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ActiveXperts.com > ActiveXperts Network Monitor > WindowsManagement > Scripts > Printing > Print Servers, Queues and Print Jobs

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Script to manage Print Servers, Queues and Print Jobs

Changing Print Job Start Time
Changing Print Job Priority
Configuring Printer Availability
Configuring Printer Locations
Configuring Printer Priority
Deleting All Printers on a Print Server
Deleting Print Jobs
Deleting Specific Printers
Enumerating All Published Printers
Enumerating Printer Capabilities
Installing Multiple Printers for One Print Device
Installing a Printer
Monitoring Printer Status
Monitoring Printers with a Temporary Event Subscription
Monitoring Print Job Status
Monitoring Print Queues
Monitoring Print Queue Times
Monitoring the Print Service
Pausing a Printer
Pausing Printers with Empty Print Queues
Pausing Print Jobs
Purging a Print Queue
Receiving Notification When a Printer Stops
Renaming a Printer Published in Active Directory
Reporting Print Queue Statistics
Resuming All Paused Printers
Resuming a Paused Printer
Resuming Print Jobs
Retrieving Print Queue Statistics
Searching for Specific Printers
Transfering Print Jobs to a Different Print Queue
Updating Printer Locations

Changing Print Job Start Time

Uses ADSI to change the start time for all print jobs larger than 400K to 2 AM.

Set objPrinter = GetObject("WinNT://atl-dc-02/ArtDepartmentPrinter,printqueue")
For each objPrintQueue in objPrinter.PrintJobs
If objPrintQueue.Size > 400000 Then
    objPrintQueue.Put "StartTime" , TimeValue("2:00:00 AM")
    objPrintQueue.SetInfo
End If
Next

Changing Print Job Priority

Uses ADSI to change the priority of current print jobs based on the size of those print jobs.

Set objPrinter = GetObject("WinNT://atl-dc-02/ArtDepartmentPrinter, printqueue")
For each objPrintJob in objPrinter.PrintJobs
    If objPrintJob.Size > 400000 Then
        objPrintJob.Put "Priority" , 2
        objPrintJob.SetInfo
    Else
        objPrintJob.Put "Priority" , 3
        objPrintJob.SetInfo
    End If
Next

Configuring Printer Availability

Configures a printer so that documents can only be printed between 8 AM and 6 PM.

dtmStartTime= "********080000.000000+000"
dtmEndTime= "********180000.000000+000"
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * From Win32_Printer Where DeviceID = 'ArtDepartmentPrinter' ")
For Each objPrinter in colPrinters
    objPrinter.StartTime = dtmStartTime
    objPrinter.UntilTime = dtmEndTime
    objPrinter.Put_
Next

Configuring Printer Locations

Uses ADSI to configure the location attribute for all printers in a specified OU.

Set objOU = GetObject("LDAP://OU = Finance, DC = fabrikam, DC = com")
objOU.Filter = Array("printqueue")
For Each objPrintQueue In objOU
    objPrintQueue.Put "Location" , "USA/Redmond/Finance Building"
    objPrintQueue.SetInfo
Next

Configuring Printer Priority

Sets the priority for a printer to 2.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * From Win32_Printer where DeviceID = 'ArtDepartmentPrinter' ")
For Each objPrinter in colPrinters
    objPrinter.Priority = 2
    objPrinter.Put_
Next

Deleting All Printers on a Print Server

Deletes all the printers from a print server.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    objPrinter.Delete_
Next

Deleting Print Jobs

Deletes all print jobs larger than 1 megabyte.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintJobs =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob Where Size > 1000000")
For Each objPrintJob in colPrintJobs 
    objPrintJob.Delete_
Next

Deleting Specific Printers

Deletes all HP QuietJet printers installed on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer Where DriverName = 'HP QuietJet'")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    objPrinter.Delete_
Next

Enumerating All Published Printers

Returns a list of all the printers published in Active Directory.

