Print Script for one specific user

[john]

Hi all I am in need of a bit of scripting to help solve an annoying problem....

A member of staff has a local printer attached to there PC, and like all other workstations has access to the central print room colour unit and some others, including a local PDF printer (for use with non-MSFT apps) and the usual MS Image writer etc...

Now this user has issues at times with not having the local printer that is attached to the PC they are sat at as default and it choosing a network printer or another local one such as the PDF creator as the new default.

Now most people do File > Print and check the name of the printer and manage quite well, however this user fails to do that and just does File > Print > Print before even reading what the printer is, sometimes jobs end up at the colour copier, sometimes as a PDF or sometimes to the local one and this person does handle sensitive and confidential data.

Now you may think stupid user and I'd agree as setting default and reading from the list when you have ~4 to choose from isn't hard and the rest of my staff that have identical setup's have no issues at all doing so, but this user is very instant and says they cannot believe they are the only person in the world that "cannot" print to there own printer (aka not manage to choose it from a list).

So I need a solution to solve this, my first idea was remove all other printer options and deny them access to network ones thus they could only use the one on the PC. This was thrown back instantly as not acceptable so is some scripting guru able to knock me up a simple script that I could put as a logon script to this users account perhaps that simple allows me to forcibly set the default printer to a named one that I choose? The printer attached is a simple HP LaserJet 1010 usb printer so nothing networkable or fancy I'm afraid and if the user logs onto a pc that isn't there own it just goes meh cannot see that and doesn't set anything?

Any help would be appreciated, if it makes a difference the user in question uses a Windows 7 X64 PC.

Thanks

[ihaveaproblem]

You should be able to achieve all this through Group Policy Preferences.

[john]

You should be able to achieve all this through Group Policy Preferences.

GPP doesn't work reliably enough as we have tried that and it wasn't 100% reliable. The user in question needs something idiot proof and guaranteed to work.

[Steve21]

Don't have printer on, but works between PDF/XML writers etc

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer"
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
Set oPrinters = WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections
MapPrinter = 1
For i = 0 to oPrinters.Count - 1 Step 2
  If oPrinters.Item(i+1) = strPrinter Then
    MapPrinter = 0
    Exit For
  End If 
Next
If MapPrinter = 0 Then
  WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter
End If

(Obviously change name to whatever other is showing as)

Steve

[john]

Cheers Steve will give it a test on Monday with our test account on the users PC. Assume I can just do it as the logon script in AD for that user and then they might stop complaining

[Steve21]

Aye should work fine, just you'll need to check when it's firing off, vs your other printer settings.

If your GPP is done after the script, it might reset defaults etc

Steve

[mac_shinobi]

Don't have printer on, but works between PDF/XML writers etc

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer"
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
Set oPrinters = WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections
MapPrinter = 1
For i = 0 to oPrinters.Count - 1 Step 2
  If oPrinters.Item(i+1) = strPrinter Then
    MapPrinter = 0
    Exit For
  End If 
Next
If MapPrinter = 0 Then
  WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter
End If

(Obviously change name to whatever other is showing as)

Steve

Not that it makes much difference aside from the amount of code but just curious why are you enumerating the printers etc, couldn't you just do something like

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer"
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter

The printer name needs to be exactly the same as the actual printer name when assigned to strPrinter so if it was a HP Color Laser Jet 4550c Then strPrinter would be

strPrinter = "HP Color Laser Jet 4550c"

[Steve21]

Not that it makes much difference aside from the amount of code but just curious why are you enumerating the printers etc, couldn't you just do something like

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer"
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter

The printer name needs to be exactly the same as the actual printer name when assigned to strPrinter so if it was a HP Color Laser Jet 4550c Then strPrinter would be

strPrinter = "HP Color Laser Jet 4550c"

If it doesn't exist it'll still set it as default then bomb out everytime. As it'll run on computers without printer too

Steve

[mac_shinobi]

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer" 
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network") 
Set oPrinters = WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections 
MapPrinter = 1 For i = 0 to oPrinters.Count - 1 Step 2 
  If oPrinters.Item(i+1) = strPrinter Then      
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter     
Exit For
   End If  
Next

fair enough, one last question, why use the MapPrinter as a flag when you can just set the printer as the default if it finds said printer ?

[Steve21]

strPrinter = "CutePDF Writer" 
Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network") 
Set oPrinters = WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections 
MapPrinter = 1 For i = 0 to oPrinters.Count - 1 Step 2 
  If oPrinters.Item(i+1) = strPrinter Then      
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter     
Exit For
   End If  
Next

fair enough, one last question, why use the MapPrinter as a flag when you can just set the printer as the default if it finds said printer ?

No particular reason, but just remember doing it your way doesn't give option for an alternative default printer/action if not found. But depends if you need to do anything else, or it's just if found do this, else nothing.

@john Gimme a shout if it doesn't work etc.

Steve

[mac_shinobi]

Maybe a Select Case would be neater ??

strPrinter="Printer Name"
Select Case oPrinters.Item(i+1)
Case strPrinter:
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter
Case Else:
End Select

[Steve21]

Maybe a Select Case would be neater ??

strPrinter="Printer Name"
Select Case oPrinters.Item(i+1)
Case strPrinter:
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter strPrinter
Case Else:
End Select

But that would fire off every time you loop, thus setting every printer to default no matter what it is Unless you're doing it after loop, which is no different to setting flags then.

Steve

[mac_shinobi]

Had to delete the Exit For so it will go through looping until it has finished and just tested it, so have put a msgbox "Execute" to see how many times it executes and it only does it the once

Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
Set oPrinters = WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections
For i = 0 to oPrinters.Count - 1 Step 2
msgbox oPrinters.Item(i+1)
Select Case oPrinters.Item(i+1)
Case "MP C3500 PCL5c":
WshNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "MP C3500 PCL5c"
msgbox "Executed"
Case Else:
End Select
Next

Select Case would not work with variables ( at least when I have been trying it ) but I have most likely been doing it wrong.

As @Steve21 mentioned - just stick with his code as will work better, I am just trying to see how the Select Case would work and also with variables as just doing it out of curiosity, that is all

[Steve21]

Had to delete the Exit For so it will go through looping until it has finished and just tested it, so have put a msgbox "Execute" to see how many times it executes and it only does it the once

What I meant is if you put something in your "case else" aka if printer doesn't exist, set this as default, It'll fire off every time the other isn't found, "on every loop"

e.g. Printer1 isn't it, it'll fire off, Printer2 is it it'll set default, Printer3 isn't it it'll reset.

If that made sense?

Steve

[mac_shinobi]

What I meant is if you put something in your "case else" aka if printer doesn't exist, set this as default, It'll fire off every time the other isn't found, "on every loop"

e.g. Printer1 isn't it, it'll fire off, Printer2 is it it'll set default, Printer3 isn't it it'll reset.

If that made sense?

Steve

That's correct - which is a shame, doh

I take it there is no way to do error checking using the Case Else so that it doesnt repeatdly fire off the msgbox / wscript.echo commands