AVD Printer Redirection Not Working? Common Issues and Solutions

With the increasing migration to AVD (Azure Virtual Desktop) and Windows 365 Cloud PC, the need to print from this environment is also growing. In this post we explore why printer mapping in AVD often turns into a headache and give potential reasons why AVD Printer Redirection is not working for you.

What is AVD’s Printer Redirection?

One method to enable printing in AVD is through the default and rudimentary AVD printer redirection using the Microsoft RDP Client or the Remote Desktop App. By default, all printers installed on the host (i.e. the local desktop, notebook, etc.) are connected to AVD. No distinction is made between locally installed printers and connected network printers. Additionally, all non-physical printers like PDF, OneNote, or Office Tool printers are also connected.

Top Three Problems With AVD Printer Redirection

While various settings can be configured through group policies, such as connecting only the default printer, user-specific configurations are challenging. AVD printer redirection can cause several issues, such as:

1. Unreadable printouts and font issues

Printer redirection requires a working printer with an appropriate driver on the host. On the virtual desktop, the Microsoft Easy Print driver is used by default to print from applications. The actual rendering – by which we mean the processing of print jobs into the printer’s target language – happens on the host. This can lead to misinterpretations of the submitted print job or cause it to be discarded without any apparent reason. The most common cause is font problems, i.e. fonts are simply replaced by other fonts. In the worst case, the entire text is unreadable. If necessary, embedding fonts or an alternative driver on the host can help here.

2. No printer mapping due to misconfigurations

Misconfigurations in the redirection settings via the RDP protocol or local issues on the host can result in no printers being redirected at all, leaving no printers available on the virtual desktop, causing AVD printer redirection to not work entirely.

It is worth taking a look at the RDP client settings here, especially for printer redirection. Group policies that centrally influence printer redirection could also be activated.

3. Changing printer names

With AVD printer redirection, the printers on the virtual desktop are given a name suffix that includes the user’s session ID. This ensures the uniqueness of printer names in multi-session environments. However, the downside is that the ID, and therefore the printer name, changes with each login.

Generally, this isn’t a problem, as users can select the printer in standard applications like MS Office. However, for applications where the printer is predefined to automate or print without user interaction, this behavior is problematic. The setting must be checked and possibly changed with each login. This applies, for example, to ERP/CRM applications or similar systems.

An Alternative Solution: ezeep Blue

There is a different way however to take care of printer mapping in your company.

As one of the supporting launch vendors for Azure Virtual Desktop, back when it was called Windows Virtual Desktop, ezeep holds 25 years of experience in print management through ThinPrint, the company of which ezeep is a product of.

To highlight the effectiveness of our solution, Dennis Kapfenberger, Technical Consultant at ezeep, demonstrates in this short video how easy it is to synchronize Entra ID users with ezeep Blue and assign them a printer reliably and securely. Crucially, Dennis also gives a comparision between AVD’s standard printer redirection, showing how that your users never miss an important printer feature, no matter which printer is being used and print mapping always remains reliable.

Key Print Mapping Improvements at a Glance with ezeep Blue

1. Easily Sync Entra ID Users With One Click

When the user logs into their provided workspace for the first time, they are automatically imported into ezeep. ezeep allows you to use the Entra ID group profiles to make printer assignments or specifically assign printers to them.

2. Use the Special Functions of Network and Local Printers in AVD

As shown in the video, AVD’s printer redirection only allows you to change the orientation, paper format and the number of copies. With ezeep, you can see all the features the printer supports, plus you print directly to the printer.

3. AnyPrinter – The Flexible and Secure Universal Print Queue

Users can print anything AnyPrinter and later decide which printer – A, B, or C – they want to retrieve it from by authenticating themselves at the printer. With this, admins do not need to determine their exact location or which printers are nearby.

4. Support MacBooks, iOS and Android from Any AVD Client

Whether you connect via the Remote Desktop App or the HTML5 web client, our printers are always available. This avoids the cumbersome process of downloading PDFs, opening them locally, and then printing them.

Replace AVD Printer Redirection with ezeep Blue Now

And there are far more features and advantages with ezeep Blue – serverless printing, driverless printing and zero trust printing to name just a few. All in all, proper configuration of Azure printer mapping and AVD printer redirection is crucial for ensuring smooth printing experiences in AVD environments. Why not remove the frustrations entirely by creating a free ezeep Blue account and getting started today?