Hybrid work. BYOD. Remote access from anywhere. These aren’t trends anymore. And Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) has become the engine powering this post-COVID IT transformation. Whether via Citrix, AVD, VMware, or IGEL, VDI printing promises centralized control, reduced endpoint chaos, and enterprise-grade security.
Whether it’s a clinician trying to print discharge forms from a thin client or a remote employee sending payroll from their home printer, printing must just work. Too often, they don’t—and when they fail, they derail workflows, flood support queues, and frustrate everyone.
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The VDI market is booming—expected to hit $21.92 billion by the end of 2025. Why? Because centralized desktops mean fewer endpoints to manage, better security postures, and consistent experiences across devices and geographies.
But while VDI has matured quickly and continues to trend, printing hasn’t kept pace. Despite all the virtualization wins, IT still struggles to deliver printing that’s fast, secure, and consistent across environments.
VDI is a system where desktop environments are hosted on centralized servers and accessed remotely. Instead of installing apps and OS updates on each device, IT teams manage virtual desktops from a single point. This creates a consistent, secure experience for users, regardless of location or device.
In VDI, desktops are virtualized and hosted in a central environment—often in a data center or cloud—and accessed remotely via thin clients or endpoint software. Applications, profiles, and print jobs are all executed server-side or over a session. This centralization boosts security but introduces challenges when local device integration (like printers) is needed.
Symptoms: Users can’t find their printers—or print jobs end up on the wrong device.
Why it breaks: Driver mismatches, redirection delays, legacy print paths, outdated servers, and GPO misconfigs.
Fix: Use universal or third-party drivers. Automate printer mapping with tools like Citrix WEM or logon scripts.
You onboard new staff only to find they can't print. Or, worse, they print—but to the wrong device, in the wrong office. In VDI, driver conflicts, legacy print paths, and redirection delays are everyday problems.
"Printer not showing up" remains the #1 VDI print ticket. Healthcare clinics and retail chains report hundreds of tickets per month tied to failed print mappings.
Pro Tip: Avoid OEM-specific drivers. Use universal drivers or third-party virtual print solutions. Validate printer mapping via logon scripts or UEM tools.
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Symptoms: No print logs. No encryption. Failed audit.
Why it breaks: Printers are overlooked as endpoints in CMMC, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliance scopes.
Fix: Encrypt print traffic. Log all jobs to SIEM. Segment printers on VLANs. Monitor and document everything.
In government or healthcare sectors, an unsecured print job is a liability. Organizations bound by red tape must validate every endpoint—including the printer itself. If logs don’t exist or encryption isn’t enforced, audits fail.
Pro Tip: Treat printers as endpoints. Require logging (via syslog or SIEM), encryption (IPPS or secure pull printing), and access control. Consider segmenting printers via VLANs for better visibility.
Symptoms: Slow print rendering, unresponsivheae queues, or outright job failures—especially for remote users.
Why it breaks: Print rendering happens client-side, with no compression or local routing.
Fix: Shift rendering server-side. Use compression (e.g., ScrewDrivers®, ThinPrint). Deploy local branch print servers.
Nothing derails workflow like a stalled print queue. Remote workers, especially those on thin clients or cloud sessions, face slow rendering, unresponsive printers, and repeated disconnects. These issues often stem from CPU-heavy drivers or non-optimized routing.
Another frequent complaint with VDI setups is poor user experience. Users might report slow desktops, lagging applications, or even frequent disconnections, especially during peak usage times.
Symptoms: Users must reselect duplex, tray, or color options every time they log in.
Why it breaks: No profile containers or persistent session-aware policies.
Fix: Use FSLogix or Citrix UPM for preference persistence. Apply GPOs based on role, OU, or IP range.
From legal teams needing letterhead by default, to HR printing forms single-sided, managing user-specific print behavior is a policy nightmare. Without session persistence and granular controls, IT teams resort to manual fixes or “one-size-fits-none” setups.
