You can use the Print Management console in Windows Server 2003 to automatically detect and set up printers on the same subnet. This can save you time when new printers are added to the network and when it comes time to get the new printers up and running.

Note: This is an R2-only feature.

To set up the Print Management console on a Windows Server 2003 print server, follow these steps:

  1. Log on to the console of the print server, either at the machine or via Remote Desktop.
  2. Start Print Management by selecting the Print Management shortcut from Start | Programs (or All Programs) | Administrative Tools.
  3. In the Print Management console, expand the Print Servers node and right-click the print server you logged into earlier. This entry should have the word local following the server name.
  4. Select the Automatically Add Network Printers option from the context menu. This will open the Automatically Add Network Printers dialog box.
  5. Click Start on the Automatically Add Network Printers dialog box to begin detecting printers — listed by IP address, model, and printer status — on this subnet. If for some reason a printer cannot be detected, the status will indicate an error for that particular printer.

Detected printers will have available drivers installed and ready for use. If a detected printer has more than one driver available, a prompt will ask you to select the driver you wish to use.

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