Managing the HP Universal Printer Using Group Policy

You can manage the HP Universal Print Driver via Group Policy by installing an ADM template provided by HP. HP also has documentation on how to install and use the HP_MPP_2. Adm template available here: http://h20338.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/downloads/UPD_Active_Directory_Template_white_paper.pdf

The document references 2003/XP, but the only difference for us 2008/Vista users is the location of the policy settings. Since the HP_MPP_2.ADM file is an ADM and not an ADMX file, the settings will be displayed under the Classic Administrative Templates folder of the Group Policy Management Editor.

I found the most useful setting to be Status Notification Pop-ups. The HP Universal Print Driver will, by default, display pop-up informational messages such as ‘Now Printing’, ‘Toner Low’, or other potential annoyances while printing. These messages caused the most complaints and confusion from my users, so I just turned them off via Group Policy.