Printer Settings

I was wondering if someone can shed some light on exactly where a Windows XP user's printer settings are stored.

I have 10 computers that I locally installed a printer using a TCP/IP port. All 10 computers login using the login Lab - they all share one roaming profile and login name.

If a user changes a setting under the printing preferences, does that get stored in the roaming profile? On the local machine? Someone changed the paper type to PREPRINTED from PLAIN and it caused all print jobs to select manual feed. All the computers changesl; so I would guess it is stored in the profile. Is there a method for denying these changes. I have the profile configured as .MAN.

Did you add it as an actual network printer or did you add a local port as type TCP/IP which pointed to the printer or did you just add the printer through the share ?

Can you please explain the steps on setting up the printer on the local machine ?

Upon logging into the computer with the account, the roaming profile is downloaded into the machine and after the user logs off, the changes made to the profile are saved and uploaded to the server where the profile is stored. By default, I think the profile is kept on the local machine also upon being downloaded, unless you choose to have it deleted when logged off (this can be done through Group Policy Editor).

Printer settings are kept on the profile (I think in the PrintHood hidden folder in C:\documents and settings\%username%).

To prevent the users from making changes to the printer, you can deny the user's ability to Control Printers on the printer's security options, this should prevent them from being able to control the printer......as long as they don't have power users or admin rights, they shouldn't be able to change it back.

I haven't had much luck with mandatory profiles. Windows books say that users won't be able to make changes to the profile but i've tested and have been able to make changes.

I have found it also depends on how the printers are created. i.e. if you point to a windows shared printer, i think changes are made to the shared printer so others see the changes, if you install as a local machine printer which just points to an ip address of a printer, then i think the changes to paper size, etc... is only applicable to that instance on the local machine.

Smurf, sorry if I was not clear with my post.

I have one HP network printer. I configured each computer individually with a local TCP/IP port that points to the IP of the network printer. That's how it is installed.

Also, the printer is shared off of the Domain Controller for Staff. I had to install the printer locally for the Lab. Would this conflict?

I checked the permissions of the printer and the Everyone group was assinged Print only, but I can still open the printer preferences. I was wondering, I am logging into the computer with a Domain account, Lab. Would I need to add this user to the local machine and then assign it permissions or should the Everyone group suffice?

Hmm, thats a little odd. If you add it as a TCP/IP port, then the settings should just be local to that machine, i would image to each profile aswell but never tested that.

If you do it through a network share to the domain controller (or member server), then i have seen it where changes to the preferences are pushed to the DC.