Windows 7 / Getting Started

Creating and Using Printer Filters

You can use Print Management to create custom printer filters to simplify the task of managing hundreds of print servers and thousands of printers. To create a custom printer filter, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the Custom Filters node in Print Management and select Add New Printer Filter.
  2. Type a name and description for the new filter. For example, type All HP Printers for a filter that displays printers whose driver names begin with HP, indicating Hewlett Packard printers. If desired, select the check box labeled Display The Total Number Of Printers Next To The Name Of The Printer Filter and then click Next.
  3. Specify up to six filter criteria for your new filter. For example, to filter for printers whose driver names begin with HP, select the Driver Name field and the Begins With condition and type HP as the value.
  4. Click Next and configure an e-mail notification or script action that occurs when a printer matches the filter criteria specified by the filter. Configuration notification is optional and is described further in the section titled "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Printers" later in this tutorial.
  5. Click Finish to create the new filter. Select the new filter to activate it and display printers that meet the criteria specified by the filter.

Table below lists the filter criteria fields, conditions, and possible values that you can specify when you create a custom printer filter. Filter criteria fields marked with an asterisk (*) are new to Print Management in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Fields, Conditions, and Possible Values for Printer Filter Criteria

FieldConditionsValue
Printer Name
Server Name
Comments
Driver Name
Location
Shared Name
Driver Version*
Provider*		Is exactly, is not exactly, begins with, not begin with, ends with, not end with, contains, not contains(type a value to specify)
Queue StatusIs exactly, is not exactlyReady, paused, error, deleting, paper jam, out of paper, manual feed required, paper problem, offline, IO active, busy, printing, output bin full, not available, waiting, processing, initializing, warming up, toner/ ink low, no toner/ink, page punt, user intervention required, out of memory, door open
Jobs in QueueIs exactly, is not exactly, is less than, is less than or equal to, is greater than, is greater than or equal to(type a value to specify)
Is SharedIs exactly, is not exactlyFalse, true

Note To modify a printer filter after you create it, right-click the filter and then select Properties.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Printing
  2. Enhancements to Printing in Windows 7
  3. Printing Enhancements Previously Introduced in Windows Vista
  4. Additional Printing Enhancements in Windows 7
  5. How Printing Works in Windows 7
  6. Understanding XPS
  7. Understanding the Windows Printing Subsystem
  8. Understanding Printer Driver Isolation
  9. Understanding the Print Management Console
  10. Enhancements to the Print Management Console in Windows 7
  11. The Print Management Console
  12. Adding and Removing Print Servers
  13. Configuring Default Security for Print Servers
  14. Adding Printers Using the Network Printer Installation Wizard
  15. Creating and Using Printer Filters
  16. Creating and Using Driver Filters
  17. Managing Printers Using Print Management
  18. Configuring Properties of Printers
  19. Publishing Printers in AD DS
  20. Managing Printer Drivers
  21. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode
  22. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode Using the Print Management Console
  23. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode Using Group Policy
  24. Troubleshooting Driver Isolation
  25. Exporting and Importing Print Server Configurations
  26. Printer Export Files
  27. Performing Bulk Actions Using Print Management
  28. Client-Side Management of Printers
  29. Installing Printers Using the Add Printers Wizard
  30. Searching for Printers
  31. Installing Printers Using Point and Print
  32. Using Devices And Printers
  33. Using the Color Management CPL
  34. Managing Client-Side Printer Experience Using Group Policy
  35. Configuring the Add Printer Wizard
  36. Disable Client-Side Printer Rendering
  37. Configuring Package Point and Print Restrictions
  38. Extending Point and Print Using Windows Update
  39. Deploying Printers Using Group Policy
  40. Preparing to Deploy Printers
  41. Deploying a Printer Connection
  42. Limitations of Deploying Printers Using Group Policy
  43. Migrating Print Servers
  44. Migrate Print Servers Using Print Management
  45. Migrating Print Servers Using PrintBRM
  46. Monitoring and Troubleshooting Printers
  47. Configuring E-Mail Notifications
  48. Configuring Print Server Notifications
  49. Configuring Script Actions
  50. Configuring Detailed Event Logging