Sometimes there are situations when, during remote control of a computer, it is necessary to print a file located on it. Especially for those users who do not want to transfer it to their computer, there is an option for remote printing.
What is remote printing
The essence of remote printing is that, having access to the Internet, you can print a file located on another computer without having to download it to your PC. This is done using the program for remote access, such as TeamViewer. This option has been around for a long time and greatly simplifies the interaction between computers, especially in large companies.
How it works
The principle of operation of this option is as follows: in the remote access settings it is indicated that it is necessary to activate remote printing. After that, a virtual printer appears in the list of available devices for printing on the managed computer, which is local to the managing computer. Roughly speaking, over the Internet, the rights to print through your printer are transferred to another computer.
How to print a document on or from a remote PC
First you need to install the TeamViewer print driver on both sides of the connection. You will find this option under:
- “Extras > Options > Advanced > Show advanced options > Advanced network settings > Install remote printing” on PC,
- or “TeamViewer > Preferences > Advanced > Network > Install TeamViewer Printer Driver” on Mac.
Your local printers will now be displayed in the print dialog boxes on the remote computer. They will be labelled “[name of printer] via TeamViewer”. To print a document, you should do the following:
- Open the document that is to be printed and open your normal Print dialog box.
- Select a printer ending with “via TeamViewer”.
- Start the print job.
Possible difficulties
If access to the Internet is lost, then the file will fall into the print jobs. When the connection is restored, the printing process will start automatically.
It is desirable, though not mandatory, that the versions of TeamViewer on both devices are the same, and it is also worth checking that the printer drivers are up to date.
Printing documents on macOS is possible with an installed XPS viewer on the local computer.
TeamViewer older than 14.7 + Windows 10 older than build 2004 = remote printing not working.
Also, please note that your printer needs to support PostScript or EMF.