Const ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE = 2
Set objConnection = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set objCommand =   CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
objConnection.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
objConnection.Open "Active Directory Provider"
Set objCommand.ActiveConnection = objConnection
objCommand.CommandText = "Select printerName, serverName from " _     
    & " 'LDAP://DC=fabrikam,DC=com'  where objectClass='printQueue'"  
objCommand.Properties("Page Size") = 1000
objCommand.Properties("Timeout") = 30 
objCommand.Properties("Searchscope") = ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE 
objCommand.Properties("Cache Results") = False 
Set objRecordSet = objCommand.Execute
objRecordSet.MoveFirst
Do Until objRecordSet.EOF
    Wscript.Echo "Printer Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("printerName").Value
    Wscript.Echo "Server Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("serverName").Value
    objRecordSet.MoveNext
Loop

Enumerating Printer Capabilities

Lists properties and capabilities for all the printers installed on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrinterConfiguration")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrinter.Name
    Wscript.Echo "Collate: " & objPrinter.Collate
    Wscript.Echo "Copies: " & objPrinter.Copies
    Wscript.Echo "Driver Version: " & objPrinter.DriverVersion
    Wscript.Echo "Duplex: " & objPrinter.Duplex
    Wscript.Echo "Horizontal Resolution: " & _
        objPrinter.HorizontalResolution
    If objPrinter.Orientation = 1 Then
        strOrientation =  "Portrait"
    Else 
        strOrientation = "Landscape"
    End If
    Wscript.Echo "Orientation : " & strOrientation
    Wscript.Echo "Paper Length: " & objPrinter.PaperLength / 254
    Wscript.Echo "Paper Width: " & objPrinter.PaperWidth / 254
    Wscript.Echo "Print Quality: " & objPrinter.PrintQuality
    Wscript.Echo "Scale: " & objPrinter.Scale
    Wscript.Echo "Specification Version: " & _
        objPrinter.SpecificationVersion
    If objPrinter.TTOption = 1 Then
        strTTOption = "Print TrueType fonts as graphics."
    Elseif objPrinter.TTOption = 2 Then
        strTTOption = "Download TrueType fonts as soft fonts."
    Else
        strTTOption = "Substitute device fonts for TrueType fonts."
    End If
    Wscript.Echo "True Type Option: " & strTTOption
    Wscript.Echo "Vertical Resolution: " & objPrinter.VerticalResolution
Next

Installing Multiple Printers for One Print Device

Installs two logical network printers (with different printer priorities) for the same physical print device.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set objPrinter = objWMIService.Get("Win32_Printer").SpawnInstance_
objPrinter.DriverName = "HP LaserJet 4000 Series PS"
objPrinter.PortName   = "IP_169.254.110.160"
objPrinter.DeviceID   = "PublicPrinter"
objPrinter.Location = "USA/Redmond/Building 37/Room 114"
objPrinter.Network = True
objPrinter.Shared = True
objPrinter.ShareName = "PublicPrinter"
objPrinter.Put_
 
objPrinter.DriverName = "HP LaserJet 4000 Series PS"
objPrinter.PortName   = "IP_169.254.110.160"
objPrinter.DeviceID   = "PrivatePrinter"
objPrinter.Location = "USA/Redmond/Building 37/Room 114"
objPrinter.Priority = 2
objPrinter.Network = True
objPrinter.Shared = True
objPrinter.Hidden = True
objPrinter.ShareName = "PrivatePrinter"
objPrinter.Put_

Installing a Printer

Installs a logical network printer on a print server.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set objPrinter = objWMIService.Get("Win32_Printer").SpawnInstance_
objPrinter.DriverName = "HP LaserJet 4000 Series PS"
objPrinter.PortName   = "IP_169.254.110.160"
objPrinter.DeviceID   = "ScriptedPrinter"
objPrinter.Location = "USA/Redmond/Building 37/Room 114"
objPrinter.Network = True
objPrinter.Shared = True
objPrinter.ShareName = "ScriptedPrinter"
objPrinter.Put_

Monitoring Printer Status

Displays current status for all printers on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    Wscript.Echo  "Name: " & objPrinter.Name
    Wscript.Echo  "Location: " & objPrinter.Location
    Select Case objPrinter.PrinterStatus
        Case 1
            strPrinterStatus = "Other"
        Case 2
            strPrinterStatus = "Unknown"
        Case 3
            strPrinterStatus = "Idle"
        Case 4
            strPrinterStatus = "Printing"
        Case 5
            strPrinterStatus = "Warmup"
    End Select
    Wscript.Echo  "Printer Status: " & strPrinterStatus
    Wscript.Echo  "Server Name: " & objPrinter.ServerName
    Wscript.Echo  "Share Name: " & objPrinter.ShareName
    Wscript.Echo
Next

