Jobs going to wrong printer

[wfooshee]

I have a customer running Windows XP Pro stations on a Windows Server 2003 network. Occasionally, print jobs will go to a printer other than the one specified. I had been blaming the server, thinking the spooler was mixing up the queues somehow, but now it has happened to a user with a local printer. (Almost none of the users actually have a locally attached printer.) The application very clearly had specified \\{servname}\{printer} in its print dialog, yet the job attempted to print at her local USB printer. I say attempted because the local printer had checks loaded, and is not quite compatible with the PCL language in the other printer's driver.

It is apparent that the correct driver was used by the spooler, but the wrong destination. This behavior is infrequent, but often enough to be a real concern, since it wastes forms. When a user's job doesn't appear, the first thing they do is send it again, which wastes more forms at the wrong printer. If the forms are pre-numbered checks, now the checks have to be voided by the bookkeeper.

Finally, the behavior goes away by itself in time. I had asked the user to leave her station as it was when this happened, so I could examine it. When I got onsite and tried the print job, from the already open document I found just as she had left it, it went to the correct printer.

Now what? I don't even know how to begin troubleshooting this. Any advice? Please?

 

[stduc]

The only thing I can think of is to check for any duped or conflicting IP address's or subnet ranges on the network. Apart from the obvious of looking for malware.

Sorry, can't be more helpful

 

[g8orade]

Questions
1.) What application is this happening from?
2.) Is it just one computer or multiple computers?
3.) If its multiple computers, is it the same application being used?
4.) Is the local printer the default printer?
5.) Is the application one that uses rules for print spooling? Where we work we have some apps that have rules that say if the document was created from workstation a print to printer b else print local. Is this possible from the application standpoint?

G8orade

 

[bcastner]

Two thoughts:

. there is a printer pooling feature that may have been activated. This feature allows any listed printer to respond to a print request; this sounds as if it was turned on.

. check your printer Name length. Stick to 12 characters or less

 

[bcastner]

This little note might help, you can Google "xp printer pooling" for more:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prdl_pif_ifxf.asp

 

[wfooshee]

Answering posted questions:

Happens at several computers. Most users do not have a local printer, and of those that do, it is still not the default Windows printer. Happens from any application, but it's hard to say, as word processing is 95% of their work (legal office), so they feel that WordPerfect and Word are the problem. I think that's just what they use most. The rules described above are not a feature we have. Lastly, there is no printer pooling, at least not that we set up, meaning users may have been playing with check boxes. I'll check on that when I go back onsite.

 

[wfooshee]

Confirmed, no printer pooling