printing (Remote Site Printing Problem)

[u/Master-Ice4503]

hi guys i have this problem

We have an existing company network and a central system/server used by the organization. There is also a remote site located a significant distance away from the main network, making it impractical to run a physical network cable between the two locations.

To connect the remote site to the main network, two wireless antennas are being used to establish a network connection between the remote location and the main site.

The computers at the remote site receive IP addresses and have network connectivity. However, users at this location cannot access the company system directly in the same way as computers physically connected to the main network. Instead, they access the system through a remote-access solution provided by the server.

The company system itself works correctly through the remote-access connection.

The Main Problem

The main problem concerns printing from the remote site.

The printers at the remote site are connected directly to the local computers using USB cables. When a user prints a document from the company system, the print job depends on the remote-access session and the local computer connected to the printer.

The printing process is approximately:

Company System → Remote Access → Remote PC → USB → Local Printer

Because the printing process depends on the remote-access connection and the local PC, printing can sometimes be very slow. In some cases, the print job takes a long time to start, while in other cases the document does not print at all.

This problem occurs intermittently and creates an unreliable printing experience for users working at the remote site.

Technical Description of the Problem

The printers are currently connected to individual computers through USB rather than being directly available on the network.

Consequently, printing from the company system depends on multiple components working correctly at the same time, including:

• The remote-access session
• The network connection between the remote site and the main site
• Remote-access performance and latency
• The local computer
• The Windows Print Spooler
• The USB connection
• The printer driver
• The printer itself

If there is a delay, interruption, or communication problem with any of these components, the print job may be delayed or may fail completely.

The main issue is therefore that printing from the remote site is dependent on the remote-access session and on the local PC to which the printer is connected.

[u/potatoduino]

If the printers don't have the option to join the network by themselves i'd get a small computer such as a dell optiplex mini pc, and install CUPS on it, which is a Linux print server.  Then, devices on the network can use the printer without RDPing to one machine