IDEA: Windows print pooling application

[kuecker2]

I am not a coder, so this may be a bigger request than I realize.  I often need to be able to create a print pool of 2 printers or more.  The printers are the same brand and model and have the same driver.  This pool is not in a stationary setting.  I mix and match the computers and printers all of the time.  This is in windows 7.  I am able to create a print pool as shown at this link.

http://www.pctips300...ooling-on-windows-7/

I am using a 3rd party program to create and print the documents.  It is not one of the windows programs.

The problems I encounter are:  

1)  When I have the two printers connected, and the print pooling set up and I want to print more than one copy of a document.  The print pool sends them all to printer 1, instead of distributing the documents between the printers.  If I go in a do a reprint it generally sends the reprint to the second printer.

2)  The next time I use the computer, with one of the original 2 printers, or a 3rd identical printer it holds onto the print pooling settings and I have to uninstall and reinstall the print driver.

I have checked with another user and she has the same problem.  So I don't think the problem is something I am doing incorrectly.

Need:
I would like to be able to attach 2 or more printers of the same model and driver and when the priint job is sent - it automatically spreads the jobs between the printers.  In most cases I am printing one page documents.  

I have scoured the internet and have not found anything quite like waht I want.  I am told Mac has a built in system for this.  But I am using windows computers.

Thank you in advance

[Stoic Joker]

1)  When I have the two printers connected, and the print pooling set up and I want to print more than one copy of a document.  The print pool sends them all to printer 1, instead of distributing the documents between the printers.  If I go in a do a reprint it generally sends the reprint to the second printer.

-kuecker2 (April 23, 2013, 09:49 AM)

That behavior is by design, as you are requesting 2 copies of a single print job...not 2 print jobs of 1 copy. The data is only sent to the pool (and selected target printer) with a PCL command that says make X copies. The printers don't share work with each other, they just do what they're told from the above "command" pool.

[Stoic Joker]

The printers are the same brand and model and have the same driver.  This pool is not in a stationary setting.  I mix and match the computers and printers all of the time

-kuecker2 (April 23, 2013, 09:49 AM)

That strikes me as rather odd, you should be able to just modify to ports as needed to add/subtract devices from the pool. If it's a PCL driver and a network port the driver is quite oblivious to the target. Especially if you use the (non-UPD) Vista driver so it isn't trying to do the bidirectional auto configuration chat crap all the time.

I have scoured the internet and have not found anything quite like waht I want.  I am told Mac has a built in system for this.  But I am using windows computers

-kuecker2 (April 23, 2013, 09:49 AM)

PCL is PCL, reguardless of the OS. PCL gets the job to the print device and the embeded PJL handles how many times what happens next.


Just out of curiosity... Why are you (I am assuming) trying to speed up the printing of a single page job with printer pooling? It would be much simpler/cheaper to just get a single printer that prints faster.

[kuecker2]

I am using this an an environment where I am printing variable multiple copies of individual photos.  So 1 photo - 5 copies, 1 photo  - 2 copies, 1 photo  -8 copies.  When I hit print 8, they all go to the same printer, They are not distributed between the printers.  Mac does allow this where it sends prints to both printers, though I do not know how it works. 

I can get the print pool to work as shown at the link.  But it sends all the prints to one
printer and when I use the computer the next time I have to uninstall the print driver.


I have found several occassions where I would like to have this feature, mostly when printing photos.  I already own the Sony Printers I use and they work fine.  I don't want to replace them until they are no longer working. 

I am not sure what Stoic means by this.  That strikes me as rather odd, you should be able to just modify to ports as needed to add/subtract devices from the pool. If it's a PCL driver and a network port the driver is quite oblivious to the target.