A Terminal Server is used by many organizations that want to enable multiple users to connect to a single server system. As with any server-based infrastructure, however, it can be challenging to implement basic print capabilities that are both reliable and intuitive for end users. Even if you’re doing your best to follow best practices, you might find your Terminal Server printing slow or problematic, particularly if many users are accessing it remotely over a wide-area network (WAN) connection.
To be sure, not all Terminal Server setups are the same. Typically there are two main variants:
- Print jobs are sent directly to the printer from the Terminal Server or a print server.
- After being processed by the Terminal Server, print jobs are sent back to the client computer. From there they are relayed directly to the printer or indirectly to the printer via a print server.
Seasoned admins will immediately spot the drawbacks of these setups. With each new link in the network chain, the potential for interruption or incompatibility is increased. The second variant really highlights this. The hops from Terminal Server to client computer and finally to printer create at least three opportunities for the print job to become corrupted or slowed. As part of their Terminal Server printing best practices, many organizations have deployed print servers to help restore some control to print management. But these print servers come with their own issues—in addition to introducing another fallible network link that can make Terminal Server printing slow and unreliable.
Things get even trickier in remote situations. With greater reliance on the WAN connection to the Terminal Server, printing can both cause and suffer from bottlenecks. That’s why organizations have started to look to Terminal Server printing software solutions for alternatives to these setups. Unfortunately, print servers are often still part of that print management equation. This opens the possibility of trading one set of printing problems for another.
For Terminal Server printing software without the inherent compromises of print servers, there’s PrinterLogic. Our next-generation print management solution is like bundling all of the Terminal Server printing best practices into a single convenient, fast-deploying and cost-effective printing platform. Even in unique or challenging Terminal Server environments, PrinterLogic’s solution can be implemented seamlessly and offers the following benefits:
- No print servers: PrinterLogic not only eliminates the need for future print servers, it can eliminate existing ones. That allows your organization to reduce your print infrastructure to one server running a single instance of PrinterLogic, even in geographically distributed environments.
- Minimization of WAN traffic: Heavy WAN use can make Terminal Server printing slow or vulnerable to WAN dropouts. PrinterLogic enables end users to continue printing as usual in all situations, including during WAN interruptions or the rare event of a server outage.
- Self-service printer installation: End users don’t always want or need the same default printer, especially in dynamic environments. Accurately and reliably deploying printers to these end users with conventional Terminal Server printing software can be difficult and unpredictable. PrinterLogic makes it possible for end users to identify and install nearby printers themselves with intuitive floorplan maps and a single click.
- Enhanced functionality: Want to implement Mobile Printing or Pull Printing enterprise-wide? What about comprehensive, insightful Print Auditing? You can do all of that easily with PrinterLogic.
And that’s just the start. PrinterLogic’s enterprise print management solution is the Terminal Server printing software you’ve been waiting to discover. It makes the notoriously difficult process of Terminal Server printing easy.