Users working on Windows Server 2012 R2 reported a significant slowdown in printing speeds, especially when handling volume prints from their business applications. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Windows Update had automatically installed Type 4 printer drivers. These drivers operate by spooling the entire print job before commencing printing, a process that notably extends printing times, and was identified as the primary cause of the bottleneck compared to the previously efficient printing on a Server 2003 terminal session.
The core issue stemmed from the default Type 4 driver assigned to the Dell B2360dn printer. To achieve Easy Print functionality and resolve the sluggish performance, a practical workaround was implemented: replacing the problematic Type 4 driver with a Type 3 driver. The “Dell Printer Driver V2 XL” universal driver was specifically chosen for its Type 3 architecture, known for more efficient print processing in such environments.
The solution involved uninstalling the automatically installed Type 4 driver and manually installing the “Dell Printer Driver V2 XL” Type 3 driver on the server. Subsequently, user workstations were reconnected to the shared printer instance on the server. This ensured that all print jobs were processed using the optimized Type 3 driver. Following the implementation, users conducted test prints of 10-15 pages and confirmed a marked improvement in printing speed. This simple driver swap effectively delivered a much faster and more easy print experience, representing a significant enhancement in printing efficiency.
While this workaround successfully mitigated the slow printing issue and facilitated easy print operations, the underlying reason for the “Dell Printers Driver V2 XL” driver’s redirection failure when installed on both the server and workstation remains unresolved. This aspect is currently under further investigation in collaboration with Microsoft to ensure a fully robust and seamless printing environment.
