the printer. For example, you may want large print jobs of low priority to print at night. To set the printing schedule, follow these steps:

  1. Select the document in the print management window and then select Properties from the Document menu.

  2. In the General tab, select the Only From radio button and then specify a time interval. The time interval you set determines when the job is allowed to print. For example, you can specify that the job can print only between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 5:00 A.M.

from Windows NT Administrator's Pocket Consultant by William R. Stanek. Copyright © 1999 Microsoft Corporation.

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