Forcing default printers – Leopard print server, Tiger open directory

[tobyobi]

I have a Leopard server, holding all the print queues for my building, and I am looking for a method to push these to the client machines around the building. The reason I am using a print server is so that I can force a modified driver. If I manually add the printer to a local client, the print server pushes the driver with it, which brings with it the modifications I make.

My first thought was to force the change using WGM, however, I cannot seem to use this to add printers that have been connected from a share. Using WGM from the print server itself allows me to add the printer, however, this adds the local printer on the computer, rather than what I am sharing out, hence the driver is not forced out with it.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can force this out to the clients in my building?

[tobyobi]

Using WGM on a client machine that already has the shared printer I want added results in no printers showing up in WGM.

Whilst I would like to ensure that the printers are always there, if the end user deletes their main printer, it’s their fault. And it’s a lot easier to fix one up than two hundred and fifty or so.

[tobyobi]

Just to follow this up, I had written off lpadmin as not viable, as I had no way to get the correct driver installed.

Until I wrote an applescript to do it.

If you’re looking to do something like this, download your hacked up PPD from a server you have, then use lpadmin to add printers using it.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.

[Author]

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