How to Create the Citrix Universal Printer

Document ID: CTX106812 / Created On: Jul 1, 2005 / Updated On: May 13, 2008

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Summary

This document describes how to force the creation of a SINGLE unbound generic Citrix UNIVERSAL Printer within each session that is not dependent on any printers defined on the client device.

The Citrix Universal Printer should not be confused with the Citrix Universal Print Driver.

CTX089874 – Troubleshooting and Explaining the Citrix Universal Print Driver

Resolution

When the Universal Print Driver is used instead of a Native print driver for autocreation of printers, the Preview on client option is not selected by default. If the option is selected, assuming roaming profiles or local profiles are not deleted at logoff, the property is retained.

CTX884335 – How to Publish Print Manager on a Windows NT/2000/2003 Terminal Server

Note: This screen shot is when viewing Printer Preferences.

When viewing Properties > Client Settings, the box is not shown.

Force the creation of a generic Citrix UNIVERSAL Printer within each session.

Procedure

Refer to page 250 of CTX107059 – Advanced Concepts Guide for more details.

Caution! This fix requires you to edit the registry. Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Citrix cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Be sure to back up the registry before you edit it.

Add the following registry key to each server:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\Print

Create a DWORD Value called DefaultPrnFlags with a bit value of 0x00000020.

CTXPRN_AUTO_CREATE_GENERIC_UPD_PRINTER (0x00000020)

Description. The latest 32-bit Windows clients are capable of receiving and displaying print jobs in a viewer application on the client. For such a client, it is possible to create a single, generic universal printer that is not bound to any of the underlying client printers. This printer is generic in the sense that it does not know about or manage any device-specific settings. As such, it is also more efficient to use because there is no need for capabilities or document settings exchanges with the client when printing. Because creating an additional printer within a session incurs overhead, by default, the creation of the generic universal printer driver printer is turned off.

If this flag is set, the system auto-creates the generic “Citrix Universal Printer” in addition to the other printers dictated by other auto-creation flags. For users who do not require special printer capabilities, creating only a single, generic, universal printer driver printer within the session instead of one printer for each underlying client printer can provide a scalability savings. To see this savings, this flag must be enabled and default auto-creation polices also must be overridden or assigned through policies.

Default Value. Zero, unless bit value is set in the REG_DWORD registry value DefaultPrnFlags at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\Print\.

Overriding Presentation Server policy rule. None.

Note: Creating the Citrix Universal Printer does not prevent the local and network printers from creating.

CTX108334 – Citrix Universal Printer Does Not Appear in Session

From the Registry Flag Description:

To see this savings, this flag must be enabled and default autocreation polices also must be overridden or assigned through policies.

1. Enabled Client Printer Policy:

2. Enabled Session Printer Policy (do not define / add printers):

3. Resulting Printers:
Note: The printers available have been reduced from 7 to 3. The reason why there are three printers is because the “HP Color Laser Jet 5 on FTLRLAB1” was created as a Microsoft Network Printer within the desktop session (independent of Citrix) and the HP Color Laser Jet 5 was a printer that was created directly on the MetaFrame Server which was being used for this article.