Pro Tip: Store user print preferences via FSLogix profile containers or Citrix UPM. Layer GPOs with session-based logic for granular control (e.g., finance department gets duplex by default).
Symptoms: A single print job kills VoIP quality or chokes a VPN tunnel.
Why it breaks: Jobs travel over the WAN twice, uncompressed and unthrottled.
Fix: Implement QoS for print traffic. Route to local devices. Monitor print bandwidth via NetFlow or firewall tools.
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Global teams trying to print over the WAN face massive delays. One uncompressed print job can choke a VPN tunnel or disrupt VoIP quality. Offices in APAC printing through US-based VDI hosts are especially vulnerable.
The most common VDI support ticket? “I can’t print to my local printer.” Whether employees are in branch offices or working from home, they expect printing to just work. Making that happen requires more than basic redirection—it demands precise, context-aware printer mapping across diverse environments:
No matter the scenario, the goal of enterprise print management is the same: eliminate friction, ensure security, and reduce IT intervention.
Different environments require different printer mapping methods. Static methods may work in tightly controlled office networks, while dynamic, context-aware options are essential for hybrid and roaming user scenarios.
| Method | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| GPO-Based Mapping | Static assignment via user, group, or OU | Predictable environments |
| Logon Scripts | Flexible scripting (PowerShell, VBS) | Small teams, manual control |
| UEM (Citrix WEM, Ivanti EM) | Session-aware, context-driven mapping | Roaming users, dynamic setups |
| Third-Party Print Engines | Intelligent rules with fallback, compression | Multi-site, BYOD, hybrid VDI |
Each VDI platform provides some level of native print mapping support—but capabilities vary. While Citrix and VMware offer more granular control, AVD typically requires third-party enhancements to deliver enterprise-grade functionality.
| Platform | Tools Used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VMware Horizon | GPO + Dynamic Env Manager | Supports location-based and USB printer mapping |
| Citrix | GPO + WEM + Policies | Granular redirection, proximity printing |
| AVD | Azure AD + Print Mgmt Ext | Limited native features—3rd-party tools essential |
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To fix VDI printing, many orgs are moving beyond native drivers to solutions designed for hybrid infrastructure. These platforms provide session-awareness, security, compression, and user preference management—all built for modern, secure VDI stacks.
| Solution Type | Highlights | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Driverless Printing | No drivers, policy-based, compressed streams | BYOD, hybrid, remote teams |
| Universal Print Drivers | Simple, broadly compatible | Smaller, low-complexity environments |
| Print Management Suites | Centralized control, analytics, compliance | Enterprise orgs in regulated industries |
| Cloud-native Services | SaaS, integrates with IAM, M365 | AVD or cloud-first organizations |
In 2025, organizations aren’t settling for native drivers and clunky mappings. They're deploying VDI-optimized printing platforms that provide session-aware mapping for user, location, and role, with encryption, logging, compliance architecture, compression, and routing to ease bandwidth.
Every aspect of your VDI stack—from user profiles to app delivery—has matured. Your printing strategy should match that level of sophistication. Invest in platforms that deliver:
When printing is seamless, users stay productive, support tickets drop, and IT regains control. It becomes an invisible strength—not a recurring pain point. And here's how to get started on tackling and scaling VDI printing solutions in your org:
You’ve virtualized desktops, secured access, streamlined endpoints. But if users can’t print reliably, they’re still calling IT—and your work isn’t done. Printing isn’t a background process anymore—it’s a strategic layer of the user experience and DEX strategies.
When it fails, it breaks trust. But when it works, nobody notices. And that’s the goal.
Treat printing as part of your core VDI design, not a bolt-on. With the right tools and strategy, you can finally make printing “just work”—and take one more pain point off your plate.
Deploy prebuilt templates, integrate with your VDI platform, and take control of your print environment—no more print chaos, no more user complaints.
Start your free trial now and scale printing to match your modern VDI infrastructure.