Monitoring Printers with a Temporary Event Subscription

Uses a temporary event consumer to issues alerts any time a printer changes status.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrinters = objWMIService. _ 
    ExecNotificationQuery("Select * from __instancemodificationevent " _ 
        & "within 30 where TargetInstance isa 'Win32_Printer'")
i = 0
Do While i = 0
    Set objPrinter = colPrinters.NextEvent
    If objPrinter.TargetInstance.PrinterStatus <> _ 
        objPrinter.PreviousInstance.PrinterStatus Then
        Select Case objPrinter.TargetInstance.PrinterStatus
            Case 1 strCurrentState = "Other" 
            Case 2 strCurrentState = "Unknown" 
            Case 3 strCurrentState = "Idle" 
            Case 4 strCurrentState = "Printing" 
            Case 5 strCurrentState = "Warming Up" 
        End Select
        Select Case objPrinter.PreviousInstance.PrinterStatus
            Case 1 strPreviousState = "Other" 
            Case 2 strPreviousState = "Unknown" 
            Case 3 strPreviousState = "Idle" 
            Case 4 strPreviousState = "Printing" 
            Case 5 strPreviousState = "Warming Up" 
        End Select
        Wscript.Echo objPrinter.TargetInstance.Name _ 
            &  " is " & strCurrentState _
                & ". The printer previously was " & strPreviousState & "."
    End If
Loop

Monitoring Print Job Status

Returns the job ID, user name, and total pages for each print job on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintJobs =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob")
Wscript.Echo "Print Queue, Job ID, Owner, Total Pages"
For Each objPrintJob in colPrintJobs
    strPrinter = Split(objPrintJob.Name,",",-1,1)
    Wscript.Echo strPrinter(0) & ", " & _
        objPrintJob.JobID & ", " &  objPrintJob.Owner & ", " _
            & objPrintJob.TotalPages
Next

Monitoring Print Queues

Uses cooked performance counters to return the number of jobs currently in each print queue on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintQueues =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PerfFormattedData_Spooler_PrintQueue Where " & _
        "Name <> '_Total'")
For Each objPrintQueue in colPrintQueues
    Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrintQueue.Name
    Wscript.Echo "Current jobs: " & objPrintQueue.Jobs
Next

Monitoring Print Queue Times

Identifies any print jobs that have been in the print queue for more than 15 minutes.

Const USE_LOCAL_TIME = True
Set DateTime = CreateObject("WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime")
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob")
Wscript.Echo "Print Queue, Job ID, TimeSubmitted, Total Pages"
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    DateTime.Value = objPrinter.TimeSubmitted
    dtmActualTime = DateTime.GetVarDate(USE_LOCAL_TIME)
    TimeinQueue = DateDiff("n", actualTime, Now)
    If TimeinQueue > 15 Then
        strPrinterName = Split(objPrinter.Name,",",-1,1)
        Wscript.Echo strPrinterName(0) & ", " _
            & objPrinter.JobID & ", " & dtmActualTime & ", " & _
                objPrinter.TotalPages
    End If
Next

Monitoring the Print Service

Returns the status of the Spooler service (running, stopped, paused, etc.).

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colRunningServices =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Service Where Name = 'Spooler'")
For Each objService in colRunningServices 
    Wscript.Echo objService.DisplayName  & VbTab & objService.State
Next

Pausing a Printer

Pauses a printer named ArtDepartmentPrinter.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer Where Name = 'ArtDepartmentPrinter'")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters 
    ObjPrinter.Pause()
Next

Pausing Printers with Empty Print Queues

Pauses any printers that have no pending print jobs.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    Set colPrintJobs = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
        ("Select * from Win32_PerfFormattedData_Spooler_PrintQueue " _
            & "Where Name = '" & objPrinter.Name & "'")
    For Each objPrintQueue in colPrintJobs
        If objPrintQueue.Jobs = 0 and objPrintQueue.Name <> "_Total" Then
            objPrinter.Pause()
        End If
    Next
Next

Pausing Print Jobs

Pauses all the print jobs on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintJobs =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob")
For Each objPrintJob in colPrintJobs 
    objPrintJob.Pause
Next

Purging a Print Queue

Deletes all the print jobs for a printer named HP QuietJet.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer Where Name = 'HP QuietJet'")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
    objPrinter.CancelAllJobs()
Next

Receiving Notification When a Printer Stops

Checks the status for each printer on a computer, and issues an alert if any of these printers have stopped.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer Where PrinterStatus = '1' " _
        & "or PrinterStatus = '2'")
If colInstalledPrinters.Count = 0 Then
    Wscript.Echo "All printers are functioning correctly."
Else
    For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
        Wscript.Echo "Printer " & objprinter.Name & " is not responding." 
    Next
End If

Renaming a Printer Published in Active Directory

Uses the MoveHere method to rename a published printer in an OU.

