For years, I've been battling the same issue when connecting to Windows servers via RDP. The default behavior of redirecting local printers creates unnecessary Event ID 1111 errors (TerminalServices-Printers source) when the target server lacks matching printer drivers. This is particularly problematic with PDF converter printers.

The most effective solution is to implement Group Policy settings that disable printer redirection by default. Here's how to configure this at both the client and server levels:

For individual workstations where you initiate RDP connections:

# PowerShell snippet to modify local policy
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" 
-Name "fDisableCpm" -Value 1 -Type DWord

For domain-joined servers receiving RDP connections:

1. Open Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc)
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Printer Redirection
3. Enable "Do not allow printer redirection"

For larger environments, consider these additional measures:

# GPO Registry Equivalent
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"fDisableCpm"=dword:00000001
"fDisableLPT"=dword:00000001
"fDisableCcm"=dword:00000001

After applying these settings:

# Check effective settings
Get-GPResultantSetOfPolicy -ReportType Html -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\gp_report.html"
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services"

For departments that legitimately need printer redirection:

# Item-Level Targeting example for Security Filtering
(Get-GPO "Disable Printer Redirection").SecurityFiltering.Add("DOMAIN\PrintUsers")

Remember to run gpupdate /force after making changes and allow time for replication in multi-domain controller environments.

Every sysadmin who routinely connects to Windows servers via RDP has encountered this: you forget to uncheck "Printers" in the Local Resources tab, and suddenly your server's event log fills with TerminalServices-Printers errors for PDF printer drivers or other local printing components. These aren't critical failures, but they clutter logs and may trigger unnecessary monitoring alerts.

We'll implement this at both client (policy for RDP connections) and server (policy for RDP host) levels for comprehensive control:

# Client-side policy (affects RDP connection behavior)
Computer Configuration → Policies → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Connection Client
→ "Do not allow printer redirection" → Enabled

# Server-side policy (terminal server settings)
Computer Configuration → Policies → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Printer Redirection
→ "Do not allow client printer redirection" → Enabled

For environments where GPO isn't available or for temporary changes, use this PowerShell snippet:

# Disable printer redirection on local machine
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" -Name "fDisableCpm" -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" -Name "fDisableLPT" -Value 1 -Type DWord

# For current user's RDP client defaults
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client" -Name "RedirectPrinters" -Value 0 -Type DWord

Create pre-configured RDP shortcuts that enforce these settings:

# Sample RDP file content
redirectprinters:i:0
disableprinterredirection:i:1
autoreconnection enabled:i:1

After implementation, verify with:

Get-GPResultantSetOfPolicy -ReportType Html -Path C:\temp\GPOReport.html
# Or check registry:
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" | Select-Object fDisableCpm, fDisableLPT