Class 15, Chapter 9:
Printing & Faxing
Objectives
• Understand Windows XP print terminology
and architecture
• Work with the Windows XP print
subsystem architecture
• Work with printer driver software
• Print across the network and understand
the printing process
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Objectives
• Install and manage printers
• Configure a printer and manage the print
server
• Troubleshoot printing
• Configure Windows XP fax capabilities
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Terminology
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Windows XP Printing Terminology
• Microsoft uses unique terminology
• Important to know for certification exam
• Terms:
– Creating a printer
– Direct-attached printer
– Network interface printer
– Print device
– Print Server services
– Printer (logical printer) 5
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Windows XP Printing Terminology
(continued)
• Terms:
– Printer driver
– Printer pool
– Rendering
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Windows XP Print Subsystem
Architecture
• Several components that:
– Turn print data into a printable file
– Transfer that file to a printer
– Manage multiple print jobs
• Components:
– GDI
– Printer driver
– Print spooler
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Graphical Device Interface
• Begins the process of producing visual
output
• Output goes to:
– Screen
– Printer
• Makes WYSIWYG output possible
• Calls printer driver
• Provides information about data to be CIS 121
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Printer Driver
• Windows XP software component
• Application communicate with printer
through IP Manager
– Executive Services module in the Windows XP
kernel
• Subcomponents:
– Printer graphics driver
– Printer interface driver
– Characterization data file 9
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Printer Driver (continued)
• Not compatible across hardware platforms
• Must make sure that necessary drivers are
available for proper platforms
• Some Windows OS will download the
driver from the print server automatically
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Print Spooler
• Spoolsv.exe
• Collection of DLLs and device drivers
• Print jobs are:
– Received
– Processed
– Scheduled
– Distributed
• Part of the Spooler service
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Print Spooler (continued)
• Components:
– Print router
– Local and remote print providers
– Print processors
– Print monitor
• Data types:
– EMF
– RAW
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Print Router
• Sends print requests from clients to print
server
• Requests are routed to appropriate print
provider
• Remote procedure calls from client’s print
router (Winspool.drv) to the server’s print
router (Spoolss.dll)
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Print Provider
• Server-side software
• Sends print job to server in the format
required by that server
• Print providers:
– Windows XP print provider (Win32Spl.dll)
– NetWare print provider (Nwprovau.dll)
• Writes contents of the print job to spool
file
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Print Processor
• Works with the printer driver to despool
spool files during playback
• Makes needed changes to spool file
according to its data type
• PostScript program
• Built-in Windows print processor
understands
– EMF data files
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files
– Three kinds of RAW data15
Print Monitor
• Two monitors:
– Language monitor
• Used only if the print device is bidirectional
– Port monitor.
• Controls flow of information to the I/O port
• Supported port monitors:
– Local port monitor (Localmon.dll)
– Hewlett-Packard network port monitor
(Hpmon.dll)
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– Line printer (LPR) port monitor (Lprmon.dll)
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Supported Port Monitors
• AppleTalk port monitor (Sfmmon.dll)
• DEC network port monitor (Decpsmon.dll)
• Lexmark Mark Vision port monitor (Lexmon.dll)
• NetWare port monitor (Nwmon.dll)
• Standard TCP/IP port monitor (SFM)
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) port
monitor
• PJL monitor (Pjlmon.dll)
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Printer Driver Software
• Provides an interface between the client
and the printer
• Print drivers:
– Take application-specific file data
– Translate data into formats suitable for
printing
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Printing Across the Network
• By far the most common print scenario on
Microsoft networks
• Typical options:
– Print to printer connected to print server
through a parallel or serial port
– Print to printer connected directly to network
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The Printing Process
• Application calls GDI
• Print job passed to spooler
• Print router passes the job to the local print
provider
• Local print provider polls the print processors,
passing the job to the processor that recognizes
the selected printer
• Print job is despooled to the print monitor
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The Printing Process
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Installing and Managing Printers
• Printers and Faxes window
• Create a printer
– Add a printer command in the Quick List
• Set properties:
– Right-click printer
– Choose Properties from shortcut menu
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Creating a Local Printer
• Setting up a printer for local use
• Add a printer command
• Answer questions:
– Is the printer local or on the network?
– To which port will the printer be connected?
– What is the make and model of the printer?
– What do you want the printer to be named?
