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Updating Print Server Printers

Print server printer information changes over time as you add new printers, remove old ones, or update printer drivers and configurations. You'll need to update and refresh printer information in the ScrewDrivers database to keep user printer lists accurate and ensure print jobs use current driver versions. This reference explains when updates are needed, how to add or remove printers, and how to refresh printer properties.

Overview​

The ScrewDrivers database stores information about each printer installed on your print servers, including printer names, drivers, capabilities, and configuration. This cached information improves login performance because session hosts don't need to query print servers directly when building user printers. However, cached information becomes stale when you make changes on the print server itself.

You'll update printer information in three scenarios: when you've added new printers to a print server and need to make them available through ScrewDrivers, when you've removed printers and want to clean up the database, and when you've updated printer drivers or properties and need to refresh the cached information. Each scenario uses the same Update Printers dialog but with different options selected.

The update process temporarily locks ScrewDrivers Administration while it queries the print server and updates the database. For print servers with many printers, this can take several minutes. Plan updates during maintenance windows when administrator access isn't critical.

When to Update Printers​

Understanding when updates are required helps you maintain accurate printer information without unnecessary administrative overhead.

Adding New Printers​

When you install a new physical printer and add it to your print server's queue list, that printer doesn't automatically appear in ScrewDrivers. You'll need to run an update to discover the new printer and import it into the database. After import, you can assign the printer to owners just like your existing printers.

Common scenarios requiring printer additions include deploying new hardware, consolidating printers from another server, or adding virtual printers like PDF generators or print-to-file destinations.

Removing Old Printers​

When you decommission a printer and remove it from your print server, the printer object remains in the ScrewDrivers database until you explicitly remove it. These orphaned printer objects don't cause technical problems—users simply can't print to them—but they clutter your administration interface and confuse users who see unavailable printers in their lists.

Regular cleanup of removed printers keeps your environment tidy and prevents help desk calls about printers that don't work. You'll typically remove printers during hardware refresh cycles, office moves, or when consolidating print infrastructure.

Refreshing Printer Properties​

Driver updates, capability changes, or printer configuration modifications require refreshing cached printer information. If you update a printer driver on your print server to fix a bug or add features, ScrewDrivers continues using the old driver information until you refresh. This mismatch can cause print jobs to fail or prevent users from accessing new printer capabilities.

You must refresh printers after these print server changes:

  • Installing or updating printer drivers
  • Modifying printer properties like duplex settings or paper tray configurations
  • Changing printer sharing settings or permissions
  • Updating firmware on network printers that exposes new capabilities

If you've enabled "Use Database Cached Printer Information" on your Print Server object (which improves performance), you'll need to refresh more frequently because the system doesn't query print servers at login.

Updating Print Server Printers​

The update operation adds new printers, removes deleted printers, and optionally refreshes existing printer information in a single operation.

Update Procedure​

Start by confirming the Objects pane is set to Printer objects. You might need to click the Printers icon on the Administration Icon bar. Expand the Print Servers folder to see all print server objects, or use the search function to locate a specific server.

Select the Print Server object you want to update. The Print Server object form appears in the Information pane with the General tab open. On the General tab, click the Update Printers button.

The Update Printers dialog opens, showing up to two lists:

Printers to Add: Shows printers found on the print server but not in the ScrewDrivers database. These are printers you've added to the print server since the last update. All printers in this list are selected by default for adding to the database.

Printers to Remove: Shows printers found in the ScrewDrivers database but not on the print server. These are printers you've removed from the print server. All printers in this list are deselected by default—you must explicitly choose to remove them.

The Refresh All Printers option appears at the bottom of the dialog, enabled by default. When this option is on, the update process refreshes cached information for all existing printers in addition to adding new ones and removing selected old ones.

Selective Updates​

You don't have to add all discovered printers or remove all orphaned printers in a single operation. Uncheck any printers in the Printers to Add list that you don't want to make available through ScrewDrivers. These might include administrative printers, test printers, or specialty devices that only IT should access.

Similarly, you can leave printers in the Printers to Remove list unchecked if you're temporarily removing them for maintenance and plan to add them back soon. Keeping these printer objects in the database preserves their assignments and configuration, which saves reconfiguration work when you restore them.

Update Execution​

After selecting which printers to add and remove, and deciding whether to refresh existing printers, click Update to begin the operation. A series of progress messages appears as the system processes each printer. You'll see separate messages for printers being added and for printers being refreshed. Removed printers don't generate messages—they're simply deleted from the database.

The update process locks ScrewDrivers Administration completely—you can't access any administrative functions while it runs. Processing time depends on the number of printers involved. Each printer addition or refresh requires querying the print server for driver information, supported features, and current configuration. A print server with 50 printers might take 5-10 minutes to fully update.

When the update completes, the Objects pane refreshes to show newly added printers under the Print Server object. Any removed printers disappear from the list. You can now assign new printers to owners or verify that existing printer assignments still work correctly.

Refreshing Printer Information​

Sometimes you need to refresh printer information without adding or removing printers. This targeted operation updates cached printer properties faster than a full update because it doesn't query for new or removed printers.

Refresh Scenarios​

You'll refresh without updating when you've made changes to existing printers but haven't added or removed any. Common scenarios include driver updates that don't change the driver name (just the version), firmware updates on network printers, or configuration changes like adding paper trays or enabling duplex printing.

Refreshing is also useful for troubleshooting. If users report that a printer isn't working correctly or is missing capabilities they expect, refreshing ensures ScrewDrivers has current information from the print server.

Refresh All Printers on a Print Server​

To refresh all printers on a print server simultaneously, select the Print Server object in the Objects pane. On the General tab, click Update Printers. The Update Printers dialog opens with Refresh All Printers enabled by default.

If the dialog shows any printers in the Printers to Add list and you don't want to add them, uncheck those printers before continuing. Leave Refresh All Printers enabled and click Update.

The system queries the print server for current information about each printer and updates the database. You'll see progress messages for each printer being refreshed. When the operation completes, all printer objects under this Print Server have current information.

Refresh an Individual Printer​

To refresh just one printer without affecting others, select that specific printer in the Objects pane. The printer object form appears in the Information pane with the General tab open.

On the General tab, click Refresh Printer. A single progress message appears as the system queries the print server for this printer's current information and updates the database. This targeted refresh completes much faster than refreshing all printers—typically just a few seconds.

Use individual printer refresh when you've updated just one driver or modified one printer's configuration. There's no need to refresh all printers if only one changed.

Best Practices​

Regular maintenance prevents printer information from getting too far out of sync with reality. Consider these practices for keeping printer data current:

Schedule Regular Updates: Set a monthly maintenance window for updating print servers, especially in dynamic environments where printers change frequently. This catches any printers that were added or removed but not properly documented.

Update After Driver Changes: Always refresh printers immediately after installing or updating drivers on a print server. This ensures users get the latest driver capabilities and fixes without delay.

Clean Up Promptly: Remove old printers from the database when you decommission hardware. Leaving orphaned printer objects confuses users and makes administration harder as your printer list grows cluttered with defunct devices.

Test After Updates: After updating or refreshing printers, test a few print jobs to verify everything works correctly. Check that new printers appear for assigned users, removed printers disappear, and refreshed printers show updated capabilities.

Document Changes: Keep notes about when you add, remove, or refresh printers. This documentation helps troubleshoot issues that appear after updates and provides context for other administrators.