Organizations that use virtual desktop interface (VDI) environments such as Citrix and VMware regularly cite VDI printing issues as the biggest downside of these virtual solutions. It’s easy to see why problems exist. There are a lot of moving parts to contend with in any VDI infrastructure, and there are usually just as many moving parts in most print infrastructures. Put the two together and you’ve created a situation where there are bound to be complex incompatibilities and issues that demand VDI printing solutions.
Unfortunately, most VDI printing solutions on the market today feel like bolted-on afterthoughts. Either they don’t mesh seamlessly with the VDI solution itself or they have an idiosyncratic workflow that trades ease of use for the resolution of a small number of the more glaring VDI printing issues.
At PrinterLogic, we don’t think VDI printing solutions have to be compromises. You can have a VDI printing solution that integrates seamlessly with your VDI environment and you can address all your VDI printing issues while enjoying greater ease of use. And the reason we’re so confident about this is because our next-generation enterprise print management solution is the proof.
Once you’ve implemented our print management solution (and its speed of deployment is incredible, by the way), you have three different options when it comes to provisioning printers in Citrix with PrinterLogic:
- With the Citrix Universal Printer: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP printers to the endpoint device, then print to the Citrix Universal Printer. This addresses VDI printing issues by allowing you to leverage driverless printing that even supports home-based printers. PrinterLogic also provides the simplified printer and driver administration that other VDI printing solutions lack.
- As Citrix auto-created printers: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP printers to the endpoint device, then use the Citrix auto-creation or redirection features. This has many of the same benefits as the Citrix Universal Printer above, including print job compression.
- As session printers: Use PrinterLogic to provision direct IP session printers. With this method, you get benefits like proximity (aka location-based) printing and the ability to deploy Citrix printers without using group policy objects (GPOs) or scripts, which alone will solve many VDI printing issues and other headaches. You can also take advantage of PrinterLogic’s self-service printer installation portal. It empowers end users to identify and install nearby printers with a single click.
This flexibility is one of the many areas where PrinterLogic shines relative to other VDI printing solutions. And when managing printers with PrinterLogic in VMware, its flexibility and feature set are similar:
- Self-service printer installation: Routine printer installations can be performed quickly and easily by the end user—no service desk call necessary.
- Location-based printing and automatic printer deployment: Get the right printers to the right users based on a whole host of static or dynamic criteria.
- Superior print and driver management: Administer printer profiles and drivers for endpoint devices with unprecedented ease.
- No rights management, faster logons: With PrinterLogic, there’s no need for GPOs or the scripts that slow login times. Plus network performance is faster because of its far more efficient WAN use and installation processes.
No matter which VDI environment you prefer, PrinterLogic bests other VDI printing solutions by virtue of its seamlessness and its ability to target the fundamental causes of VDI printing issues.