Set objOU = GetObject("LDAP://ou=HR,dc=NA,dc=fabrikam,dc=com")
objOU.MoveHere _
    "LDAP://cn=Printer1,ou=HR,dc=NA,dc=fabrikam,dc=com", "cn=HRPrn1"

Reporting Print Queue Statistics

Returns total number of jobs, total number of pages, and largest job for all print queues on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintJobs =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob")
For Each objPrintJob in colPrintJobs 
    intTotalJobs = intTotalJobs + 1
    intTotalPages = intTotalPages + objPrintJob.TotalPages
    If objPrintJob.TotalPages > intMaxPrintJob Then
        intMaxPrintJob = objPrintJob.TotalPages
    End If
Next
Wscript.Echo "Total print jobs in queue: " & intTotalJobs 
Wscript.Echo "Total pages in queue: " & intTotalPages
Wscript.Echo "Largest print job in queue: " & intMaxPrintJob

Resuming All Paused Printers

Resumes all the paused printers on a print server.

Const PRINTER_IS_PAUSED = 8
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer where ExtendedPrinterStatus = 8")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters 
    ObjPrinter.Resume()
Next

Resuming a Paused Printer

Resumes a paused printer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_Printer Where Name = 'ArtDepartmentPrinter'")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters 
    ObjPrinter.Resume()
Next

Resuming Print Jobs

Resumes all the print jobs on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintJobs =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PrintJob")
For Each objPrintJob in colPrintJobs 
    objPrintJob.Resume
Next

Retrieving Print Queue Statistics

Uses cooked performance counters to retrieve data such as total number of jobs printed and total number of printing errors for each print queue on a computer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colPrintQueues =  objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from Win32_PerfFormattedData_Spooler_PrintQueue Where " & _
        "Name <> '_Total'")
For Each objPrintQueue in colPrintQueues
    Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrintQueue.Name
    Wscript.Echo "Jobs: " & objPrintQueue.Jobs
    Wscript.Echo "Current jobs spooling: " & objPrintQueue.JobsSpooling
    Wscript.Echo "Maximum jobs spooling: " & objPrintQueue.MaxJobsSpooling
    Wscript.Echo "Total jobs printed: " & objPrintQueue.TotalJobsPrinted
    Wscript.Echo "NamJob errors: " & objPrintQueue.JobErrors
    Wscript.Echo "Not ready errors: " & objPrintQueue.NotReadyErrors
    Wscript.Echo "Out of paper errors: " & objPrintQueue.OutOfPaperErrors
Next

Searching for Specific Printers

Searches Active Directory for all printers with a priority of 2.

Const ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE = 2
Set objConnection = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set objCommand =   CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
objConnection.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
objConnection.Open "Active Directory Provider"
Set objCOmmand.ActiveConnection = objConnection
objCommand.CommandText = "Select printerName, serverName from " _
    & "'LDAP://DC=fabrikam,DC=com'  where objectClass='printQueue' and " _
        & " Priority = 2 "  
objCommand.Properties("Page Size") = 1000
objCommand.Properties("Timeout") = 30 
objCommand.Properties("Searchscope") = ADS_SCOPE_SUBTREE 
objCommand.Properties("Cache Results") = False 
Set objRecordSet = objCommand.Execute
objRecordSet.MoveFirst
Do Until objRecordSet.EOF
    Wscript.Echo "Printer Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("printerName").Value
    Wscript.Echo "Server Name: " & objRecordSet.Fields("serverName").Value
    objRecordSet.MoveNext
Loop

Transfering Print Jobs to a Different Print Queue

Changes the TCP/IP printer port for a logical printer, which has the net effect of transferring existing print jobs to the new printer port, and thus to a different printer.

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
    & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set objPrinter = objWMIService.Get _
    ("Win32_Printer.DeviceID='ArtDepartmentPrinter'")
objPrinter.PortName = "IP_192.168.1.10"
objPrinter.Put_

Updating Printer Locations

Uses ADSI to update the location attribute for all printers in a specified OU.

Set objOU = GetObject("LDAP://OU=Finance, DC=fabrikam, DC=com")
objOU.Filter = Array("printqueue")
For Each objPrintQueue In objOU
    strNewLocation = "Redmond/" & objPrintQueue.Location
    objPrintQueue.Put "Location" , strNewLocation
    objPrintQueue.SetInfo
Next

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