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1. User prints a document from an application while in their TS session
2. The common print dialog is displayed and the user selects a redirected printer
3. User makes any desired changes to the Preferences or Properties before issuing the print job
4. TS Easy Print driver is loaded for the printer and intercepts the call
5. TS Easy Print driver redirects the call to the RDC client using a virtual channel which in turn calls the actual printer driver on the client to invoke the Document Properties dialog from the driver on the client
6. User makes the necessary changes to the document properties and clicks OK
7. RDC client transmits the user-selected options changes from the local printer driver to the Terminal Server Easy Print Driver on the server
8. The application reformats the document per the user-selected options and issues the print job
9. The Terminal Server Easy Print driver processes the job and passes it through the GDI-to-XPS conversion routine
10. GDI-based print jobs are routed through the GDI-to-XPS routines to convert the job to XPS format.  WPF-based print jobs do not pass through the GDI-to-XPS routines
11. The server side spooler generates an XPS spool file and sends it to the client using a static virtual channel
12. The RDC client receives the XPS spool file
13. RDC client queries the printer driver to see if it supports XPS.  Is so, the XPS spool file uses the XPS print path on the client.  If the print driver does not specifically support XPS, the XPS spool file is handed off to the WPF print support infrastructure for conversion to GDI using the XPS-to-GDI conversion routines
14. Print job is sent to the Print Spooler to be printed

The process is also shown below:

Because the RDC client, MSTSC.EXE, is a native Win32 application, and the WPF printing infrastructure uses managed (.Net Framework) API’s, a managed wrapper was created to support Terminal Services Easy Print.  When a document is printed from a remote desktop session using the Easy Print driver on the Terminal Server, the RDC client calls the managed wrapper, TSWPFWRP.EXE, to assist with processing the print job on the client.  TSWPFWRP.EXE is only used for Easy Print redirected printer functionality and is only invoked when printing.

An important note - for any client computers that do not support the Terminal Services Easy Print feature, only client printers that have a corresponding driver on the Windows Server 2008 Terminal Server can be redirected in a Terminal Server session.

That wraps up today’s post.  Tomorrow we’ll have an overview of the RDP Client.  Until next time …

Additional Resources:

• Terminal Server Team Blog:  Introducing TS Easy Print Part 1
• Terminal Server Team Blog:  Introducing TS Easy Print Part 2
• Terminal Server Team Blog:  Introducing TS Easy Print Part 3

Source:→ Microsoft

Microsoft, WS2008, Windows Server 2008, Terminal Services, Printing, Terminal Server, Architecture, Knowledgebase

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