Procedural printer definition

I have to install the same printer type (local USB) on several clients with 8 different settings (papersize and paperfeed) as 8 different printer names. Set-PrintConfiguration does not allow configuration of paperfeed and I do not understand how to defines the same printer with different printer names in Powershell.

Is there a solution or do I have to install / configure the printers manually?

Thnaks - Michael

Not having any experience with this particular topic - we hand out descriptions and encourage our users to set up their printers themselfs - with the cmdlet …

… you should be able to add a new printer or an existing printer with a different name.

To configure these newly added printers you may evaluate the cmdlets …

… and …

… as well. :wink:

Thanks, but I “of course” examined these commands beforehand but:

  • Add-Printer does not allow to define a printer on base of an existing one (at least I do not understand how) and
  • Both Set-commands do not have a parameter for paperfeed / papersource.

Michael

Hmmm … can’t you just add a new printer with a different name than an already existing one? Why do you need to add it on base of another printer. It just needs to use the same driver?! :man_shrugging:t3:

I’d expect that you provide the proper -PropertyName and -Value for Set-PrinterProperty?

Thanks!

*Hmmm … can’t you just add a new printer with a different name than an already existing one? Why do you need to add it on base of another printer. It just needs to use the same driver?*

It also needs the same port. I tested without success but will try it again.

*I’d expect that you provide the proper `-PropertyName` and `-Value` for `Set-PrinterProperty`?*

Yes - That was misinterpretation of parameters an my side - sorry.

Michael

No need to sorry at all. I was just assuming. As I said I have no experiences at all with this topic. :wink:

You may show your code and the error messages if there are some.

Add-PrinterDriver -Name "Brother HL-L2350DW XML PAPER" -InfPath "C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\brxhl17a.inf_amd64_2ca98a1ddab15ed3\BRXHL17A.INF"

worked as designed. But defining the rpinter a scrond time:

Add-PrinterDriver -Name "Brother HL-L2350DW XML PAPER - DINA5" -InfPath "C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\brxhl17a.inf_amd64_2ca98a1ddab15ed3\BRXHL17A.INF"

results in an error:

Add-PrinterDriver : Der angegebene Treiber ist nicht im Treiberspeicher vorhanden.
In Zeile:1 Zeichen:1
+ Add-PrinterDriver -Name "Brother HL-L2350DW XML PAPER - DINA5" -InfPath "C:\ ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (MSFT_PrinterDriver:ROOT/StandardCimv2/MSFT_PrinterDriver) [Add-PrinterDri
   ver], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80070705,Add-PrinterDriver

It looks like Add-PrinterDriver only excepts names defined in the INF-file?

Michael

But you don’t want to add a printer driver. You want to add a printer??? … don’t you? :thinking:

shame on me!

It works like follows:

pnputil.exe /a "D:\Treiber\Brother HL-L2350DW - W10 - 64 Bit\Y17B_C1_UWL-inst-E2\xmlpaper\BRXHL17A.INF"           (once)

Add-PrinterDriver -Name "Brother HL-L2350DW XML Paper" -InfPath "C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\brxhl17a.inf_amd64_2ca98a1ddab15ed3\BRXHL17A.INF"             (once)

Add-Printer -DriverName "Brother HL-L2350DW XML Paper" -Name "QPR1" -PortName "USB001"
Add-Printer -DriverName "Brother HL-L2350DW XML Paper" -Name "QPR2" -PortName "USB001"

The handling of multiple defined printers is diffenret in Windows 11 but works as described in Install same printer with multiple names/properties

Many thanks for help!!! Michael

Successfully migrated one old CMD script to PowerShell? Cool. :+1:t3:

… only a million old CMD scripts left to migrate? … :smirk: :laughing:

No this was a new one. Tus I am left with seversal millions …

And: I do not succeed in setting the paper source (FormTrayTable does not work for my Brother printer?). Thus I giva up and will do it manually (or do you have another proposal for Procedural printer definition?
Michael

I’m sorry to hear that.

Unfortunately not. As I said earlier we count on the enthusiasm of our users to do that by themselfs. I think mostly they get help from colleagues if they’re unable to do it by themselfs or call for the local admins to help them for their first printer.

Did you try to contact Brother for help? Or a printer or Brother printer related forum? Sometimes printer manufacturer offer own tools for central printer management.

I did not find a central management soulution by Brother. And: The efforts needed for installatin g and confguring are not worth further explorations.
Thus I shall establish a mixed solution:

  • Procedural definition of Printer with setting the requested paper-size and -orientation
  • Manual setting of Paper source
    Thanks again - Michael
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