– Do you want the printer to be the default for
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Connecting to a Remote Printer
• Add a printer link in the Printers and
Faxes window
• Choose to connect to a network printer
• Choose from list of shared printers
• Don’t have to install drivers locally
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Managing Print Jobs
• Printers and Faxes window
– Manage print queues
– Double-click the icon for printer
– Window displays all current print jobs
– Select job
– Choose the appropriate menu option
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Configuring A Printer
• Use printer Properties dialog box
• Right-click printer in the Printers and
Faxes window
• Choose Properties
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General Tab
• Variety of controls
• Features and paper sizes
• Printing Preferences button launches
dialog:
– Orientation
– Duplexing
– Page order
– Pages per sheet
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– Etc. 27
Sharing Tab
• Like Sharing tab used when creating
shared directory
• Select “Share this printer” option button
• Provide Share name for printer
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Ports Tab
• Adjust settings for ports selected for use
with a particular print device
• Includes:
– Interrupts
– Base I/O addresses
• Bidirectional printing option
– Checked for printers that are able to send
status information back to the print monitor
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Printer Pool
• Configured on Ports tab
• More than one print device assigned to
single logical printer
• Should be physically close
• Fastest printer should be first
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Advanced Tab
• Printer hours
• Priority
• Spooling options
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Spooling Options
• Define how print jobs are managed
• Default options usually work well
• Print directly to printer
• Wait to print until spooling is complete
• Holding mismatched documents
• Other options
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Spooling
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Separator Page Codes
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Color Management Tab
• Used to associate a color profile with a
color printer.
• Color profile
– Controls how color is produced by the printer
• Only used by printers supporting color
• Automatic selection usually determines
best color profile to use
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Security Tab
• Similar to those for secure files and
directories
• Set permissions for printer
• Three main permissions for printers:
– Print
– Manage Documents
– Manage Printers
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Advanced Security Settings
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Printing Capabilities Matrix
Permissions
Capabilities Print Manage Manage
docs printers
Print documents X X X
Pause, resume, restart, and cancel the X X X
user's own document
Connect to a printer X X
Control job settings for all documents X X
Pause, resume, restart, and cancel all X X
other users' documents
Cancel all documents X
Share a printer X
Change printer properties X
Delete a printer X
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Change printer permissions 38 X
Device Settings Tab
• Used to make sure that the print device
itself is configured properly
• May be subject to change printer
upgraded:
– Memory
– Paper trays and other accessories
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Printers And The Web
• Includes Web support in print subsystem
• Remote users can:
– Submit print jobs for printing
– View printer queues
– Download print drivers
• Accessible only when print server is
running Internet Information Server (IIS)
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Managing the Print Server
• Print Server Properties dialog box
• Forms tab
– Used to define paper sizes
• Ports tab
– Lists all known ports and installed printers on
those ports
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Managing the Print Server (continued)
• Drivers tab
– Lists the installed printer drivers
• Advanced tab
– Control over spool file location and several
events
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Troubleshooting Printing Problems
• Identify which of the seven components
of the printing process is failing
• Look for documented solutions
• Implement a short-term solution
• Implement a long-term solution, if
possible
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Troubleshooting Printing in General
• Check the physical aspects of the printer
• Start and restart the spooler
• Terminate and reshare the printer on the
print server
• Try using a different application, user
account, or computer to print to the same
printer
• Check for stalled print jobs
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• Make sure the printer is online
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Troubleshooting Printing in General
(continued)
• Remove or uninstall, and then reinstall
the print driver
• Check for a new or updated print driver
• Check the free space on the drive where
the spooler is directed
• Try using the Print Troubleshooter
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Troubleshooting Network Printing
• Verify basic network connectivity
• Create local printer and redirect its port to
network printer
• Print from a DOS-based program
• Ping printer’s IP address
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Stopping and Restarting the Print
Spooler
• Use Services tool in Administrative Tools
• Sometimes, stopping and restarting the
Spooler service can clear up problems
that are difficult to troubleshoot
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Fax Support
• Printers and Faxes applet
– Install and configure fax components
• Not enabled by default
• Must have a fax-capable device installed
• Manually configure faxing in order to
receive faxes
• Cannot be shared under Windows XP
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Summary
• The GDI, printer driver, and print spooler
are responsible for printing documents
• Printers are added and configured using
Add Printer Wizard
• Can be troubleshoot printer problems by
following a defined series of steps
• Faxing is configured using the Printers
and Faxes applet
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